Thread by @GiovannaLiviana

So many are too young to have even vague memories of Watergate & have no real grasp of what it was or what happened, & are now advocating that Trump be impeached, or that he be censured for this or that or charged with this or that crime. A few things to remember about Watergate:

1) Nixon was never impeached. Articles of impeachment were drawn up, but Nixon resigned before they could be acted upon. Ford subsequently pardoned him.
2) Nixon was correct that you cannot charge a sitting president with a crime; the president must first be impeached.
3) Trump

is bad, but ultimately, he is merely a more blatant version of business as usual in the White House for the past 40 years or so, he is not the worst president in the past 40 years, & only one of those could hold a candle to LBJ & Richard Nixon when it comes to corruption.
4) If

impeachment had a snowball's chance in connection with Trump, it would be only the first step in a process of removing him from office, and that process would likely not be complete, even if the impeachment could be completed, before the 2020 general election.
5) If Trump were

somehow removed from office, it would not undo the results of the 2016 election, it would only apply to Trump, it would not replace him with a Democrat or a Green or a Libertarian or anyone else, except Mike Pence. Those who imagine that impeachment would take out two birds with

one stone are deceiving themselves as to what impeachment is.
6) Nixon was not impeached, as I've said. Bill Clinton was. I have had verbal battles with people my age or even a year or two older about this, who ought to know better, but then I remember that not everyone comes

from a politically active family like I did; I can remember watching news about Watergate on the TV as it was still going on, listening to Barbara Walters talk about Nixon, & studying what happened when I was finally old enough to be able to have more than a cursory grasp of what

Watergate was. I also remember the House of Representatives voting to impeach Bill Clinton, which impeachment was later overturned or voided by the Senate. Anybody have any doubts about this, please feel free to verify what I've said: Nixon was not impeached, Bill Clinton was.

7) I have said that only one president in the past 40 years could hold a candle to Richard Nixon or LBJ in terms of corruption, but I should be fair and say it was probably two. In both cases, however, evidence was at least very well concealed, if it be not completely destroyed.

One of those two was a Republican, and the other was a Democrat (just as were Nixon & LBJ). All you partisan sectarians need to stop pretending that your party is full of sweetness & light & innocence. Members of every political party are all too human. Some few of them may have

some noble virtues actuating them, but they would be the exception rather than the rule, & wrapping oneself in the flag and carrying a Bible around wherewith to beat other people over the head while not knowing enough about the text to even engage in apologetics, these are not

any indication of virtue, righteousness, or ethical nobility. By the same token, looking down one's nose at those who embrace some theistic perspective & proclaiming all of them to be irrational, ignorant, superstitious, prejudiced, and/or gullible is more a damnation of oneself

than of the people being judged thusly. There are good people who believe differently from you. There are very bad people who believe differently from you, too.
8) There are two types of Corporatism which many people have heard of, but few actually understand. Both being types of

Corporatism, they have a great deal in common, but they are not identical. Both are abhorrent, & trying to determine which is worse is probably akin to mediaeval contentions about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, although probably of less practicality. These two

types of Corporatism are Fascism & Neoliberalism. The US & the UK have both been Neoliberal for the past ~40 years. Trump is not a radical departure from this. At most, one could say that he is Far Right rather than Extreme Right, but that is perhaps being too nice to the

boisterous blowhard. There are some hints that he may be an Objectivist or a Neo-Objectivist, rather than a Neoliberal, but both of those perspectives favor policies which would result in the same ends as Neoliberalism & Fascism (ends which, to be more precise, would be a sort of

Neofeudal economy), but might take a few more minutes to arrive at those ends than some type of Corporatism. It is thus probably inaccurate to call Trump a Fascist or Neofascist. Pinochet demonstrated all too well that a Neoliberal leader can make use of Fascist superficialities.

9) Replacing Trump witu any ol' Democrat will not resolve the issues facing our nation, although it might lull the currently outraged citizenry back to sleep in their pods in The Matrix which is Bifurcation Fallacy. In other words, "Vote Blue no matter who" is a call to crawl

back into the Cave of Ignorance before your eyes have even adjusted to the light of Truth outside the cave. Any "Blue" won't do. The Democratic Party, like every other political party, has more than one faction. Use discernment in your choice, because putting another Democrat in

the White House who will perpetuate the Neoliberal business as usual of the past 40 years or so will not even slow down, let alone stop, the rush to Dystopia. Voting for an authentic Modern Progressive, though, will not only stop us careening to Hell-on-Earth, but reverse course,

if that person can bring enough authentic Modern Progressives into the 2 Houses of Congress to effect the necessary changes. Avoid the deception of Fauxgressive Opportunists, who bark loudly at corporate oligarchs but seldom if ever bite them. Look beyond the superficial noises

of those who grandstand, to the substantial evidence of their policies, their record, their character. Pay no attention to the apparent externalities. Chromosomal sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pigmentation, ethnicity, are all immutable, and no indication of what sort

of person or leader a candidate will be. Even party membership or partisan affiliation is not a determining factor, because as I said, all political parties have factions. Look deeper than the external or other superficial characteristics. There are good and bad men and women,

however you distinguish those categories, good and bad Gays & Straights & Bisexuals, good and bad individuals of every pigmentation, good and bad people of every ethnicity. These immutable qualities should not be considerations when you regard your ballot. Everyone, with any of

these qualities, can be a hero or a villain. Your judgement when you regard your ballot should be based on the candidate's policies & how consistent they are with the candidate's record, & based on the character of the candidate. Can candidates evolve? Sure, of course. But do not

fall for an act born of opportunism or Machiavellianism. We've had enough of both already, and the door through which we can avert environmental collapse will be shut very soon; we don't have time for more status quo business as usual, nor for voters to sit drowsily & not fully

awake enough to finally make the correct choice. Have your double-shot of espresso, drink it down fast like an Italian, rather than slowly sipping it. Then do the necessary work of research, and stay alert till you've cast your ballot and the final count of votes is in.

Then you

might be able to have a nap, but stay OUT of the pod, out of the Cave, or things may well deteriorate again.

"The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance."
~ John Philpot Curran,
10 July 1790,
Baile Átha Cliath, Éire

~ Finis ~