Jesus Christ, I just have to take a moment to remark on what is perhaps the stupidest fucking editorial ever from the Seattle Times, a newspaper that has turned stupid fucking editorials into a veritable art form:
PRESIDENT Obama should pre-emptively pardon Hillary Clinton to protect her and the United States from a vindictive, showboat prosecution by the incoming Trump administration.
No, NO, NO… President Obama should not pardon Hillary Clinton under any circumstance! A pardon would be understood by the vast majority of Americans both as an admission of guilt and as conclusive evidence of endemic corruption in the Democratic establishment! How fucking stupid can the Seattle Times be not to see the politics of the situation through to its logical conclusion?
While I understand and even agree with the editorial board’s impulses (“The danger to America is not Clinton’s freedom but in having a presidency that even threatens to use its power for vendettas and jailing opponents”), it is far too late for such democratic high-mindedness. The threat has already been made! And the American people (well, the Electoral College) rewarded Trump for it with the White House. Obama pardoning Clinton would only embolden and enrage the trumpenproletariate, while freeing Chancellor Trump from the responsibility of fulfilling one of his most disturbing campaign promises.
Rather, cold political calculus tells us that we must let Trump be Trump. We must not allow him to escape this defining moment. He must either demonstrate to his base the weakness that is at the vile heart of all tyrants, or demonstrate to the world how little he honors the rule of law, let alone our nation’s two-and-a-quarter centuries of peaceful transfer of power.
A Clinton show trial would no doubt be a shock to the American psyche and a permanent scar on our nation’s world standing. But so would the show trials of Clinton underlings that would no doubt ensue should the Trump regime be denied its promised revenge (a Clinton pardon should be a sign for Huma Abedin to flee the country). It may be too late to avoid this trauma. But at least it would finally and totally rip away the fiction that there is anything normal about the alt-right regime that has seized the White House.
If Trump prosecutes Clinton, he turns her into a martyr of the democratic resistance. But if President Obama pardons Clinton, he transforms the two of them into political villains against which the Republicans will effectively run for decades to come. It isn’t fair. It isn’t comforting. But that is the America in which we now all live.
It is also an America that newspapers like the Seattle Times helped create through their endless coverage of the trumped up email witch hunt, and a shameful campaign of false equivalency that now trivializes “go hang yourself” and “go back to India” as mere “complaints” while characterizing Breitbart’s obvious and indisputable white nationalism as a mere he-said/she-said allegation of “critics say“—the critics explicitly othered on the paper’s front page as “angry … Jewish and Muslim groups.”
If by "complaints" you mean racist/misogynist hate talk & death threats. Way to whitewash white nationalist aggression, @seattletimes. pic.twitter.com/72tanLdh8q
— (((Goldy))) (@GoldyHA) November 15, 2016
"Critics say" Breitbart woos white nationalists?! CRITICS SAY???!!! Go to Breitbart! It's a goddamn fact! Shame on you, @seattletimes!!! pic.twitter.com/Y4OZyegioo
— (((Goldy))) (@GoldyHA) November 15, 2016
Like most of the rest of media, the Trump-normalizing Seattle Times has surrendered the moral authority to even report the news, let alone comment upon it. It does not matter if the editorial board’s motives were good: their advice is more than just wrong, it is dangerous.
The sole purpose of a free press is to safeguard democracy. On this the Seattle Times and the rest of the old guard news media utterly failed. So please, Seattle Times, for the sake of our nation, shut the fuck up before you do more harm.
Well argued if a little excited. Funny the troll brigade here seems to be totally behind the idea of a pardon.
An idea that’s probably been brewing in the fever swamps for a long time.
My thoughts on a pardon exactly. It will say she’s guilty. She’s guilty of nothing except decency, grace and a determination to make our nation a better place.
Woman posts racist rant against Michelle Obama, then calls backlash “a hate crime against me.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....adb5701ff8
Meanwhile, fights are breaking out between airline passengers and restaurant patrons because racist fucks now think they have a license to pick on strangers. The times, they are a’changing.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....adb5702462
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....adb5704c25
‘Jesus Christ, I just have to take a moment to remark on what is perhaps the stupidest fucking editorial ever from the Seattle Times, a newspaper that has turned stupid fucking editorials into a veritable art form”
LOL, this coming from a guy who thinks The Stranger is a newspaper.
@2…
Holy shit, did you write this after dropping acid or something?
Obama shouldn’t pardon Hillary in advance. A pardon will ruin her 2020 chances, and I won’t get a chance for a BJ from a White House intern.
There does seem to be some indication that a lot of Trumpistas still haven’t returned to normal endorphin levels after steeling themselves to fight the One World Government takeover should Mrs. Clinton have prevailed last Tuesday. They’re probably actually jealous of the folks on the other side now having an excuse to go out on the streets and vent.
As to Sawant? She was out marching against Clinton before the election and now she’s out protesting the result? What the hell did you expect, lady?
Even if investigations are ended it will be interesting to observe how The Clinton Foundation will fare, going forward.
After all, influence-peddling is so much more difficult when one no longer exerts influence.
@5, @6, @7: I am accustomed to much higher quality trolling, so you’ll have to do better than that.
@10
No worries, we are accustomed to much better writing, so you will have to do better the next time you decide to post something.
I hope Sawant is getting better quality stuff from you in her “biography” (((insert laughter here)))
Re your “martyr” – in that case I sincerely hope Trump pardons her. Please leave videos of your heads collectively exploding
You may still have time to change that.. You don’t want Drumpfeters disappointed so soon in their Dear Leader.
As with the election, you leftist fools are missing all the real action.
While you hand wringing hysterics are preoccupied with the impending doom facing your Red Queen, our Republican Congress will grant Our Leader Trump immunity from all litigation. It’ll all happen right in front of you, and still you won’t see a thing.
Translation: the rule of law doesn’t mean shit to you. It’s whatever the kleptocracy says it is.
Funny that Bannon sent thugs to Ryan’s district to help his know-nothing Drumpfist opponent. It was a failure. And the Republican Congress just voted Ryan for another term as speaker. Interesting.
The Republicans never believed in the efficacy of infrastructure spending. Any kind of investment was DOA with them. The Drumpfies believe in some kind of public-private partnership based on tax-cuts?
Smell like voodoo-doo-doo to yours truly. But I’m sure the Republicans will betray their fiscal conservative principles aka act like hypocrites and cave for DOOFUS’ Dear Leader.
Funny how the Depends crowd is crowing about someone wearing huggies.
@15,
The “rule of law” is whatever we say it is.
We make all the laws now. And there’s absolutely nothing you little people can do about it.
Despite what Jason Chaffetz thinks, the Clinton investigations are done. The whole point of them, as with the other 30yr old witch hunts, was to prevent any ambition on her part to become President. Now that that threat has seemingly been diverted, and there being no actual crimes to investigate, they will forget all about it for 4 years. Just like the accusations against Bill Clinton, that magically stopped appearing the moment he left office. Just like the show that never ends, they will pick up right where they left off, as soon as there is a partisan reason to do so. There is no reason at the moment. There are plenty of other, more immediate, fake issues to gin up. The most interesting woman in the world will now get on with her life.
@18,
No other inquiry has been of greater interest to the national media. Until, and unless that changes, Our Leader Trump and his loyal Republican colleagues in Congress will continue to pursue Clinton justice on behalf of the many, many victims.
@11 I doubt you are even accustomed to reading.
@20
You mean to tell me, that as a “professional” blogger and writer, thats the best comeback you could pump out?
Lulz. Looks like I will have to lower my bar of expectations.
Guess I shouldnt expect much else from a socialist anyway.
@19 Our Leader Trump and his loyal Republican colleagues in Congress will continue to pursue Clinton justice on behalf of the many, many victims.
Perhaps you would be willing to share that list of victims? Let’s see how it stacks up against the very large list of victims from your fuhrer DRUMPH (AKA the Balless Wonder).
@21 Looks like I will have to lower my bar of expectations.
With the fuhrer DRUMPH as President the whole world has.
Obama will not pardon Clinton because there is nothing to pardon her for.