Glen Contrarian
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2013
- Messages
- 17,688
- Reaction score
- 8,046
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Progressive
There was a time when espionage by a foreign power against any high-ranking government official was considered espionage against not just that individual, but against the entire United States of America.
There was a time when encouraging our enemies to do so was considered giving aid and comfort to the enemy. In peacetime, it is (I think) accessory to a federal crime.
There was a time when it was a given - for all political parties - that our internal politics ended at our borders, that it was considered near-unforgivable to go behind the president's back and encourage actions by those other nations that were not in the best interest of the United States - and encouraging ANY other nation, even our best allies, to get involved in our national elections is about as UNpatriotic as it gets.
Trump and those who support him have forgotten what democracy is. Unless Trump is in the White House, he - and his supporters - do NOT get to determine what the foreign policy should be.
I understand how much the Trump supporters on DP (and I refuse to call them conservatives - they're NOT) hate Hillary Clinton - they're simply unable to ever conceive that she might not be as 100% guilty as they believe. But it does. not. matter. how much they hate her, how terrible they think she is, it gives no one ANY excuse to encourage another nation - least of all RUSSIA, which is headed by a former head of the freaking KGB - to conduct espionage inside our borders, much less to influence our election.
What Trump did was shameful beyond words. I cannot imagine any Republican president of bygone years - even Nixon - approving what Trump said. Maybe it's okay with the Trump supporters to have other nations determine who our president is...but if so, then they've forgotten what it means to be American.
There was a time when encouraging our enemies to do so was considered giving aid and comfort to the enemy. In peacetime, it is (I think) accessory to a federal crime.
There was a time when it was a given - for all political parties - that our internal politics ended at our borders, that it was considered near-unforgivable to go behind the president's back and encourage actions by those other nations that were not in the best interest of the United States - and encouraging ANY other nation, even our best allies, to get involved in our national elections is about as UNpatriotic as it gets.
Trump and those who support him have forgotten what democracy is. Unless Trump is in the White House, he - and his supporters - do NOT get to determine what the foreign policy should be.
I understand how much the Trump supporters on DP (and I refuse to call them conservatives - they're NOT) hate Hillary Clinton - they're simply unable to ever conceive that she might not be as 100% guilty as they believe. But it does. not. matter. how much they hate her, how terrible they think she is, it gives no one ANY excuse to encourage another nation - least of all RUSSIA, which is headed by a former head of the freaking KGB - to conduct espionage inside our borders, much less to influence our election.
What Trump did was shameful beyond words. I cannot imagine any Republican president of bygone years - even Nixon - approving what Trump said. Maybe it's okay with the Trump supporters to have other nations determine who our president is...but if so, then they've forgotten what it means to be American.