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The instinct to arrest political enemies is one of the really bad telltales of authoritarianism, so people generally steer well clear. Unless you think that an

by tbihl 6y ago

The instinct to arrest political enemies is one of the really bad telltales of authoritarianism, so people generally steer well clear. Unless you think that an example needs to be set so Biden and future presidents know not to act similarly, I see very little good that could come of martyring such a lightning rod... You could get an insurrection that looks hard to defeat, rather than one that merely embarrasses law enforcement.

alsetmusic 6y ago
The real reason that no one ever goes after an exiting president is because there is an unspoken agreement not to. The moment that the incoming party mounts a legal case against an exiting president, they ensure that the other team will do the same to them. Also, all other members of congress would become targets. So many of them are enriching themselves through their office that it's best for everyone to just look the other way and move on for the sake of "bringing the nation together." Edit to add: Imagine the indecisiveness that would be brought to the topic of war. Values are constantly changing. What if in 20 years, your extremely popular decision to invade a country for "democracy" is seen as being built on lies? Many of the wars we enter are unpopular when viewed years on. Some might consider this a feature, as it may reduce war. But what about that critical moment when you believe war is necessary and justified because a dictator is taking over half a continent? I despise violence, but wouldn't want a leader afraid to step up before a situation is potentially too late for fear of doing time.
- vkou 6y ago
  No sitting president has ever tried to marshal his influence to steal the results of a certified election, because there is an unspoken agreement not to. That unspoken rule has been broken. Not punishing him to the fullest extent possible ensures that this will happen again. The next time a personality like him gets elected, it might be successful. I would consider it a feature if the next guy who gets the idea to start an insurrection to think twice, before he pulls the trigger.
- slavik81 6y ago
  Political leaders ending up in prison is not that rare [1]. The United States has historically had better leadership than the sort of nations where that happens, but it's been on a bit of a decline recently. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_government_who_were_later_imprisoned https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_government_wh...
  - koheripbal 6y ago
    It's not that rare, because those countries are politically unstable. The US is one of the longest living democracies.
- chillwaves 6y ago
  By all means, go after Obama or Biden if there is merit. Go for it. In fact, let's have ALL the presidents be presidents and not kings. How does that sound to you? Also you are ignoring the fact that Trump DID go after his political opponents after the 2016 election (and again in 2020). Yet somehow, Hillary Clinton remains free, despite his best efforts. So tell me again about unspoken rules.
  - jki275 6y ago
    Trump didn’t “go after” Hillary or any other political opponent in any form whatsoever after he took office. He said a lot of things on the campaign trail and then left it at that.
    - chillwaves 6y ago
      He pressured his DOJ to act against them.
      - jki275 6y ago
        DOJ has pretty much done nothing but investigate Trump for his entire presidency. I'm not sure what "pressure" you're talking about, but if it existed it was quite ineffective.
        chillwaves 6y ago
        That's because you are willfully blind. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-08/trump-complains-barr-pompeo-should-go-after-hillary-clinton https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-08/trump-com... https://www.ksat.com/news/politics/2020/10/20/trump-pressures-barr-to-investigate-bidens-as-election-nears/ https://www.ksat.com/news/politics/2020/10/20/trump-pressure... And the reason why Trump is being investigating is because he's a fucking traitor who deserves everything that entails. I hope you are proud of what you are defending. This isn't over yet. More details will come out of how Trump has betrayed our nation. And you know why it didn't work? Because there's nothing there. You want to pretend that Trump's personal lawyer was not shopping around hacked documents of Biden's son? Pushing for criminal investigation? Trump supporters have no allegiance to truth, just like Trump himself.

by tbihl 6y ago

alsetmusic 6y ago

The real reason that no one ever goes after an exiting president is because there is an unspoken agreement not to. The moment that the incoming party mounts a legal case against an exiting president, they ensure that the other team will do the same to them. Also, all other members of congress would become targets. So many of them are enriching themselves through their office that it's best for everyone to just look the other way and move on for the sake of "bringing the nation together." Edit to add: Imagine the indecisiveness that would be brought to the topic of war. Values are constantly changing. What if in 20 years, your extremely popular decision to invade a country for "democracy" is seen as being built on lies? Many of the wars we enter are unpopular when viewed years on. Some might consider this a feature, as it may reduce war. But what about that critical moment when you believe war is necessary and justified because a dictator is taking over half a continent? I despise violence, but wouldn't want a leader afraid to step up before a situation is potentially too late for fear of doing time.

vkou 6y ago
No sitting president has ever tried to marshal his influence to steal the results of a certified election, because there is an unspoken agreement not to. That unspoken rule has been broken. Not punishing him to the fullest extent possible ensures that this will happen again. The next time a personality like him gets elected, it might be successful. I would consider it a feature if the next guy who gets the idea to start an insurrection to think twice, before he pulls the trigger.
slavik81 6y ago
Political leaders ending up in prison is not that rare [1]. The United States has historically had better leadership than the sort of nations where that happens, but it's been on a bit of a decline recently. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_government_who_were_later_imprisoned https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_government_wh...
- koheripbal 6y ago
  It's not that rare, because those countries are politically unstable. The US is one of the longest living democracies.
chillwaves 6y ago
By all means, go after Obama or Biden if there is merit. Go for it. In fact, let's have ALL the presidents be presidents and not kings. How does that sound to you? Also you are ignoring the fact that Trump DID go after his political opponents after the 2016 election (and again in 2020). Yet somehow, Hillary Clinton remains free, despite his best efforts. So tell me again about unspoken rules.
- jki275 6y ago
  Trump didn’t “go after” Hillary or any other political opponent in any form whatsoever after he took office. He said a lot of things on the campaign trail and then left it at that.
  - chillwaves 6y ago
    He pressured his DOJ to act against them.
    - jki275 6y ago
      DOJ has pretty much done nothing but investigate Trump for his entire presidency. I'm not sure what "pressure" you're talking about, but if it existed it was quite ineffective.
      - chillwaves 6y ago
        That's because you are willfully blind. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-08/trump-complains-barr-pompeo-should-go-after-hillary-clinton https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-08/trump-com... https://www.ksat.com/news/politics/2020/10/20/trump-pressures-barr-to-investigate-bidens-as-election-nears/ https://www.ksat.com/news/politics/2020/10/20/trump-pressure... And the reason why Trump is being investigating is because he's a fucking traitor who deserves everything that entails. I hope you are proud of what you are defending. This isn't over yet. More details will come out of how Trump has betrayed our nation. And you know why it didn't work? Because there's nothing there. You want to pretend that Trump's personal lawyer was not shopping around hacked documents of Biden's son? Pushing for criminal investigation? Trump supporters have no allegiance to truth, just like Trump himself.