Unless you were in outer space without a communications link or were perhaps trapped under a heavy object and unable to get to the TV remote or access a newspaper report over
the weekend, former President Donald Trump was indicted last week in New York on criminal charges connected to allegedly paying a “hush money” bribe to a porn star to keep her mouth shut in 2016.
Analysts have expended lots of energy recently explaining the undisputed legality of non-disclosure agreements, and Trump himself said the liaison with Stormy Daniels never happened, so best of luck to the prosecutors – and Democrat pundits – hoping to throw the man’s rear in the pokey on such politically motivated malarkey.
But some Democrats felt it wasn’t necessarily up to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and company to prove anything in a court of law. Bragg, who’s been compared to Al Sharpton with weaker hair, now has the world on his shoulders. However, one prominent Dem lectured that the burden falls to Trump to get himself out of this latest character pickle. In an article titled “Pelosi Says Trump Needs to ‘Prove Innocence’ After Indictment Announced”, Zachary Stieber reported at The Epoch Times on Friday:
“Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is drawing criticism for claiming former President Donald Trump must prove his innocence after an indictment was announced. A grand jury in New York opted to indict Trump. Details remain under seal.
“’The Grand Jury has acted upon the facts and the law. No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence,’ Pelosi, who is still a member of Congress, wrote on Twitter.
“’Hopefully, the former President will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right,’ Pelosi added.”
Don’t you feel comforted knowing that Nancy Pelosi, of all people, thinks Donald Trump should have the “right” to prove his own innocence? Toss aside that “Innocent ‘til proven guilty” crapola we’ve heard since grade school – Pelosi seeks to change the foundation of American criminal law! Didn’t Thomas Jefferson prove America’s innocence in the Declaration of Independence, too?
Cutting the considerable amount of fat from this matter, the Democrats basically hate Trump, and, would now do anything to keep the former president from running, and winning, again. I couldn’t help but think the back-and-forth between Republicans and Democrats over the Trump indictment was just the latest salvo in the greater war and cultural dilemma that everyone in America seems to be dwelling on these days -- namely, does character matter?
“Of course it does” is the standard retort from most who are posed the question. Back in the 1990’s, for example, conservatives, myself included, spent the better part of the decade arguing ‘til we were blue in the face that a demonstrable scoundrel like Bill Clinton did not belong in politics much less to lay claim to the highest of the high (offices, that is), the White House itself.
Big Bubba Bill and faithful (cough, cough) wife Hillary went on TV to confirm how happy their marriage was, and the multiple allegations of Bill’s extramarital dalliances appeared to go away – or at least, be pushed to the background – as legions of liberal “live and let live” Clinton apologists refused to involve themselves in the details of someone else’s private actions, even if the Democrat nominee couldn’t keep it zipped long enough to do his job. Bulbous nose Bill looked so unassuming, didn’t he? Who would’ve ever reasoned that his exploits ran much deeper than his he-said-she-said dispute with Jennifer Flowers?
Naturally, the sex stuff was just the beginning and the establishment media largely turned-the-other-cheek on the Clinton scandals over “I didn’t inhale”, Whitewater (remember Jim and Susan McDougal?), Hillary’s crooked stock trading deals, attorney Vince Foster’s strange and unexplained suicide and a host of other complaints that never quite grabbed enough folks’ attention to make a discernible difference politically.
Bubba and Hill’s fibs were so legendary that many creative conservatives even wrote song parodies regarding their prowess for bending the truth. (“I Lied to You” – Paul Shanklin).
Not that conservatives didn’t try convincing folks. Legendary and forthright talk show entrepreneur Rush Limbaugh made a career out of making the case that character mattered in leadership – and at least when it came to the Clintons and their wide net of corrupted political hacks, it certainly did! Limbaugh used to say, “How do we fool ‘em today?” – which indeed must’ve been a rallying cry from Clinton headquarters on every new rising of the sun.
90’s Democrats downplayed their own moral quandaries and made character the heart of some of their biggest witch hunts, first and foremost the “high tech lynching” of Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. Then senator Joe Biden and party cohorts brought in witness after witness claiming Thomas had done untoward things to an unknown woman named Anita Hill, and their hyperbole and grandstanding asserted that Thomas didn’t deserve a confirmation vote because he was, well, not a good guy. They lied and couldn’t prove anything, of course.
Bill Clinton was elected and then reelected, continued to exhibit questionable character and even made moves on a 22-year-old intern in the Oval Office in the mid-90’s – and lied through his teeth during his deposition – but it wasn’t enough to convince a majority of Americans that he merited removal from office.
Democrats resumed their wholesale ignoring of character during Barack Obama’s campaign and two terms in office. They didn’t seem the least bit bothered that “Barry O” had been the leader of the pot smoking “Choom Gang” in his youth in Hawaii or that he spent most of his adulthood sitting in a church pew listening to Pastor Jeremiah Wright shout “God DAMN America!”, or that he’d palled around extensively with leftist radical William Ayres.
But they sure as heck thought that decades-old tales of George W. Bush’s drinking days were awful disqualifying, as were subsequently discredited reports that H.W. Bush’s eldest son avoided service in Vietnam through rigging an appointment to the Texas Air National Guard.
Character was rarely an issue in Republican circles up until then. There just weren’t any sleazebag controversies over GOP nominees and presidents like Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bush’s son, war hero John McCain and even flip-flopper Mitt Romney, who definitely had difficulties getting his positions straight but no one went so far as to accuse him of “playing the field” on Mrs. Romney.
Then there was Donald Trump. Trump entered the 2016 Republican race carrying enough baggage to keep an army of handlers at LaGuardia busy for a week. Everyone knew it. Some really made a stink about the fact Trump had been married three times and his life had regularly led the headlines in tabloids – and that gossip shows considered him top-of-the-hour material.
But Trump also touched on the political issues that a large segment of Americans cared about. In his introductory speech, Trump said what a lot of us felt, like Mexico wasn’t sending us their best, but instead was allowing criminals and rapists, etc. to break the law in this country. And that he would put a stop to it. “Angel Moms” wouldn’t just be figureheads in his administration.
Trump also spoke about the unfairness of “free trade” and how the rules had been slanted against American workers by the political class. He openly questioned the validity of overseas military alliances that no longer made sense, and advocated for putting America First when dealing with all foreign nations.
What about character? Well yeah, Trump made mistakes in his past. A lot of ‘em. But he was also, by all appearances, happily married to a beautiful woman, had five terrific go-getter children and didn’t draw undue attention to himself by partying or taking “freedom” a little too liberally when it got down to his own habits.
He even likes fast food. How relatable does it get?
As Pelosi’s reaction to the indictment would indicate, Democrats now seek to destroy Trump’s character in their never-ending secular crusade to prevent him from serving another day in the Oval Office. Never forget, according to them, Trump is mean, uncouth, rude, uses foul language in polite company, bombastic, uncivilized and vulgar. Not only that, he doesn’t always do what the judgmental lot thinks he should do! Where’s Miss Manners?
Meanwhile, everyone, including Democrats, recognizes that senile president Joe Biden is a truth-stretcher of epic talents, possesses a multitude of his own character dilemmas and wouldn’t relay a non-controvertible fact if his life and future electability depended on it. Democrats like Pelosi are ends-oriented people, though, and they don’t give a hoot about character or veracity if it means maintaining power.
To them, the justice system exists only to put the politically dangerous away, for good. If impeachment didn’t do it, Alvin Bragg will!
Yes, character does count, and no conservative or Republican I know would overlook anything in a person’s background just to win politically. What’s happening to Donald Trump right now is a travesty of injustice, and it’s not difficult to see the writing on the wall about what is really going on in Gotham City. Trump doesn’t need to “prove” anything. Did Democrats just get him elected in 2024?
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