Let’s start with something that we can all agree on: We do not know what Donald Trump is being indicted for by the Manhattan District Attorney today.
That statement may be the only thing that reasonable members from both political parties can agree on at this point when it comes to Trump and the controversies that continually swirl around him.
And the political divide pushed by the extremists in each party is the bigger problem facing our nation today.
Yes, politics is at the root of the legal actions facing Trump—from New York City to Washington, DC to Atlanta. To deny that is being naive. But that does not mean the investigations do not have merit.
The indictment of a former President is unprecedented. Are we unsettled that the Manhattan DA’s case is reportedly about hush money paid to a porn star as some sort of campaign finance violation? Yes. But President Bill Clinton was censured by Congress for lying about an affair and John Edwards faced a trial for the same alleged crime as Trump. So Republicans in some ways are now reaping what they have sowed.
But it is our broken politics that has led us to this day. The extremes of each party keep using overheated rhetoric that portray the other as nothing short of the Devil, undermining all who want to and are serving in elected office.
We are and continue to not be fans of Donald Trump. But it is less about his policies and more about how he has contorted himself—one lawmaker described him last week as a “chaos machine”— as well as a party that has failed to confront his dictatorial tendencies. And if you care about policy, about governing, we do not see where his MAGA movement has moved the country forward to any solutions over the last seven years.
The far left has a outlarge influence on the Democrat party as well, but in a much lesser way. The GOP focus on immigration, crime, or economic issues are because they hear those concerns from Americans that elected them. Newsflash—Independents and Democrats want solutions to those issues that align more with Republicans than the extremist left.
So where do we stand on the pursuit of legal actions against the 2024 GOP frontrunner for President? We want all the cases heard, to have a jury of his peer’s decide if hush money paid for extramarital affairs was a campaign violation, if Trump and his allies attempted to interfere in the 2020 Presidential Election to change the outcome in Georgia and if Trump should be held liable for the actions of his supporters that stormed the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6.
The main reason we support these investigations is because it takes the politics out of it and makes it a legal case about the facts. There is a great chance that the cases will be a replay of the two impeachment trials—the grand jury, much like the House, indicts while a trial jury, much like the Senate, does not have enough votes to find him guilty.
But at least there will be an airing of the cases outside of the political arena that is desperately needed.
You will hear a lot of talk in the coming days and months about no man being above the law, including a former President. That will be followed by overheated arguments on theories of the case based more on political affiliation than the underlying facts.
We are not sure if America will be better because of these trials, in fact it will probably get worse. But for any chance to move past our broken politics of today, a courtroom is the best place to start.
That is something else we believe we can all agree with: Every American deserves due process and Donald Trump will get his day in court. We just hope that that is the beginning of the end for our current state of politics.
You refer to the “Democrat” Party. It is the “Democratic” Party. The GOP uses the former designation perjoratively knowing full well that it is the latter.
“The extremes of each party keep using overheated rhetoric that portray the other as nothing short of the Devil, undermining all who want to and are serving in elected office.” You need to do some recent history. Start with the Newt Gingrich and his assertion that there will not no collaboration–only power. I listen to both parties’ representatives speak; there may be a few on the left who could be described as overheated, but the degree to which the Republican Party has been overtaken by extremists is not even close to commensurate with their opposition.
YES; I Do Agree! That Politicking will get Worse.. AND NO; I Don’t Agree with Due Process! Cause, Time & Again the American People have Seen that Due Process as being highly Prejudicial, Slanted & Bias, with Judges Bought off by Big Money & Special Interest’s, that have Cemented themselves in Offices Rite up thare in Our Gov’ts!! Now, how Great is that?? AND; President Trump is too Independent for’n many of those Elite’s!! SEE; He be, “Too Hot to Handle; And Too Cold to Hold”..//
As another commenter noted, there is no “Democrat party.” The Democratic Party is comprised of Democrats, something you missed learning in elementary school – or chose to forget. Also, there is no equivalency between the far left, a small minority (whose views often reflect centrists in European democracies) and the far right, which has usurped the Republican party. I find this opinion piece to be offensive for both its rhetoric and its spineless center. The Former Guy has had every possible way to prove that he is indeed not the devil incarnate. He failed numerous times. Fairness to me looks like a speedy day in court with no more delays, more more excuses, no more obfuscations.
As eluded to in the article…some democrats are more aligned with republicans on some issues than with the extreme leftists. Why is that? Dare I say…because they are AMERICAN ISSUES. Immigration, homelessness, education, abortion… are issues that CAN find solutions, the majority can agree upon.
Dissing MAGA…Make America Great Again…as a devil’s group…in itself is bewildering. What’s wrong with trying to achieve greatness for our country… OUR people.
It’s a crime to be white, Christian, either gender.
Why?
And btw many white, gender identifying Christians are not Trump supporters…so why all of the finger pointing?
No, it’s all much deeper. These issues, for many politicians, are deliberately never-ending.
They are designed to distract the attention…on them.
All the swindling, money making wheeling and dealings they desire…to become super powerful and rich…are buried .. under the hoopla.
President Trump came out of the gate…many years ago… by making a statement, that has had him be politically mobbed from day one. And we all know what he stated:
Clean out the swamp.
On that very day… BOTH sides of the aisle began a campaign for his political demise. It’s just that…he resonated with many people…so the Republicans sought his blessing.
What he’s indicted for is foolishness. It’s chump change…$720,000 less than Ms. Jones settlement with President Clinton…for a more substantial charge.
President Trump probably wanted to tell this porn star to go print her story, wherever. I don’t believe, for a second, he worried about the story, politically. I believe his family, was his concern. He’s brazen…but he does love his family.
This story, is just another item, added to the list of distractions. And until people wake up and demand common sense solutions on real issues…I do not see the courts being part of the solution. The courts are just doing their do diligence, with the cases presented to them.
These are just my thoughts and opinions.
Totally false equivalency editorial. A) Trump should have been convicted of extorting Ukraine the first time he was impeached. He was holding hostage arms for Ukraine that Congress had authorized. He wanted Zelensky to invent “dirt” on his upcoming political rival, Biden, not “dig it up” because there was none to find. The prosecutor Biden wanted removed was a corrupt actor the European Union also wanted gone. The scenario was a total fiction that somehow this corrupt player had “stuff” on Joe Biden. Then Trump should definitely have been convicted the second time he was impeached for fomenting the Capitol riot that the wackos in the GOP to this day claim was a peaceful visit by tourists. Cohen went to jail over the hush money payments, Weiselberg went to jail for it too. This was Trump’s deal and he needs to be held to account but of course, Dirty Bill Barr quashed the investigation and if you don’t think so, you’ve not been paying attention. But this one will be nothing compared to trying to fix the election with the fake elector conspiracy attempt in more than a few states and Trump’s call to “find 11,000 votes” that didn’t exist. And then Jack Smith will get an indictment for Trump lying about classified documents after he was given an opportunity tor return them all, after which nothing would have happened to him. Instead he sent his lawyer out there to lie and say they’d all been returned. The only thing that’s “unprecedented” is that we elected a life long grifter/liar/criminal who’s gotten away with it for decades in New York and Atlantic City where he screwed the very same working folks who for some reason still support him. They are dupes. The “far left’ in the Democratic Party do not compare to Gym Jordan, Mark Meadows and the rest of the crew on the right. They will be put under oath and we’ll maybe finally get them to talk the way Ehrlichman and Haldeman finally talked. The attacks on the rule of law by today’s right is right out of the Fascit play book. George Soros did not elect anyone. The people of New York did. Invoking George Soros is code for “Jewish money” and it’s disgusting. As disgusting and “unprecedented” as the rest of the four years from 2016-2020.
That’s absolutely true. They spit “Democrat party” and unfortunately Democrats let them get away with it.
The system means to be broken so the private for profit beyond any economy “elites” can make life worse rather than better for the rest of US.As citizens we are denied even basic passive rights of said citizenship: 1. Health Care including Dental w/taxes paid already 2. Affordable Housing according to a set amount according to income 3. Meaningful work of actual need subsidized by government tax..
Instead we are subjected to private interest and making the advantaged class already beyond any economy even richer and more corrupted. The cult of the individual has subverted the collective sense of a Nation. Does it makes sense to be taxed in ones wages, and not have medicinal benefits, like an elected official would, and for life?
How does depending on having a job and relying on an employer to pay for a basic human right, Health Care, makes sense? How does market will bare rents for living space makes sense? God/Nature created the land, not the real estate moguls, like Trump, he shows crime pays. Does the constitution need say a felon, or criminal can not run for office? apparently so. He has made a mockery, but showed us all we live in a failed republic..
Donald Trump is a lifeling criminal. “Due process” is the essence of our system. “Due process” is how the “Central Park 5” got wrongly convicted of rape/murder. Unfortunately mistakes happen. “Due process” and DNA got them released. Nonetheless Trump still insisted they remain jailed. It’s his turn to see “due process” work, only when he goes to jail it will be deserved because he’s guilty of everything he’s been accused of. He’s a liar and a grifter and a criminal who, like Al Capone, is finally going to get caught.
Donald Trump has tried to destroy America, not make it great. He tried to retain power after losing the election. Fake electors in multiple states is not making America great. Calling the Secretary of State of George to “find” the 11,000 votes he needed to win the state is not making America great. Donald Trump is a life long criminal who is finally getting caught.This case is only the beginning of his problems. Making this about Clinton is absurd. Trump loves his family so much he was having an affair with porn star while Melania sat home with a baby. You are naive to say the least. BTW: there is no swamp. It’s a fantasy.
I disagree with your statement – “Yes, politics is at the root of the legal actions facing Trump—from New York City to Washington, DC to Atlanta. To deny that is being naive.”
The law IS at the root of the legal actions taken against Trump. A Grand Jury decided there was enough evidence to indict him as they would in any other case. The only reason politics enters this equation at all is because Trump is a former president and because news organizations put out misleading statements such as yours. To deny that is being naive.
This seemed to me to be a pretty balanced commentary.
I don’t believe it’s politics—-I believe it’s called JUSTICE.