3 ms·

Here comes the usual "everyone does this [and no I cannot provide any comparable examples]." How fortunate Alito got to live and corrupt himself in this age of

Here comes the usual "everyone does this [and no I cannot provide any comparable examples]." How fortunate Alito got to live and corrupt himself in this age of peak GOP cravenness!

NoRelToEmber 3y ago
> "everyone does this [and no I cannot provide any comparable examples]." George Soros-funded DAs represent 20% of Americans after $40M was funneled into races - https://www.foxnews.com/media/george-soros-funded-das-represent-20-americans-40m-funneled-races-report-finds https://www.foxnews.com/media/george-soros-funded-das-repres... Related story from a different source: https://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/george-soros-criminal-justice-reform-227519 https://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/george-soros-criminal... Edit: The invitation was for "comparable", not identical, examples. I provided a much larger scale, but comparable, example of undue influence. That they differ in legality is more an indication of the law's shortcomings, than proof that they're not comparable. Focusing on legality to the exclusion of all other considerations is motivated reasoning.
- ceejayoz 3y ago
  Campaign funds and personal gifts are not the same thing.
  - NoRelToEmber 3y ago
    A distinction without a difference.
    - ceejayoz 3y ago
      https://twitter.com/dril/status/473265809079693312 https://twitter.com/dril/status/473265809079693312
- ethanbond 3y ago
  Ah yes, the nearest comparable example of an illegal and undisclosed activity is a 100% legal and disclosed activity... Consider me unconvinced. I'm sympathetic to the view that these should be seen more similarly than they are, but that is unambiguously not the case in current law.
cityofdelusion 3y ago
As someone with a Latin background, it sure _seems_ like everyone does this. You get to a certain level in society / class structure and corruption just becomes part of how the game is played. Nothing seems to be immune to this -- religious organizations, political parties, claimed alignment, revolutionaries, counter-revolutionaries, counter-counter-revolutionaries, dictators who grew up rich, dictators who grew up poor, dictators who grew up capitalist, dictators who grew up communist, etc. At some point money doesn't even talk, it becomes about stuff like positions, literal wielding of power, and influence with a capital "I", not social media type stuff but "I can change the world" sort of ambition. Politicians especially all seem to think of themselves as being part of a thin line, of being a vanguard of how the world should be run. I want to believe that public servants in the so-called developed world are above all this, but I have doubts. There just aren't enough guardrails in the system, it requires the rule-makers to make rules about themselves and for their allied enforcement officers to actually hold that law above their comradeship (and, above the power-gaining benefits of that very friendship).
- ethanbond 3y ago
  Vibes are not evidence.
- mrguyorama 3y ago
  This is called a low trust society and avoiding it is essential to functioning democracy
AnimalMuppet 3y ago
Elena Kagan received a ton of money from her book, and sat on a case involving the publisher. You could argue that that's legitimate income (in contrast to a gift), but it's at least in the same direction.
- nappy-doo 3y ago
  Fuck whataboutism. Kick her off too. Impropriety, is impropriety. Replace them all. Public service is just that – service.
- HDThoreaun 3y ago
  Fuck her too. Incredible that the entire court has backed Roberts' campaign to refuse any code of ethics.

Here comes the usual "everyone does this [and no I cannot provide any comparable examples]." How fortunate Alito got to live and corrupt himself in this age of peak GOP cravenness!

NoRelToEmber 3y ago

> "everyone does this [and no I cannot provide any comparable examples]." George Soros-funded DAs represent 20% of Americans after $40M was funneled into races - https://www.foxnews.com/media/george-soros-funded-das-represent-20-americans-40m-funneled-races-report-finds https://www.foxnews.com/media/george-soros-funded-das-repres... Related story from a different source: https://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/george-soros-criminal-justice-reform-227519 https://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/george-soros-criminal... Edit: The invitation was for "comparable", not identical, examples. I provided a much larger scale, but comparable, example of undue influence. That they differ in legality is more an indication of the law's shortcomings, than proof that they're not comparable. Focusing on legality to the exclusion of all other considerations is motivated reasoning.

ceejayoz 3y ago
Campaign funds and personal gifts are not the same thing.
- NoRelToEmber 3y ago
  A distinction without a difference.
  - ceejayoz 3y ago
    https://twitter.com/dril/status/473265809079693312 https://twitter.com/dril/status/473265809079693312
ethanbond 3y ago
Ah yes, the nearest comparable example of an illegal and undisclosed activity is a 100% legal and disclosed activity... Consider me unconvinced. I'm sympathetic to the view that these should be seen more similarly than they are, but that is unambiguously not the case in current law.

cityofdelusion 3y ago

As someone with a Latin background, it sure _seems_ like everyone does this. You get to a certain level in society / class structure and corruption just becomes part of how the game is played. Nothing seems to be immune to this -- religious organizations, political parties, claimed alignment, revolutionaries, counter-revolutionaries, counter-counter-revolutionaries, dictators who grew up rich, dictators who grew up poor, dictators who grew up capitalist, dictators who grew up communist, etc. At some point money doesn't even talk, it becomes about stuff like positions, literal wielding of power, and influence with a capital "I", not social media type stuff but "I can change the world" sort of ambition. Politicians especially all seem to think of themselves as being part of a thin line, of being a vanguard of how the world should be run. I want to believe that public servants in the so-called developed world are above all this, but I have doubts. There just aren't enough guardrails in the system, it requires the rule-makers to make rules about themselves and for their allied enforcement officers to actually hold that law above their comradeship (and, above the power-gaining benefits of that very friendship).

ethanbond 3y ago
Vibes are not evidence.
mrguyorama 3y ago
This is called a low trust society and avoiding it is essential to functioning democracy

AnimalMuppet 3y ago

Elena Kagan received a ton of money from her book, and sat on a case involving the publisher. You could argue that that's legitimate income (in contrast to a gift), but it's at least in the same direction.

nappy-doo 3y ago
Fuck whataboutism. Kick her off too. Impropriety, is impropriety. Replace them all. Public service is just that – service.
HDThoreaun 3y ago
Fuck her too. Incredible that the entire court has backed Roberts' campaign to refuse any code of ethics.