For those that weren't around during Watergate...

[jberryhill]

The real fun began when the defense became “oh, come on, everybody does it.”

We have entered the “everybody does it” phase.

[tblue37]

1. Some are sure flirting with it--like Mulvaney today. nt

[lagomorph777]

44. Flirting? More like cohabiting.

"Everybody does it" doesn't work for a 5-year-old, and it won't work for the toddlers in the White House.

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. How soon before Mick has "former staffer" status?

[guillaumeb]

5. Sooner than Rick Perry? eom

[Wounded Bear]

13. I think I heard today that Perry updated his status to "leaving soon" again...

Not sure how long that will last.

[BigmanPigman]

39. Rachel Maddow showed his just released farewell video.

He made it "just in case" he woukd need to use it.

[MontanaMama]

40. Will Mulvaney have

covfefe boy status tomorrow?

[sop]

52. The Trump Campaign is now selling t-shirts with "Get Over It!" on the front

I don't think Mulvaney will be "leaving to spend time with the family." Trump likely came up with that "get over it!" line, and Mick was just following orders.

[hlthe2b]

3. Well, I'm sort of glad we are accelerated this time. I don't think I can take a whole lot more...

[dchill]

7. I don't think the WORLD can take much more.

[guillaumeb]

4. Recommended.

Are there enough defense attorneys for all the Trump Administration members who will soon require one?

[jberryhill]

12. Well, that's a problem

Once the defendants start pointing fingers at one another, then you have all sorts of conflicts breaking out for any of them using the same firms.

[guillaumeb]

14. The problem is that the real enemy of Trump is the truth. eom

[dchill]

6. I was reminded of Ron Zeigler's...

"That statement is no longer operative" today. Several times.

[KentuckyWoman]

50. Made me snort laugh.

It isn't funny at all, and hysterical all at the same time.

[dchill]

51. Exactly! I'm just making an observation, but it's also hilarious.

[uponit7771]

8. Is what Mulaney did with the funds for Ukraine illegal as OMB director? Seems like if congress ...

... designates funds for something it should go to that place

[SCantiGOP]

9. A huge difference in Nixon and trump

Nixon has enough sense to lock himself in the White House and give out comments and info only in very controlled and scripted manners.
Trump gets mad sitting on the toilet watching foxnews and sends out incoherent tweets.

All I can say is: Sir, thank you Mr President. You are making our job easy.

[jberryhill]

15. Nixon was considerably more likeable

And that’s saying a lot.

[SCantiGOP]

18. That's saying a hell of a lot

God, I despised Nixon. I was just out of college when he was being impeached and my friends were dying in Viet Nam.
But, you are right. Compared to Trump, Nixon was at least rational and knew what the hell he was doing.

[SCVDem]

19. Can you imagine tRump saying on TV,

Sock it to ME?

[mucifer]

28. racist and anti semitic

[jberryhill]

36. Which puts him several pussy grabs above Trump

Are you suggesting Trump is not racist or anti-Semitic?

Nixon signed the bill establishing the EPA.

[yardwork]

10. We've blown right past "plausible deniability."

[2naSalit]

11. and it's full scream ahead from here on out ...nt

[MontanaMama]

41. Gawd that's a great way to put it.

“Full scream ahead!”

Keep your hands inside the ride at all times!!

[2naSalit]

43. And keep your head away from the windows,

they may whack you real hard when we go over the bumps!

[H2O Man]

16. Recommended.

Definitely.

A friend reminded me that this has much in common with Iran-Contra, too.

[groundloop]

24. hopefully not THAT similar to Iran-Contra..... Reagan and GHWB escaped that unscathed.

And of course William Barr was there to help them slither away.

[H2O Man]

25. Hopefully not the

eventual outcome. But the crimes have similarities.

[lagomorph777]

45. And letting Reagan-Bush get away with that is how we got Trump.

We've let them get away with bigger and bigger crimes every time.

[Ahpook]

17. Did Nixon have his bootlicker supporters

In Congress and the rubes who voted for him?

Did it seem like the impeachment process would be stymied in the same way we are experiencing now? We know Mcconnell will throttle anything to do with this.

On edit: I know he resigned when it became obvious he was toast but, does anyone think Trump will go out the same way? I doubt it!

[MyOwnPeace]

21. I agree with you......

I lived through the Nixon thing - GAWD, I voted for him!!! (only because I bought his line that "Nam was over - he's bringing them home - HAH!).
But, I saw the light and campaigned for McGovern (see, I can pay my dues!) and followed the Nixon trials very faithfully.
And other comments throughout DU are correct - it is becoming a snowball effect - as one thing happens, it triggers 2 or more things - and it grows.
Truly - I don't see how he can survive this. The walls are crumbling and more and more "shit" is gonna' come out daily. All of the screw-ups will be discovered/announced on a logarithmic scale - soon to the point that he'll be so tied up in his lies that he'll have to come up with some "face-saving" way to get out of town.
It's scary to think what we'll have when he's gone - but getting him "gone" is job NUMBER ONE - and we'll deal with whatever after that.

All that said: there is a BIG difference: In the time of Nixon we had honorable, respectably public servants on both sides of the aisle - people who cared about the Republic, not their own personal jobs and wealth-creating situations.
This time - there's not a Republican that I can trust to do the "right thing" at this point in time.

[Ahpook]

22. When Romney is the best they have

It is scary.

[H2O Man]

26. Yes.

Watch the films of the House hearings on impeachment on youtube. Same bootlickers, different names.

[SharonAnn]

30. Republican Senator Howard Baker's question "What did the president know and when did he know it?"

Really opened up the door for Republicans to wake up and realize that Nixon was deeply involved in the coverup and thus, impeachable.

[H2O Man]

34. It's important to remember

that, when he first asked it, he believed it provided Nixon cover. Like most republicans at that point, he had no idea how bad Nixon was, nor that there were tapes including the famous "smoking gun."

[NewJeffCT]

46. and that was without a Fox News around

or One America, Rush Limbaugh and others

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

29. For quite awhile, yes.

It wasn't until the summer of 1974 and the release of the tapes that a critical mass of GOPers finally realized that Nixon had become unpopular enough that they could no longer afford to support him. But even after he resigned, about 24% of the electorate still supported him.

[Ahpook]

31. Wow

He got as low as 24%? Trump is still hovering around 40ish?

Says quite a bit!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

32. That was at the end of Watergate, summer of '74. We're just getting started.

[Ahpook]

33. he actually had a spike in support

just after the actual scandal?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

35. He claimed at the time that he had nothing to do

with the break-in. It was also just before the '72 election and he was still popular. Note that after John Dean's testimony that peak disappeared.

[Ahpook]

37. Thank you

We'll see how this plays out.

I have this itchy feeling that these days are a bit different. With hate radio, voting shenanigans and our courts compromised it could play a bit differently.

These guys seem EXTREMELY arrogant!

[wnylib]

48. I fear that you are correct on all points. I was

around during Watergate and things are definitely different today. Social media. Hate radio. Far more widespread corruption today involving members of Congress and even foreign powers.

Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, and Chuck Schumer are the right people for handling this and the nation is blessed to have rhem. But it will still be tough going.

[uponit7771]

54. +1

[DeminPennswoods]

55. To answer your questions

Yes, Nixon had strong support from Republicans. Remember only 4 of them on the Judiciary committee voted for the articles of impeachment and only 1 (Larry Hogan, Sr) voted for all 4.

Technically there was no impeachment because Nixon resigned, but apparently Howard Baker was a GOP "mole" on the Senate select committee investigating the Watergate break-in and cover up. Ultimately, Baker did come around, but he started out like Devin Nunes.

I do think it's better than 50-50 Trump resigns rather than be impeached. McConnell is desperate to save R control of the Senate. If he sees his majority going down in flames, I think he's more than capable of cutting a deal with Dems that results in him going to Trump and saying the votes are there to convict.

[Ahpook]

58. Resign though?

That would crush his fragile ego.

I think you're right about Mcconnell, though. He wants to save his control and may cut a deal essentially selling out Trump and promise the votes to remove him. Trump will of course whine, bitch and moan about it while playing a victim to save face.

Either way is cool with me as this has gone way to far.

[DeminPennswoods]

59. Yep, think so

I could see a deal where he's given an assurance he won't be prosecuted by the federal gov't if he leaves.

[Harker]

20. And there was Nixon saying

"well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal."

Let's just cut straight to the bunker scene, please.

[pnwmom]

27. And when the president does it on the WH lawn, it's ESPECIALLY not illegal.

[maryellen99]

23. And they said the same things about liberals/democrats back then too nt

[Harker]

42. It took them a very long time

to give Barry Goldwater a glow of something approaching sanity.

[EveHammond13]

38. tonight is a good night to watch All the President's Men

followed by V for Vendetta

[W T F]

47. My response "I've heard that talking point but I've seen no evidence"

[wnylib]

49. I've long suspected that vitriol against Hillary

stems in part from her work with the Watergate investigation teams. Plus she was a former Pub. That was two unforgiveable strikes against her in the eyes of Pubs.

[Gothmog]

53. I remember this well

[Nitram]

56. My parents, strong Nixon supporters, argued that "Sometimes the president has to break the law to

keep the country safe." The difference with "everybody does it" is the they would only support that in a Republican president.

[LiberalFighter]

57. The response to that should be...

Sure! Every criminal does it.