Jonathan Turley: Hillary Is The New Nixon

[berni_mccoy]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/06/03/hillary-clinton-email-scandal-richard-nixon-aides-fawning-column/85297456/

Nixonian palace guard now protects Hillary

Greatest danger from electing Clinton president may be her cadre of fawning aides.

It has taken almost 50 years, but the Democrats have finally found their inner Nixon. Make no mistake about it: Hillary Clinton is the most Nixonian figure in the post-Watergate period. Indeed, Democrats appear to have reached the type of moral compromise that Nixon waited, unsuccessfully, for Republicans to accept: Some 71% of Democrats want Clinton to run even if indicted.

While Obama could be criticized for embracing Nixon’s imperial presidency model, his personality could not be more different from his predecessor. Clinton however is the whole Nixonian package. On a policy level, her predilection for using executive and military power is even coupled with praise for (and from) Nixon’s secretary of State, Henry Kissinger. However, it is on a personality level that the comparison is so striking and so unnerving. Clinton, like Nixon, is known to be both secretive and evasive. She seems to have a compulsive resistance to simply acknowledging conflicting facts or changes in position. She only makes admissions against interest when there is no alternative to acknowledging the truth in a controversy.

snip

Adebin’s breathless account is similar to communications of other aides who fawn in emails to Clinton over her speeches, dress and demeanor. In the released emails, former National Security Council adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall asked that an aide pass along her praise of Clinton’s performance at a hearing:

“If you get a chance — please tell HRC that she was a ROCK STAR yesterday. Everything about her 'performance' was what makes her unique, beloved, and destined for even more greatness. She sets a standard that lesser mortals can only dream of emulating.”

snip (sounds like too many fawning Hil-fans here lol)

It is certainly true that Washington's powerful have always attracted a circle of sycophants. Indeed, the most powerful figures often seem to need continual stroking from underlings and there can be a race to the bottom as aides outdo each other in their adoring rhetoric.

snip

It is hard not to think of Nixon aides like John Ehrlichman and H.R. Haldeman in the “palace guard” surrounding Nixon. They should be a cautionary tale for all of these aides. Ehrlichman would later look back and marvel at the loss of his own sense of self and independence: "I, in effect, abdicated my moral judgments and turned them over to somebody else.”

My greatest concern is not that a President Clinton will continue a pattern of false statements but that her aides will gradually forget the difference between what is true and what is not.

Oh Jonathan, they already have... they already have.

[Ferd Berfel]

1. HOpe we don't have to suffer too much

when she hits her Watergate

[bjo59]

37. She may never have to hit her Watergate. If Nixon had done what he did today, I have my doubts

over whether he would ever have been impeached. The media is much less likely now to play its role as one of the powerful watchdogs of government and the government itself is full of many more corrupt elected representatives than it was back in the early 70s. A horrible situation. I certainly hope that she ends up being held accountable for her actions. The American people will play an ever more heavy price if she is not.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Not as much of a 5 o'clock shadow though. K&R

[Octafish]

69. When the president does it, that means that it is not illegal.

"They have pillaged the world. When the land has nothing left for men who ravage everything, they scour the sea. If an enemy is rich, they are greedy; if he is poor, they crave glory. Neither East nor West can sate their appetite. They are the only people on earth to covet wealth and poverty with equal craving. They plunder, they butcher, they ravish, and call it by the lying name of 'empire'. They make a desert and call it 'peace'." -- Publius Cornelius Tacitus, a historian of the Roman Empire

SOURCE (disturbing imagery):

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com

[blue neen]

3. Wow. Two threads attacking Hillary within 25 minutes.

Why?

[grossproffit]

9. Sadly, because they can.

[blue neen]

11. Bingo.

B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O.

[2banon]

12. I see it as a comparative observation and of course critique.

I can think of much more pointed commentary that could be accurately regarded as an attack.

There is plenty of evidence to support these observations, the signposts along this journey have been numerous and often in big neon warnings of impending disaster. Yet apparently, HRC supporters are "good with it".

I see these observations as something of a forecast of what is likely the outcome of a Hillary Clinton Administration.

[blue neen]

15. "Comparative" of what? "Critique"? We're inundated with "Critiques".

Nah, it's just an excuse for an attack. Plain and simple.

[grasswire]

64. what do you think is going to happen if she does win the nomination?

That all criticism of her is going to stop?

Wrong.

She is going to be hit like never before, so hard that she will be reeling. A whole industry of people have been waiting for this moment in time, to hit Hillary with the nastiest, cruelest, attacks ever.

And we will have warned you.

[BillZBubb]

31. Because the truth about her needs to be heard.

I know it is painful for the cult of Hillary to hear, but you need to hear it.

[blue neen]

44. Right-o. "The truth".

Pointing out constant attacks on the presumptive Democratic nominee makes one a cult member. Oh well, there were many people on DU who would call me a cultist if I posted anything positive about President Obama....or any other Democrat for that matter.

This is Democratic Underground, a place to support Democrats, not sometime Libertarians like Turley. If you don't want to support Democrats, it's fine...but I don't need to "hear" anything.

Over and out.

[corkhead]

32. we only have a couple more weeks to "fall in line". I thought Dems were supposed to "fall in love"

[geek tragedy]

50. because Skinner gave them an extra two weeks to get it out of their

system before they just wind up leaving anyways

[azurnoir]

51. so are you saying Hillary is so weak a candidate that she cannot withstand criticism?

[MFM008]

52. They have 13 days

to get this type of garbage out of their systems.

[Tal Vez]

4. Jonathan Turley makes his living suing the government for this and that.

Any public official who doesn't roll over for him is Nixonian and trying to steal the bread from his table.

[2banon]

14. oh really? Has he retired from George Washington University?

I must be mis-remembering.

Could have sworn he made his living as a law professor at GWU.

[Tal Vez]

20. Don't rely on me. Go to the Wikipedia article on Turley and read the list of his more prominent

clients and cases under the section called '"Prominent Cases."

[laserhaas]

61. I gave up on JT..long ago..but citing Wiki as gospel

Is foolishness

[Gregorian]

5. I heard someone else say the same thing. The whole missing 18 Minutes thing has a ring to it.

This election sure is sorting things out. I don't know where we go from here, but I have high hopes that Bernie can unify us. I even include republicans in that. As it's going, there's no hope.

[lagomorph777]

22. Missing 18 minutes = missing 30,000 emails

only the emails are chock-full of data useful to our enemies, and are already in the hands of global hackers.

[senz]

27. They both had enemies lists. Paranoid and vindictive.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/195188-hillarys-hit-list

[senz]

6. Jonathan Turley, a respected legal scholar, offered sanity during the GWB era.

I admired his courage in criticizing the Bush administration. He holds classic liberal values and is always measured and reasonable in his opinions. He should be taken quite seriously.

[Bayard]

30. I like Turley

Keith Olbermann used to have him on occasionally and he always knowledgeable and well-spoken.

[emulatorloo]

55. Yes he did! However, after Turley attacked Sotomayor's intelligence, Keith dumped him.

Def miss Countdown!

[leeroysphitz]

72. I remember when DU threw him under the bus. Funny how we end up chewing up and

spitting out our liberal pundits / advocates around here.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

36. yep. first learned about him here at DU.

But now it seems he is just a government hating ambulance chaser

[VulgarPoet]

38. Mr. Turley, there's a bus in the parking lot for you...

[msanthrope]

62. Um...no.....Turley's never been liberal. Pro impeachment, works for House Repubs.

Why would you think he was a liberal?

[msanthrope]

58. Turley? Respected legal scholar? Um, no. Maybe he sounds smart-like on the Tee-Vee

but his pro-Clinton impeachment stance.....and his wasting of court time means that actual lawyers do not take him seriously.....

Here's a smack down from one of my favorite judges.....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=107135

[Number23]

66. And wasn't he the guy who attacked Thurgood Marshall's legacy for no fucking reason whatsoever

while trying to attack Sonia Sotomayor for no fucking reason whatsoever??

Why... yes it was!! http://hotair.com/archives/2009/05/26/law-professor-sotomayor-lacks-intellectual-depth/comment-page-2/

So very, VERY curious who folks choose to support around here!

[msanthrope]

73. Why yes, yes it was. Interesting. Who quotes him approvingly? nt

[mmonk]

74. Agree

[One Black Sheep]

7. Yep, Hillary is Nixonian, no doubt about it.

I even think an argument could be made that we are doing a disservice to Nixon by the comparison, because he was actually good at foreign policy, unlike Hillary, who seems to be trigger happy (Iraq war, Syria, Libya)

[2banon]

21. Nixon Good at foreign Policy?

If I may quibble with you on this point, I think carpet bombing Cambodia was an example of very bad foreign policy. Lying about his intentions to end the Vietnam War was an Orwellian campaign promise..

I'd say they were on par with the other on foreign policy.

You maybe thinking about "Detente with China" which everyone agrees was a great move? (except for me).

Don't mean to be critical, just couldn't let Nixon's foreign policy legacy pass without comment.

[One Black Sheep]

24. true, I was thinking about the China thing.

I'm no expert on Nixon or his history in office, so no worries. Appreciate the history lesson.

[2banon]

43. I'm no expert either, didn't mean to sound like one ... :)

just had to live through it all, but far too many died with his foreign policy exploits, thanks to the likes of Kissinger and McNamara.. there were other key figures to be sure.

Kissinger a "good advisor" for Clinton, she brags.

[BootinUp]

8. Does the idiot mention Trump in the Op-Ed? nt

[berni_mccoy]

10. Calling Turley an idiot eh?

[onenote]

39. He's not so much an idiot as a publicity seeking opportunist.

As reflected by some of the positions he's taken over the years and the cases he's handled (including representing Boehner and the republicans in suing Obama over the Affordable Care Act).

[senz]

17. Because the ONLY hope Hill has is TrumpFear. It's her only hope.

It's ALL you've got. It's the only way y'all can push that onto us.

TrumpFear TrumpFear TrumpFear.

Anything that isn't TrumpFear cannot be allowed.

[redstateblues]

29. Bernie has nothing. A failed campaign.

[Jim Lane]

68. If you're insinuating what I think you are, then your post is very misguided.

Your apparent implication is: No one may write anything that might reflect badly on Hillary Clinton unless, in the same piece, the author tosses in gratuitous criticism of Trump, no matter how unrelated it is to the subject.

You may find this hard to believe, but not every piece mentioning Clinton is directed at the subject "which candidate should I support this fall."

[kentuck]

13. Jonathan back on the right-wing wagon again?

Seems like it happens about every four years?

[senz]

18. Jonathan Turley is completely liberal. He stood up to Bush.

The Clintons love the Bushes. They're family.

[onenote]

42. "completely liberal"?

You're kind of showing your true colors if you think someone who believes that the NRA's interpretation of the Second Amendment is correct, who is against laws outlawing polygamy, who testified against Bill Clinton during his impeachment, and who is currently representing John Boehner and the republicans in a suit challenging Obamacare is "completely liberal."

[Number23]

67. Damn, no wonder that dude didn't come back to this thread

That was a hell of a smack down.

[msanthrope]

59. Um no.....he was pro impeachment of Bill. He varies with the wind. nt

[highprincipleswork]

19. Suppose he might be "rightwing" if Hilary was "leftwing". But she's not.

[geek tragedy]

49. no, he's permanently on board since John Boehner hired him to sue Barack Obama nt

[DebbieCDC]

16. Whoever coined the phrase

"Nixon in a pantsuit" had it dead to rights.

[senz]

23. The person who coined that phrase on DU had read numerous books on Nixon.

He knew Nixon inside out and saw the unmistakable similarities between the two. He was also naive and couldn't sense danger -- so he got PPR'd a few months ago. He can be found on JPR.

[corkhead]

35. a pic to go with the phrase:

[Dem2]

25. Yes Turley has turned into a troll years ago

I'm not surprised you're posting his hogwash.

[tonyt53]

26. And that is exactly what it is.

[Tal Vez]

28. I remember Turley's role in the Clinton impeachment.

Before the impeachment, he was on TV every day saying that the House should impeach. He always added that he wasn't advocating that Clinton be convicted, but that there should be a trial in the Senate. Then, immediately after the House impeached, Turley said that he thought the Senate should convict.

Of course, he was subsequently embarrassed when the Senate told the House prosecuting team that the Senate would not permit the prosecuting team to soil the Senate with testimony and such that had been gathered by Ken Starr. Turley has never demonstrated much common sense. He really believed that the Senate was going to permit Linda Tripp to testify about how many times Clinton touched Lewinsky's left breast, etc. What a joke!

[Gregorian]

41. I never knew that. Thanks.

I would still post what I did above.

I'll just keep this in mind when I hear from him again.

[EndElectoral]

33. Similar to an article I read about her surrounding herself with "yes" people. Doesn't want dissent.

"...please tell HRC that she was a ROCK STAR yesterday. " - Liz Sherwood-Randall

Give me a break.

[MattP]

34. Turley is representing the Republicans in the case against Obamacare

But he's liberal because he hates the Dem nominee

[AzDar]

40. Ayup.

[Bread and Circus]

45. be still my beating heart... LoL... I love this quote

“If you get a chance — please tell HRC that she was a ROCK STAR yesterday. Everything about her 'performance' was what makes her unique, beloved, and destined for even more greatness. She sets a standard that lesser mortals can only dream of emulating.”

^ This person would be a great DU'er with brave knack for saying some great things about Hillary. She sounds like no plain Jane but rather has a victorious righteousness and would pwn anyone's mom in a battle of compliments for Secretary Clinton. I have no doubt she's been a democratic voter since a very young age, perhaps even birth. Hillary Clinton sure is a mighty big oak tree of political and moral righteousness that we mortals can only dream of emulating.

I think it's great that Hillary Clinton has such wonderful, dedicated supporters.

[BillZBubb]

46. I see what you did there!

[Juicy_Bellows]

63. + a bunch!

[geek tragedy]

47. Turley works for the House Republicans. So he fits right in with the other

sources cited by members of the Not Hillary party here at DU.

[Uncle Joe]

48. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, berni_mccoy.

[SidDithers]

53. Get 'em in while you still can...nt

Sid

[pampango]

54. I support Bernie, but give me a break. n/t

[imagine2015]

57. K & R

[msanthrope]

60. Turley works for the House Republicans. Nice rec. nt

[Babel_17]

65. Wow, that Liz Sherwood-Randall leaves me ...

... nonplussed. I can lol, K&R, post it elsewhere, and google it, but that is all.

[Buns_of_Fire]

70. And people thought I was kidding about "The Hillary Channel"

My mistake was obviously not thinking big enough. This could be bigger than Elvis!

Think of the tie-ins. First, we'll start with "The Book of Hillary!" (a guaranteed #1 on the NYT Best Seller List for at least three years, with sales probably surpassing the Bible) -- then, "The Clinton Collection" of matching his 'n' hers pantsuits (available exclusively at Walmart). The "Bubba's Own" brand of marital aids (99% of all profits go to charity -- The Clinton Foundation, of course!). Hillary Beat magazine (we'll be holding auditions for staff writers on this very site in 12 days or so). I figure we should be able to move at least 3 million paintings of Hillary on black velvet alone.

We're talking some BIG BUCK$ here, people.

[Major Hogwash]

71. Holy shit!!

The only question remaining is: Is Turley talking about Nixon circa 1960 or "the New Nixon", as Nixon himself referred to his political comeback in 1968??

I think Turley is talking about the New Nixon from the late 60s.
If that's the case, then I don't think Hillary has a snowball's chance in hell from becoming the President of the United States.