Start off by reading this:
I’ve admired the Clintons’ foundation for years for its fine work on AIDS and global poverty, and I’ve moderated many panels at the annual Clinton Global Initiative. Yet with each revelation of failed disclosures or the appearance of a conflict of interest from speaking fees of $500,000 for the former president, I have wondered: What were they thinking?
But the problem is not precisely the Clintons. It’s our entire disgraceful money-based political system.
Now watch this.
For those who do not have access to YouTube, this is of course Otter’s Speech from Animal House:
Ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be brief. The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules, or took a few liberties with our female party guests – we did. But you can’t hold a whole fraternity responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn’t we blame the whole fraternity system? And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn’t this an indictment of our educational institutions in general? I put it to you, Greg – isn’t this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we’re not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America.
You know, I didn’t realize when I woke up this morning that’d I would be writing a piece that had to point out that Animal House is not a good rhetorical template for a New York Times author to use. Then again, I imagine that Nicholas Kristof didn’t wake up a few days ago expecting that he’d end up using said template, so I suppose that that’s a wash. Still… really? This is going to be what they’re going to go with? “The way that all that dirty money was prancing around and showing everybody its denominations, it was just asking to be grabbed?” I tremble for the Republic.
No, not because of corrupt politicians. We’ve had to deal with those, right from the start. But we’ve never had a more useless set of political pundits.
Moe Lane (crosspost)
Isn’t Bill’s go to defense “You f’ed up, you trusted us.”?
This situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part.
Done.
Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
So “don’t hate the player, hate the game.” ? Much like living in NewEngland as a former Patriots fan. It’s easy to hate both, but the real indictment isn’t that there are underhanded dealings. I have no doubt everyone does it to some extent.
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It’s that they’re arrogant and sloppy enough to get caught. Repeatedly.
And to get all literary – isn’t Miss Havisham the original Social Justice Warrior?
And in respect to Mr. Kristof – “We know what you are; we’re just wondering what your price was.”
Wait, what? Mercenary pen-for-hire – that’s what Mr. Kristof is. I’m just wondering how much needs to be sent over to rent such a nice column-space.
*crosses arms and lightly scoffs*
Get your minds out of the gutter! Mr. Kristof would never sell himself that way when money, invites, access, money access, and invites are available! He is a high-class pundit after all!
I kind of think he sorta has a point, even if how he expresses it is wrong.
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As a society we have failed to hold the Democrats to account for being essentially the same as they were a hundred, hundred fifty years back.
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Recently, the Democratic Party had a pet mob of theirs burn down minority neighborhoods, which they had disarmed, to accomplish the political end of a faction. Exactly as they have done in the past.
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The Clintons being Arkie Mafia is merely another aspect of this.
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I assume we have not born witness to this because of an attachment to worldly things, like employment and human relationships.
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When was the last time you called your mom a murdering white supremacist terrorist?
It is difficult when you have a real life and normal human relationships with other people that extend beyond what those people can do for you. Sort of like why more shopkeepers did not greet a mafia protection collector with a shotgun slug to the grill.
The shopkeeper had too much to lose, and ‘The Shadow’ or ‘The Lone Ranger’ was just a story on the radio.
.. and the enforcers weren’t the dangerous ones, the ones who’d do the example-making didn’t collect the “insurance” premiums ..
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The only way to break the mafia (or the Clintonistas, but I repeat myself) is to roll up the entire chain.
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Mew