Sunday, December 22, 2024

It never happened/They all do it

Fifty years ago, on January 21, 1974,  the lead essay in the New Yorker concerned the Watergate affair.  The anonymous author (at that time “The Talk of the Town” was published without attribution) was discussing lawbreaking.  He noted that for a long time, Nixon denied everything.  It didn’t happen.  When the tapes proved that Nixon and his minions did the things they were accused of, Nixon then switched to “they all do it,” claiming all presidents did illegal things.


This method of dealing with issues is still prevalent 50 years later.  A prisoner from Guantanamo has sketched the various tortures used on prisoners as part of the “War on Terror.”  They are horrendous.  When the Americans were accused of torture they denied it.  When cell phone pictures and testimony by participants and prisoners made the waterboarding and torture public, the response was “They all do it.”  All nations torture.


It strikes me that this is also the reaction of Trump  to crimes and illegalities.  It never happened.  I didn’t pay off porn actresses.  I didn’t rape.  I didn’t cheat on my charities.  I didn’t cheat students at Trump University.  I didn’t lie.  Didn’t steal.  Didn’t break the law.  And when caught, quickly say, “All presidents lie.  All presidents cheat.  All presidents do illegal things.”  


If it never happened, we can’t be held accountable.  If they all do it, we can’t be held accountable.  Bottom line:  We can’t be held accountable. 

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