Charles P. Pierce: Every Newspaper Should Be Calling on Donald Trump to Resign

[babylonsister]

Last edited Fri Sep 18, 2020, 02:52 PM - Edit history (1)

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a34073191/trump-hhs-meddle-in-cdc-testing-guidance/

Every Newspaper Should Be Calling on Donald Trump to Resign
It is beyond doubt that the current president has "failed to put his nation's interests first."
By Charles P. Pierce
Sep 18, 2020


My favorite statistic of this misbegotten era—and by "favorite," I mean the one most likely to make me drain the Earth's entire supply of whiskey—is the one that press critic Eric Boehlert likes to toss around when he reminds us that more than 100 of the nation's newspapers called for Bill Clinton to resign during the Great Penis Chase of 1998. Clinton, we were told, over and over again, had demonstrated his unfitness for the office of president because of his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. As Boehlert recalled in his essential Press Run newsletter:

"He should resign because he has resolutely failed — and continues to fail — the most fundamental test of any president: to put his nation's interests first," USA Today announced unequivocally of Bill Clinton in September 1998. "Bill Clinton should resign, echoed the Philadelphia Inquirer. "He should resign because his repeated, reckless deceits have dishonored his presidency beyond repair." The Denver Post, Washington Times, Orlando Sentinel, San Antonio Express-News, Anchorage Daily News, and Manchester (N.H.) Union Leader were among the dailies that joined the resignation chorus.

Yet, as Boehlert points out, none of these guardians of the people's liberties has called for the resignation of a president* who dishonors the presidency just by getting out of bed in the East Wing every morning. It probably wouldn't do any material good; Clinton ignored the calls for his resignation, too. But it would be a demonstration that another institution was pushing back against a criminal presidency*, the fundamental incompetence of which has contributed to the deaths of over 200,000 citizens.

The New York Times, which has not called for the president*'s resignation either, has the latest entry in a bill of indictment that now reaches from the Potomac to a spot somewhere in north Georgia.

The guidance said it was not necessary to test people without symptoms of Covid-19 even if they had been exposed to the virus. It came at a time when public health experts were pushing for more testing rather than less, and administration officials told The Times that the document was a C.D.C. product and had been revised with input from the agency’s director, Dr. Robert Redfield. But officials told The Times this week that the Department of Health and Human Services did the rewriting and then “dropped” it into the C.D.C.’s public website, flouting the agency’s strict scientific review process. “That was a doc that came from the top down, from the H.H.S. and the task force,” said a federal official with knowledge of the matter, referring to the White House task force on the coronavirus. “That policy does not reflect what many people at the C.D.C. feel should be the policy.”

As the Times notes, this isn't the first time that political hacks installed at HHS have monkeywrenched documents from the CDC regarding public safety during the pandemic. BUT WE GOT FOOTBALL AGAIN! Jesus. That any thinking human being would vote for four more years of this madness makes me wonder if Darwin wasted a lot of time.

[lindysalsagal]

1. " the Great Penis Chase of 1998"

Never heard that one before!

I don't give one rat's ass what these guys do after hours or with whom, as long as it's legal.

[NCDem47]

2. My Lord. The FURY of the editorial pages toward Clinton and a blow job.

Trump? Nada. Crickets.

[llmart]

3. Yes! I will never forget how the newspapers treated that.

I remember when the story broke and one of our major newspaper's headlines was "Constitutional Crisis". I've yet to see a newspaper headlines like that over all the crapping on our constitutional the GOP has done.

As a side note, I spent my entire life subscribing to a major newspaper in whatever city I lived in and after that headlines, I called up and cancelled my subscription and never got a newspaper subscription again. It showed me how journalism had become nothing but sensationalism to sell papers.

[Pepsidog]

4. Finally!

[Fritz Walter]

5. I'll make a deal with you, Charlie!

I get to call him that because we were Journalism classmates decades ago.

You can drain the world's supply of whiskey, except for one kind: bourbon.
Scotch, Canadian, Rye, and even most American kinds are all yours. This kid from Bourbon country wishes you well... just leave the good stuff for me.

[IcyPeas]

6. only 3 newspapers have asked for resignation....

Only three newspapers in America have called upon the President to resign. In 1998, more than one hundred called on Bill Clinton to resign. Where is the courage on the editorial pages right now or were Clinton's sins more damaging to the country than @realDonaldTrump

Link to tweet

there was a thread the other week on just this subject:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100214051062

[KS Toronado]

13. Seems like we only have 3 Democratic papers left, rest must be owned by repugs.

Kinda explains why 100's of papers were outing Clinton in 1998.

[niyad]

7. Thank you.

[ffr]

8. What I picture when I hear the bloviating when it comes to Clinton

Yet, we don't even know the half of the horrors impeached Donald has bestowed upon us and without Fox News there to bring it up, nobody else has the balls to say anything, except for a few who get it.

[Crunchy Frog]

9. The unspoken reason is that there are different standards

for Democrats and Republicans. IOKIYAR.

If a Dem had done a tenth of what Trump has, the newspapers would all be baying for blood.

[PatSeg]

16. Exactly

And it is never subtle either. The expectations for Democratic politicians is extremely high, whereas republicans are likely to get a free pass over and over again. We see this every election season as well. A Democrat's every word is scrutinized and dissected often to the point of being absurd, while republicans do and say far worse and its barely bleep in the reporting.

After the last four years, you'd think these journalists and newspapers would get a clue. They helped create the nightmare we are living in, but they keep doing the same crap.

[Crunchy Frog]

18. The sad thing is, he regards most of these papers and journalists as

"enemies of the people", and will probably try to shut them down or take them over, and maybe even arrest the journalists if he gets a second term.

They're kind of slitting their own throats here.

[PatSeg]

21. So true

It does no good to take it easy on Trump. In the end, everyone gets thrown under the bus, so they might as well quit pulling their punches. He'll still call them "fake news" and yes, may even try to have some arrested.

[crickets]

19. The money is too good. It's shameful. nt

They helped create the nightmare we are living in, but they keep doing the same crap.

[Skittles]

20. different standards for white men, too

try to imagine a woman or POC behaving like Trump

[bucolic_frolic]

10. 'America cannot endure another 4 years of this'

something like that, Steve Schmidt, this week.

Would make a great yard sign

[yaesu]

11. when Clinton was impeached they fell over one another demanding his resignation, even USA Today

but not a peep out of them about the worst dictator in US history.

[PatSeg]

17. And you know,

I can't recall one ordinary person who felt that way. There were people who were critical or disappointed, but I didn't talk to anyone in the real world who thought he should be impeached or should resign. A lot of the media's hype was just backfiring. It was like they were talking to each other.

[NNadir]

12. Pointing out the disparity between Monica and 200,000 Americans...

...murdered by indifference and delusion gives lie to the myth of the "liberal press."

There is a reason an incompent poorly educated racist trailer trash make believe "billionaire" con man is in the White House, and it has a lot to do with our "but her emails" press, where a "liberal" "moderator" could be an outright criminally misogynist like Matt Lauer.

[DallasNE]

14. Darwin Made No Allowance For

Citizens United and dark money corruption.

[certainot]

15. the media has been intimidated big time by limbaugh and sons the last 30 years

that would all reverse when liberals finally stop ignoring rw radio