Absolutely brilliant !
11
“A decline of public morals in the United States will probably be marked by the abuse of the power of impeachment as a means of crushing political adversaries or ejecting them from office.” - Ivanka Trump
I'm utterly fascinated by the size of the Trump moral blind spot. I honestly wonder if they willfully ignore their own moral vacuousness, as they accuse others of the same... or are they sincerely clueless as to the nature of their own sinister motivations? Either way,as fascinating a psychological case study that they are, they really have to go. And soon.
76
@Bob
They are not alone. As I have researched by family involvement in the slave trade and reconstruction, I've begun to believe that the distribution of morality - and I do not like that word - we need something better that includes integrity, empathy, decency, compassion, etc. - the distribution of morality follows a gaussian (bell) curve just like intelligence. There is an average, high and low distribution within the population.
I grew up in the South and quickly learned that religion was an excuse for hypocrisy, the least moral people were often the most "religious," including the clergy at churches I was familiar with. (Not even Catholic priests, either.) That explains why the evangelicals support Trump.
Politicians (my family was involved) were also generally on the low end of the morality bell curve.
But whenever I am talking politics, I quote Will Rogers who said over 7 decades ago "America has the best politicians money can buy."
21
I've been researching my family history for decades, and have way more "black sheep" than most, including Andrew Johnson and Rutherford B. Hayes who managed to undo the rights given to former slaves and create the atmosphere of racial divide we live with today. Going back a generation, one of my relatives married Isaac Franklin, the biggest slave trader in the country. What I've learned is that America was the fastest growing economy in the history of the world because it's economy was based on agriculture using slave workers on land stolen from native Americans and industrial work done by child labor in Northern factories.
"Make America Great Again"? Which America? That of the "founding fathers" who skipped over the issue of slavery except made slaves worth 0.6 person in the census to ensure the political power of the Southern slave states? The financiers who provided the money to mortgage slaves to do the work and buy/trade the goods make from their labors? The Congress who found slippery ways to ensure slavery was protected right up to the Civil War? The white supremacists and spineless politicians who killed off reconstruction and turned their backs on the terrorizing of blacks?
America's history has been filled with people with a "mean streak" who cared nothing for the people they allowed to be terrorized; blacks then, immigrants now. Hypocrites all.
Shameful history America has!
89
If we cannot tap into the correlation of yesterday’s test of our democracy and learn, or heed the warnings of our past, we fail. It is with hindsight and strength that we must, with morality, recognize our past and reach for truth and honor.
One of the most articulate correlation of times, and well written articles that have been written!
64
Johnson saved white supremacy’s dominance in our governments national and local, and made racial segregation inevitable for the next century. He probably helped the Southern states from overcoming their fear of their non-white citizens and contributed to the failure of the South to prosper with the rest of the country when it grew hugely. He richly deserved being removed from office. But he was not and it did nobody any good.
Trump is the kind of man our country should impeach and remove from office. Either he’s a fool or he’s making dumb decisions which serve his personal gain. But Republicans are afraid of harming the Party and so they will not do the right thing.
46
The outcome of the Civil War caused unhinged panic among racists. The Civil Rights Act of 1875 (which not 1 in 10,000 Americans even knows was a thing) guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public transportation and accommodations and SCOTUS declared it unconstitutional in 1883, ushering in 80 years of Jim Crow.
The election and re-election of President Obama likewise caused unhinged panic among racists. The Roberts Court, and the parade of low-lights tumbling out of the Federalist Society clown car and onto the Federal Bench (including the SCOTUS) under Trump, are poised to "MAGA", to a time before the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Don't think they'll do it? They have already gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
88
Even worse is the current affinity for Putin and Russian interests and propaganda where we get nothing in return. Eventually the secrets about this Russian compromised president will come out. The sooner the better.
9
So this will be my second attempt at contributing a comment to this article, the first one apparently having been banned by the Times staff for having dared to criticize the Editorial staff.
The author, described as a history professor, fails to mention one critical fact about the Johnson impeachment. According to Cass Sunstein, the only ground for impeachment against Johnson was his attempt to fire his secretary of war without senate approval. Turns out Johnson was correct and the Supreme Court ultimately held that although appointment of cabinet members is subject to Senate approval, a president is free to fire cabinet members without senate approval, thereby declaring unconstitutional a law passed by Congress called the Tenure of Office act. What was worse about the statute was that it self declared that a violation of it would constitute a "high misdemeanor". Johnson was among the worst US Presidents, but his impeachment, like that of Clinton, was without Constitutional support.
8
Andrew Johnson was no George Washington nor Thomas Jefferson nor James Madison nor James Monroe "present at the creation' white supremacist callous cruel cynical hypocritical white Anglo-Saxon Protestant male enslaver and owner of black African human property 'Founding Father'.
Rather than a 'pioneer' Johnson and his Presidential slave owning predecessors was a mere heir to what made America 'great.'
The original intent at the birth of the nation was that only white men who owned property including enslaved Africans and lands and natural resources stolen from aboriginal indigenous human pioneers were divinely naturally created equal persons with certain unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
While the Founders so feared democracy that they didn't create nor do we have one.
America is a very peculiar kind of republic. A divided limited different power constitutional republic of united states.
With the Senate, the Electoral College, the Cabinet and the Supreme Court of the United States standing as effective enduring bulwarks against 'our democracy.'
See 'The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism' Edward Baptist; 'Dog-Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class' Ian Haney Lopez
7
The parallels between Andrew Johnson, worst American President in history, and Donald Trump- who is challenging him for that title- are truly striking.
I think when history has its final say- Trump will win this particular contest.
15
Republics are fragile. It took the ravenous quest for personal wealth and power by particular individuals who thought themselves descendants of gods to upend the Roman Republic.
The senate caved into Julius Caesar unleashing thirteen years of civil war until Octavian, Julius' adopted nephew became Augustus the first emperor.
In a dozen years or less we may have Eric or Jared as out Dear Leader.
7
As a former New Yorker (50 years), most people there realized that Trump was just a spoiled playboy. Inept at business, but only a threat to those poor souls who were in his employ...and never got paid. We would shake our heads at his shenanigans but you could just turn the page of the newspaper and ignore him.
Now, his misogynistic, misanthropic, narcissistic, nihilistic views can’t be ignored because of his position. Worse, it’s clear that, due to his bumbling business acumen, he has indebted himself to the Russians (from his son’s own word).
Hey, if you wanted a businessman as President, at least vote for a successful one!
How anyone with any self-respect can back this two-bit con man is beyond my understanding.
What I do understand is that the Republican Party feels no one else stands the same chance as Trump to win the presidency so they’re afraid to blow their hopes on someone else...and they back him until he becomes a millstone around their necks. Let’s hope that’s soon.
13
@John
You got that right. New Yorkers knew about the deal with Trump, and overwhelmingly didn't vote for him.
Not only that -- we tried to warn the rest of America about him.
They didn't listen.
10
Trumps an American Seal convicted of crime by our Military and he want him, Gallagher,at his rallies.
Quid pro Quo Mr Trump?
3
Donald Trump & Andrew Johnson: the two worst presidents in US history & the two most racist.
6
Your current US President is empirical proof of the basic human wisdom in a phrase attributed to various well-known public figures including England’s Winston Churchill, America’s John Wayne, and W.C. Fields; among others.
That wisdom is of course: “Never trust a man who doesn’t drink.”
While it may seem facetious when one is younger; with the passage of time and the accumulation of life’s experiences, its warning becomes clear.
People (men or women) who live so close the edge of monstrous anger and relentless irrationality in their quest for dominance and power over others and over the Earth herself that they do not trust their own selves with a small beer or glass of wine are dangerous in the extreme to all around them.
8
A critical difference between 1866 and 2019 is the composition of the electorate. The electorate in 1866 was 100 percent white male, a preponderance of who were also Protestant. Today, only 35 percent or perhaps less are white non-Hispanic males. There were about 18 million votes cast in 2016 from African American voters both male and female.
Donald Trump may want to repeal the 14th amendment but that is only in his mind. He may want to perpetuate white supremacy but that too is only in his mind.
Both Andrew Johnson as an historical figure and Donald Trump as a contemporary actor have been constrained by powerful national institutions. Trump may fight the "deep state," but federal institutions will survive him as they did Andrew Johnson.
43
@Yankelnevich. Excellent observation....
11
The historian should also recognize that long American's trust in the State bureaucracy was in severe decline prior to Donald Trump's ascent to power. Mr. Trump is only amplifying problems that existed previously.
6
It's also important to note that The state department is ineffectual under Trump leader ship. Our allies are weary of our long-term commitment to their security, and our Adversaries do not fully appreciate the significant military, economic, and cultural dominance of U.S. leadership on the global stage.
2
Ms. Sinha's op-ed is one of the best columns I've read in awhile about historical perspectives regarding the Trump presidency. It is a travesty that Andrew Johnson was not removed from office. The outcomes regarding race relations and civil rights might have been much different had Reconstruction plans for the integration of African Americans been implemented and carried out. As a consequence, Johnson's destructive tenure reverberates in countless ways today. It makes me wonder if Trump is impeached and not removed, will the outcomes be as damaging and long-lasting as Johnson's?
42
It's probably fair to say that most Americans are historically-challenged, and that's why this article is so impeccably well timed in addition to be being needed.
I admit that as a person of color the fact that Donald Trump has openly admitted his deference to Andrew Johnson has always troubled me.
Not only because Johnson was reviled by Abraham Lincoln and only ascended to the office due to his assassination, but because he was an open and unrepentant racist who under Reconstruction, dragged any improvements for African-Americans after the Civil War back into the days of forced servitude and second-rate citizenship in what would serve as a precursor to Jim Crow laws.
It is shameful to think we now have someone in the White House ready to do the same. Again.
Ever since Trump has been in office he has made a mockery of the U.S. Constitution, and made no secret that he is in office only to serve a particular segment of the electorate.
That is not what Democracy is about.
Americans had better wake up to this before we lose it.
And we're well on our way.
35
It was a shock to me, as an eighth grader, to do a research report on Andrew Johnson. Growing up in rural Connecticut in the 1950's in an almost totally white area, racism just wasn't something that I was aware of.
And when I soft-pedaled Johnson in my oral report to the class, I remember that my teacher let me, and the class know, just how miserable a person Andrew Johnson was.
Cutthroat capitalism required a large number of workers who were without power and who were unable to form unions and fight for rights, and slavery was their tool.
Sort of like the NCAA today, making millions while their minions toil in the fields, unable to form unions and being bashed and battered for the profit of the owners.
Hugh
6
Frederick Jackson Turner explains the value of linking Andrew Johnson to Donald Trump: “We need the past to understand the present.”
Turner was an American historian who taught at the University of Wisconsin and later at Harvard University.
5
What Trump and Johnson have in common is both men better Presidents than Lincoln.
It is just a game for Trump. He is completely untethered from reality. I feel sorry for the people who have bought in to his reality. They are pawns in his game. America and what it stood for will be lost and probably left behind as creative and forward thinking individuals move on. Those that can will leave for better opportunities while those who can't will be stuck with a loser. America will just be another intellectual backwater. A has been with lots of whining and gnashing of teeth.
Once our creative and intellectual power is gone, it will be lost. And it ain't coming back any time soon. I advise my kids and all the younger generation to include an international component to their career. Partly as a hedge, but largely because there is no way to predict where the next 'industrial/technological' revolution will occur. I would not put the US in first place. Maybe not even in the top ten.
5
What a mess we've gotten ourselves into. Is it a one off, new normal or a turning point to something better?
3
This article highlights one piece of the conversation that is missing from the impeachment debate. What will Republicans Senators demand as a political price for "exonerating" the President?
7
@rusty carr -- If that does happen, every one of them should be removed from office. We should do it, anyway, just because of all the damage they have done to our democracy in the last 40 years. Most of the problems we face today, were being solved until Republicans (and Corporate Democrats) became greedy extremists, who were willing to sell out our country, to corporations and foreign countries, for their own personal financial benefit. Don't be afraid of Progressives. WE will have your backs. WE actually want to help the country--every single citizen. And, not for our own gain. A rising tide really does lift all boats, and there is NO trickle down. Take back your democracy--stop Republicans, once and for all.
17
Going back in historic time to draw comparisons with Andrew Johnson is silly.
The most relevant and most contemporary comparison is with
Bill Clinton and the Monica Lewinsky affair.
2
@Mon Ray
Most contemporary maybe. But silly and far less relevant than Johnson.
4
Really? How does lying about a sexual indiscretion in any way equate with selling the national interest to personal gain? Apples and elephants.
10
except that however much you dislike what Clinton did, it was not done using taxpayer money to bribe a foreign (or rebellious state) to further his personal public political fortunes nor were his actions treasonous or against our country's interests.
8
To this I would add that both men, in addition to the faults enumerated here, represented deeply ingrained political and social structures in the United States. Johnson represented the slaveocracy. Trump represents the Mercer/Koch et al wing that has animated the Republican party for decades now, just as the slave states guided the antebellum Democratic party.
Getting rid of Johnson (had it succeeded) would not have been the last word in reconstructing the South. And getting rid of Trump is barely a first step in the struggle against financial oligarchy.
128
@margaret_h I just want to point out that the financial oligarchy holds power only so long as the right wing religious groups continue to vote against their own self interest which appears solid.
6
In a society driven by economic principles of social distinction and reproduction, the 'financial oligarchy' will remain in power regardless of whether Republicans or Democrats decide to support their interest.
It's also worth noting that the technology industry and the Democrat party have close relations. Both parties are subject to moral lapse. President Trump has opened the Washington bureaucracy -- EPA's Pruitt (deregulating polluters), DOE's Rick Perry, etc. -- a safe haven for corporate influence on public policy.  Donald Trump is also solicited the support of foreign actors such as Saudi Arabia and Ukraine and foreign policy decision making. 
6
I don't think it can be better said than what was said President Johnson with regard to the current office holder, "stalwart Lydia Maria Child, who wrote words as true today as then: “Every true lover of the country must want to creep into a knot hole and hide himself, wherever the name of our president is mentioned.”
I feel the same way about the folks holding the statewide offices in Texas.
16
And Andrew Jackson--Trail of Tears Architect. Trump admires Jackson--who displayed utter cruelty towards the American Indian. Having his picture on money--Sure Trump aspires to this ultimate success......
15
@TWShe Said : You could also include the 11th president, nationalist/expansionist, James Polk that made the unprovoked attack on Mexico.
I believe you could include all American presidents from Washington on as being racist due to the way they treated Native Indians.
1
Actually, Trump’s precursor is Beelzebub...
14
It was written that both Johnson and Trump, who could be cast as politically incorrect, followed to presidents who were great orators.
In a way, this has been the bane of our existence as a country.
We get flowery platitudes about our greatest country ever and American democracy being the end all to governance, blah, blah, blah. Then, when the country does not live up to the great platitudes, and people realize all of the oration doesn't add up to anything meaningful in their day to day existence, they turn to plain speak, tells it like it is Johnson or Trump and we end up where we are today.
Nothing will ever really change until we get someone in office who can convince the people what the reality of living ion this country is, what it has been, and where it will go if we don't level with them.
"It's a Republic if we can keep it" said Ben Franklin.
Ultimately, I don't see how that will happen unless we stop bouncing between rose colored glasses and lying self serving vile human trash.
9
@Magan
Lincoln was indeed a great orator. Obama would be nothing without his teleprompter. As for quality of public discourse, that’s not going to improve if people keep calling their political opponents ‘vile human trash’ on the prodding of propaganda media outlets (NYT included).
1
nice piece of work.
8
More than 150 years and America still finds itself in a messy stupor.
Apparently I was under wrong impression that people who elected are suppose to lead their base, but in every scenario it's the poorly educated, sometimes lawless wild west so to speak is assuming the lead and grips their leaders in constant fear of being discarded by the base is the ruling minority.
His recent escapade to Afghanistan to "support the troops" is just another dangerous attempt to weaponized our military, which is basically divide and conquer formula.
He didn't invent this, he's is just using proven formula of our past history.
BTW, Andrew Johnson was a democrat, but both parties reversed themselves through the years, what use to be a democrat Andrew Johnson is now a republican à la Steve King or Jim Jordan,
"GOP can't shake off the awful taint of Steve King's racism and misogyny.
King is a symptom of a larger racist rot in the GOP.
The Republicans can disavow his statements, but they'd do well to also remember what happened to the liberal factions that had ruled Italy from 1860 to the start of fascist rule in 1922 -- Italy's version of the Grand Old Party."
For decades the wrong aspiration were fed to American people a.k.a.
Money=Success, more of that please.
Instead of elevating people potential, and not a self-serving rat race for Money and Power.
And here we're in a same conundrum 150 years later with old prejudices, circling over and over again, and suffocating our human potential.
8
Johnson is the only President who truly rivals Trump as the worst in history. George W was truly awful but he’s not a patch on these two.
12
@Andrew Read a little bit about Zachary Taylor dude. Absolutely awful.
Clearly Johnson had to deal with fake news as well: freed slaves were actually living, breathing, intelligent humans?
Erect "beautiful" monuments to all those who fought against that idea.
There were good people on both sides of the civil war, right?
1
Perhaps there is some usefulness that comes out of comparing these two presidents. All I really care about at the moment is getting rid of a racist, rude, crude, and greedy man who is in the White House right now. I worry about my mixed-race grandsons as well as about many Latinx friends, some of whom were born in this country.
6
The FBI Counter Intelligence Service ought to have arrested Trump on the spot in the White House immediately after his celebration with Tass & Lavrov & Kislyak.
His celebration show off for the nation of Russia meant they could look forward to getting all the intelligence about the US they want. It has moved along as Foreign Policy that greatly favors the Russians whose view of climate change is that it is great, no matter how beautiful the cold may be, a sea of starvation.
The food chain is collapsing.
"I don't believe in it." They say.
8
How can this be? That is the question I ask myself numerous times a day, starting even before tRump was nominated. The ignorance and the racism are astonishing. I can make no sense of the decline of morality in this country. What has happened to my beloved country. Again, how can this be?
13
@Charlotte Pretty simple - ignorance and racism have ALWAYS been there, but most of us ignore that reality. Now that we have a “leader” who embraces detestable thought and action, the festering underbelly of our national humanity has once again risen to the surface thanks to his encouragement and praise. Dark forces are suffocating our better angels.
2
November 30, 2019
Unfortunate to say but the danger in America is the myopic citizenry's participatory political disregard for the intellectual reasoning in their voting decisions. Sure to say New York Times readers are of usurper enforcers for our republic and its selections in its grand arena for both witness and voter loyalty. America's cultural reformation is all about how we will deal with the Trump syndrome of inertia and neglect to live maturely.
2
Fascinating. And frightening. That such people as Johnson and Trump can ascend so high.....
7
The real question this raises is: who reads the tripe in the opinion pages of the WSJ? Uniformly ill-informed and irrational Randian rants, they are oblivious to facts reported in the remainder of the paper - the well-written stuff of excellent and objective reporters.
1
@Doug Fuhr The WSJ opinion pages are much more objective than the "resistance" tripe I wade thru everyday in the NYT. I have a subscription to both, and the times is much more partisan. I have been a regular NYT reader since the late nineties and they have definitely been taken over with activist ideology. Very dangerous for the country when the "newspaper of record" decides to no longer be objective about its reportage let alone its opinion pages.
1
I think I have four thoughts:
(1) I have read that Johnson, before his inauguration, was recovering from an illness. He was urged by a friend to fortify himself with whisky. A disastrous suggestion.
A disastrous inauguration. As Johnson rambled on and on--calling upon individual colleagues to proclaim their allegiance to the Constitution.
(Secretary of State Seward sat there smiling, imperturbable.)
(2) Surely the Tenure of Office Act--technically anyway--was unconstitutional.
The President required senatorial approval to fire a member of his own cabinet?
Come on now?
THAT BEING SAID--
(3) I have read a brief account from Frederick Douglass, prominent black spokesman for his own endlessly oppressed and persecuted race.
He was being introduced to President Johnson. A flash of pure hatred flashed over the President's face upon seeing who he had to shake hands with.
A moment later, he smoothed out that face of animosity. Putting on a big smile. Extending his right hand.
But the damage was done.
What a guy! He did the USA no good. No good at all.
(4) And Mr. Donald J. Trump?
He has "pushed the envelope" since day one. Literally.
We should be rid of this guy. At the very least, these impeachment proceedings tell him--and the world--
"We do not APPROVE of you. We think you're a lousy president. We think you have continually abused your office. We think you UNFIT for the high office you hold."
Enough said.
10
Boy what a title made to attract your attention but unfortunately it goes on and on and on about a comparaison that does not stand up. Enough is enough.
This is a dark period in our history. It's OJ revisited. It's folly to believe he'll be removed. Worse, he'll likely get re-elected. Oye.
3
One of the best articles I've ever read. Brilliant writing!
19
If this article proves anything, it is that you are never too old to learn. I majored in History in college fifty years ago, and took a few American History courses, but never realized just how vile an individual Andrew Johnson was.
The parallels between Donald Trump and Andrew Johnson are instructive: the stealthy glorification of white supremacy, the obstruction of the will of Congress, the denigration of serving military officers and other government officials, and the pardoning or prospective pardoning of numerous criminals and traitors who were part of an effort to undermine our country are all aspects that are common to both Presidents.
Of course, Donald Trump has the unflinching support of a majority of Senators and has mesmerized a significant portion of the electorate. He is much safer from conviction than Andrew Johnson was. He is also a teetotaller, which just proves you don't have to be a drunkard to be a terrible President.
It will be interesting to see how future historians will evaluate the two. Will Trump end up being worse, or Johnson? My bet's on Trump.
16
As a math and science aficionado, my past is unlike yours--always hated history. Politics has changed that, though, and I think this article was fascinating! Hope we never have a president worse than the orange thing; and we WOULD if it is re-elected in 2020.
6
I saw a poll of Republicans today that revealed that more Republicans considered Trump to be America’s greatest President than Lincoln. The poll may be an outlier, but somehow I doubt it.
I’m afraid that this is what the Republicans have become, essentially an organized hate group.
19
Exemplary article.
Isn't it amazing -- all the historical accuracy, nuance, and clear reasoning seems to come from one side -- the side I like to think is slowly and surely, if grimly, getting to the truth.
What is offered by the other side of this question of Trump? Name-calling, arguments ad hominem, and inaccurate, ignorant quotes offered by those whos can't be bothered to look any further than their own self interest. Ivanka is a case in point.
Nice to see superficiality put back in its box. Thank you.
7
The evil and blind partisanship of Trump's base appears to be of the same order as that which defeated Reconstruction and prevented the true acceptance of African Americans into society after the Civil War. It also appears, unfortunately, that the only way the country will get past this is demographic changes that will render this apparently large portion of white America politically impotent. Until then, we might elect many presidents that cannot obtain a majority of the vote but can win in the Electoral College. I hope we have a country worth saving when that time comes.
6
Someone should explain what a precursor is -- hint: it's not what you say before a swear word.
3
Donald Trump's precursor in my humble opinion was the Kentucky born president Abraham Lincoln. During Lincoln's time America was divided into North and South and today it is divided into Urban and rural America. Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery and Trump is trying to decimate barbaric Islamic extremism as well as the useless regime change wars.
Sorry Ms Man isha Sinha I totally disagree with your comparison of Trump and Johnson. It is grossly unfair to Trump. Trump is not a racist and in my humble opinion impeachment will only ensure the reelection of Trump
1
Donald Trump's precursor in my humble opinion was the Kentucky born president Abraham Lincoln. During Lincoln's time America was divided into North and South and today it is divided into Urban and rural America. Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery and Trump is trying to decimate barbaric Islamic extremism as well as the useless regime change wars.
Sorry Ms Man isha Sinha I totally disagree with your comparison of Trump and Johnson. It is grossly unfair to Trump. Trump is not a racist and in my humble opinion impeachment will only ensure the reelection of Trump
1
Compellingly expressed and convincingly presented, Ms. Sinha graphically presents, in specifically factual characterization, the hard core historical parallelism depicting the common debasement of fundamental constitutional rights assured and guaranteed racial and ethnic minorities committed by these two less than honorable persons to occupy the White House. Key to the political survival of both malcontents depended upon fomenting and engendering racialization by promoting and advancing a dialog of racial superiority to Caucasians premised upon white skin privilege. Assailing the concept of civil rights as somehow introducing alleged preferential treatment upon those who don't warrant legal protections because of racial and ethnic affiliation, Johnson and the Vietnam War draft dodger relished in political character assassination, racial demagoguery, and ethnic xenophobia, knowing their supporters gladly believed the torrent of untruths. their shared audience of less than educated, ill informed, absent of caring of multiculturalism, white supplicants. These malcontents, believing they were shortchanged, typically resorted to voter intimidation and voter suppression. Johnson's time evidenced wide spread terrorism committed by the Ku Klux Klan. In Jim Crow America, through the 1960s, poll taxes and literacy tests dominated. Both men deserved being subjected to impeachment. But for a vote, Johnson would have perished. Today the draft dodger rules the GOP. What next? Race matters.
5
A recent poll found that 51% of Republicans thought Trump was a better president than Lincoln.
The sad fact is that the Republican Party of 2019 is more in line with the views of Andrew Johnson than Abe Lincoln.
Trumpism has eradicated any shred of the spirit of Lincoln in the Republican Party and replaced it with Johnson/Trumpian vulgarity.
Republicans have made their choice. Lincoln has lost.
The Republican Party is now beholden to Trumpism.
19
I don't normally write comments simply to praise an article, but this is just outstanding on so many fronts – the content, the writing, the analysis. I am a serious Presidential buff and I still learned more today about Andrew Johnson than I had ever known before, and the revelations of Johnson-Trump parallels are both fascinating and deeply insightful.
This article is going into my permanent collection. Thank you.
42
"As Representative George Julian pithily put it, Johnson ought to be impeached for “his career of maladministration and crime.”"
The above statement is just as true about Trump as it was about Johnson. Trump's entire cabinet is composed of rich men and one woman, none of whom are serving our country's best interests. They are serving their own. Nixon, for all his misdeeds, can't even compete with Trump's actions. Trump's have crossed the line from the territory of dangerous to that of criminal and treasonous. I thought I'd see a shred of spine in McConnell and his GOP colleagues. How wrong I was. It's all about the power and no concern is spared for the country they've sworn to protect and serve.
29
This is such an excellent article that I sent the link to many of my friends and colleagues.
In other words: In the past 150 years the US, and the world, has moved on; it has gradually become more just, more progressive, more enlightened. But not the presidency. For that office one can still be an incompetent vulgarian.
17
Trump’s impeachment might lead to his re election or it could lead to America just wanting to turn the page. But even if he is re elected what will Republican lawmakers do after Trump fades?
I suspect they will wake up from their
dream and go back to work as normal level headed people, and the Trump Era will be a distant memory. But I don’t know what they will tell their grandchildren. 
6
@Oliver , Sorry to say, what tRumpists will do is to rationalize the entire experience in such a way that (they will think) that it'll seem (at least to them that) they weren't wrong.
tRumpism is built on agglomerated, chaotic fantasies about a non-existent past and present. They are convinced. They believe they can't be wrong about anything.
You wonder what they'll tell their grandchildren. I wonder what their grandchildren (if any) will tell them.
4
I find it difficult to accept the author as anything other that a partisan attempting to stuff square pegs in round holes. Early in the article she wrote:
"Both presidencies began with a whiff of illegitimacy hanging over them: Johnson’s because he became president when Lincoln was assassinated, Mr. Trump’s because he won the Electoral College despite having nearly three million fewer popular votes than his opponent"
I think she is certainly wrong that most of the public regard a president as illegitimate when they become president after upon their predecessor's death. I certainly do not think Johnson was regarded as illegitimate when he became president after Kennedy's death (except perhaps by the Kennedy clan who hated Johnson already).
Nor do I think that most of the public regards Trump as illegitimate because of winning the electoral vote but not the popular. Democrat partisans certainly think Trump is illegitimate, but they would do so regardless of the popular vote. It is just that the popular vote gives them a good talking point for their condemnation of Trump. Perhaps a majority of the public would prefer elimination of the electoral vote and rely totally on the popular vote. But that is not the same as the public regarding Trump as illegitimate for that reason. Furthermore, I suspect most of the public is simply unaware of the purpose of the electoral vote. If they understood, then I suspect many of them would be supportive of it.
5
@Errol Prof Sinha selectively picks analogies between the characters and Presidencies of Andrew Johnson and Donald Trump.
Johnson was a white supremacist, as, until after 1864, so was President Abraham Lincoln. who long supported racial segregation, even African colonization for blacks, and gradual manumission over generations.
Had Johnson’s racial views so offended Lincoln as Sinha claims Johnson’s racism offended Congressional Republicans, Johnson would never have become Lincoln’s Vice-President. Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, a strategic war measure, has long obscured the significance of Lincoln’s racism. But only a politically motivated historian would omit the similarities in racial views of Lincoln and Johnson in order to make the false claim that Johnson’s racism was a motive behind his impeachment. It was not, and it would be a bogus reason to impeach Trump.
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@Errol IMO, Trump was elected because of the help he received from the Russians and gerrymandering; that makes him illegitimate, not the electoral college.
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@Errol
A) We understand the electoral college, and that is precisely why it is strongly opposed by educated folks who read.
B) The man in the White House was out there with the aid of The Kremlin.
Now I will drop the mic...
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Beautifully written essay on important American history and how that relates to our current period of time. The phrase "incarnation of meanness" not only describes Trump's attitude toward race and immigration, it describes McConnell's unethical and obstructionist approach to governing. Both men represent an imminent danger to the very survival of our democratic institutions and republic. They must be held accountable for their tyranny.
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@Twg - I agree, and add Stephen Miller and William Barr to the list of accomplices.
16
This is an interesting comparison of 2 of our presidents who are and will be condemned as not upholding the best of American values, if historians practicing them (most prominently, truth-telling) have the final say.
It's always interesting to hear, however, even wise assessors like Ms Sinha say that the prospects for removing "The Great Divider" Trump are less than they were for Johnson. History, again, will be a powerful factor in Senators' votes. Dems, as the only party willing to practice considerable truth-telling in the latest impeachment process, have revealed compelling evidence for impeachment, tho it remains to be seen whether they can present it coherently and convincingly.
A final comparison between the 2 impeachments may yet be that the impeaching party relied too heavily on one incident, one abuse of power, to justify its actions. We have much more compelling evidence provided by the Mueller Report and emoluments violations that may yet force Republicans to face the judgment of history before they cast their votes in any impeachment trial in the Senate.
(Save any cynical comments about current Republican moral and intellectual corruption ruling against this. Their need to be free of a self-evident disgrace of a president hasn't yet dealt with the overwhelmingly obvious revelation of facts that this president has no clothes.)
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Your efforts to draw parallels between Trump and Johnson have left us with a false narrative (or at least a disputed narrative) of Johnson's character. Your depiction of Johnson as inept, alcoholic, poorly spoken, and narcissistic is opposed to Johnson's historical record according to C-Span in their Presidents series.
Authorities interviewed by C-span say that Johnson gave a poor speech at his inauguration because he was sick and medicated. Lincoln was known to praise his character. He rose politically due to his rhetorical skills. He made wise moves , especially repatriating southern leaders and not occupying the south.
Johnson's impeachment stemmed from Republicans' fears about his authority, whereby they made it illegal to dismiss cabinet members. The impeachment of Johnson was the result of a constitutional conflict between the Executive and Legislative branch, not corruption.
In a more obvious manner you show carelessness when you assert Tyler was the only president to commit treason. Trump has likely committed treason by ceding much strategic strength to Russian, and it is impossible to know that other presidents have not committed treason. Your assertion jumps out as something that my college professors would have flagged as unsupported.
Even without believing in then parallels your report, I agree that the Trump impeachment is appropriate.
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@Eric "Trump has likely committed treason by ceding much strategic strength to Russia" I think you have the wrong president in mind there. Was it Donald Trump's Secretary of State who staged a reset photo-op with russian foreign minister Lavrov? Was Trump the president who reneged on defense promises to Poland to appease Putin, or was that some other president? Did Trump give the Crimea to Putin and then refuse to give anti-tank weapons to Ukraine? Was the president who did that likely guilty of treason? Was Obama the president caught whispering to russian president Medvedev sweet promises for Putin? Did Trump renege on his threat to punish Syria for use of chemical weapons? Your side delights in accusing Trump of colluding with Putin to undermine US elections while at the same time doing its utmost to overturn and invalidate the 2016 election. And you all seem blithely unaware of the irony in that. Do you think anyone is enjoying your "Resist" movement more than Vladimir Putin? Who benefits more than Putin from year after year of your side's attempts to overthrow our president? If the US news media played it down the middle instead of bending itself into a hairpin to advocate for the left, no one would even take you seriously.
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@Eric If you are interested in evidence, you might want to click on the link to Ms Sinha's book at the bottom of her article. There is a long list of honors awarded to her by varios historians' societies. Some of your college professors have probably read her book, and seem to have liked it. Your suggestion that they would flag it as unsupported by evidence is not only unsupported itself, but the evidence that it is false was one click away from you when you made it.
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America, through the centuries, has been home to both the coarse and reactionary, alongside the refined and progressive. These contradictions have been reflected in our various leaders. Neither Johnson nor Trump will be the last word - but we can’t take for granted that they will be the last of their kind, either.
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Arguably, the historical parallel of Trump is not to Andrew Johnson but to Rutherford B. Hayes, who lost the popular vote but finagled an Electoral College victory in 1876. Reconstruction survived Johnson’s presidency but Hayes terminated it in exchange for the southern electoral votes that put him in office. It is hayes who insured the rise of Jim Crow, which Trump seeks to revive and perpetuate.
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"Johnson and Mr. Trump are both authoritarian demagogues who threatened the world’s longest lasting experiment in democratic republicanism."
Yes they are alike, but I can't imagine Johnson deliberately creating a whole new version of reality to spread his demagoguery. After all, gaslighting want widely used until the 20s and 30s.
9
Trump has committed so many outrageous acts in office, and together they form a pattern of narcissism, authoritarianism, disdain for the good (our Constitution, government institutions, laws and behavioral norms). Surely, these are all offences against the office of the president and against the public that he is supposed to govern. I appreciated this historical perspective on impeachment, and I sincerely hope, for the sake of the survival of our democracy, that Trump is removed from office through the impeachment process. He surely would be, if the Republicans considered the facts of the matter.
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The article makes some good points, but the author purposefully misconstrues some facts. First off Andrew Johnson was a Democrat. The use of the phrase "conservatives rallied" also misleads. In that time period, "conservative" didn't mean what it does today. Also, Lincoln was a Republican. Interesting how that fact is glossed over calling it the "National Union Party". That was a temporary name used for the Republican party in the 1864 election.
The claim there was a "whiff of illegitimacy" is absurd as well, since the Constitution makes it clear the VP will take over the Presidency when the President dies in office. That has happened more than once, LBJ is a recent example. And only hardcore Democrats view Trump's election as "illegitimate". Most people understand how the electoral college works, Trump won fair and square. And don't even bring up the "Russians" nonsense.
I hate to break it to the readers of the NYT, but Trump is not going to be removed from office and impeachment might lift his popularity enough to secure re-election.
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@ Dave
Good points. President Trump deserves his day in court. Impeachment will permit the Senators as jurors with Chief Justice Roberts presiding and House Democrats as prosecutors to get all the facts. Let President Trump boldly take the Senate witness stand and testify under oath so that “the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” will guide any final decision as to his guilt or his innocence. If he lies under oath, and is caught in that lie, will that evidence be enough for Republicans to vote guilty as they did with Bill Clinton? Or will Trump be above the law as he has insisted that he is?
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@Dave in NM
Actually, your statement proves an important point in the article. Like Johnson, Trump has a corp of supporters like yourself willing to sacrifice country for political gains. So yeah, you can believe Vladimir Putin over the combined conclusions of all US intelligence services, a group of patriotic Americans that have risked their lives to keep you safe thus far, and you actually support with your tax dollars. Good for you.
8
Sorry, but no. The Russian interference is not “nonsense” and if you think so, after so much testimony contrary to that, you simply have not been paying attention. More than “hard core” Dems but also elite Republicans will not vote for him and believe this presidency to be illegitimate; after all, we are all watching the deterioration of American values that make our skin crawl. Trump’s a dangerous, crude, ignorant man who clearly has placed Putin before our most respected Americans and allies. New Yorkers always knew who he was and now everyone knows it. He must go.
10
Although well-written, the article falls on its face and is not worth taking seriously. Author perpetuates the same myths that allowed Trump's recent political successes. Trump is not an idealogue, he is about his ego. White supremacy and sexism are not his lodestones, they are only means to an end. Trump essentially does not have intellectual or moral touchstones, his belief system is whatever his instincts tells him will get support. If he believed open borders, gun control and woman's rights would get him the win in 2020, he would be tweeting his support tomorrow.
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@Swan
45 is a business man, and like one, he uses whatever is at hand to get what he would like. say anything, do anything, use anyone. if it works, keep it. when it wears out, go for something else. money and power. how I wonder when it will be used with a purpose driven by empathy.
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@Swan
Disagree. There appears to be something visceral (perhaps pathological?) in Trump's actions at our southern border. More than can be adequately explained by dog whistle politics or bones to the base. While agreeing that looking for "core principles" in this creature is kind of like striking a match in a miles deep cave .. I think his casual viciousness towards suffering and plight reveal something fundamental in beliefs and character .. and is apparently something for which he is willing to pay a price (if only political) to retain.
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@Swan Harsh, the article should be taken seriously. And T appears indeed to be a racist and sexit at heart.
However, you are correct about T's lack of ideology and the shallowness of his positions. He would flip in a minute if he thought it would help with his "base."
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For further elaboration on the same points, read Kenneth stampp’s The Era of Reconstruction, written over 50 years ago by an enlightened historian who never could have imagined the return of a political climate so close to that of the US just after the Civil War. Reading that book brings a realization: because of the failure of reconstruction, we have been fighting a cold civil war ever since.
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Time for (political) nature to take its course. Vote Trump out in 2020. Are you up to the task Democrats? Have you taken a hard and perhaps uncomfortable look at the issues that dominate the concerns of those in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Minnesota who will actually show up to vote? Can you outline their priorities in order of importance and calibrate a Democratic message accordingly.
Never forget that the 20th century president who was most response for getting progressive legislation passed in this country didn’t read books and was the first president elected from the South since the Civil War.
Job-1...Defeat Trump.
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Ambassador Volker said the Ukrainians were happy to comply with President Trump’s request for investigations because President Zelensky is committed to ending corruption. No coercion or bribes were necessary.
Last week, newly appointed Ukrainian General Prosecutor Ryaboshapka fired the prosecutor who had been handling the Burisma investigation and expanded the investigation to include suspicion of embezzling state funds. The case had been stalled due to its political sensitivity. Until recently Hunter Biden, the son of former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, sat on the Burisma board of director.
The Burisma investigation is not an investigation of the Bidens,but it has the potential to engulf them in scandal or implicate them on criminal wrongdoing. In a Nov. 22 letter to Sen. Lindsey Graham, Rudy Giuliani said Ukrainian ”have oral, documentary and recorded evidence of the Biden Family’s involvement in bribery, money laundering, Hobbs Act extortion, and other possible crimes.” Graham, the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, responded by sending a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo requesting the release of any documents related to contacts between Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, and former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
Ryaboshapka also has ordered his staff to review other shutdown or suspended investigation to see they were suspended or shutdown to protect corruption officials and oligarch.
@William Case
Let President Trump face his day in court under solemn oath. And since according to Senator Lindsey Graham and leading Republicans, Trump is a totally innocent victim there would be absolutely nothing to fear as Trump takes the stand.
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@William Case:
The same Rudi Guiliani who himself is under extensive investigations by trump's Justice Department for corrupt dealings in Ukraine, correct?
The problem with debunking a fallacy is that you have to repeat it, giving it more energy. But silence is worse, therefore we will always push back at falsehoods such as yours.
1
@William Case
It's the Kal Yug. According to Hindu, Buddhist scriptures, the Dark Age, when up is down, down is up. The day is night, the night, the day. When there's no such thing as the Truth (according to the Giuliani, the man quoted above to justify the investigation of Bidens) The investigation to be carried out by a Southern senator who makes the jello look like made of all spine and steel.
And who has been asked to aid and assist this noble enterprise? Who else other than the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo himself, the man of fame of Hillary's email inquisitions and of shame in the firing of an honest American ambassador doing her job to advance American interests in Ukraine?
With such stalwarts of honest, objective dealings, why even bother to launch an investigation? Why not, instead, pronounce the judgment and hang the accused by the nearest tree? What can be a more expedient and expeditious way to further the interests of the most corrupt president in America's 250 years history?
1
“A decline of public morals in the United States will probably be marked by the abuse of the power of impeachment as a means of crushing political adversaries or ejecting them from office.”
I never knew Ivanka Trump had such a sharp sense of humor. The decline of “public morals” IS marked by the words and actions of her profanity-laden, adulterous, disgusting father. As a child, she lived through the public humiliation of her mother by her father’s affair with Marla Maples. The ‘Access Hollywood’ was another low point tape in “public morals”; as are his bullying on Twitter, his rants at rallies, his constant PROVABLE lying.
The impeachment of this President will rid us of the worst example of decline in “public morals” and start the healing of our country.
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@Maxi Actually only the conviction and removal from office of the President will rid us of his immoral unpatriotic face. Impeachment is simply the House saying to the voters, “There is enough evidence to put this man on trial for gross negligence and abuse of power.”
5
Well said.
1
@Maxi
Ivanka Trump is part of a shameless family that loves to play victim.
Thanks...very informative. Every freedom loving American should read and try to understand your thesis. Unfortunately, several social issues (abortion and gay rights) have blinded Trump's base. They can live with racism but not abortion. Yuck.
30
Trump is an amalgam of several presidents:
The moral compass of Warren G. Harding
The emotional security of Richard Nixon
The macroeconomic instincts of Herbert Hoover
The staffing capability of George W. Bush
The welcoming inclusive instincts of Andrew Johnson
What could go wrong?
68
wonderful op-ed that so clearly outlines the reasons for impeachment both in the case of Johnson and now in Trump. It is so heart breaking that the Republicans of today are so devoid of morality, decency and respect for our democracy's history that they are unable to discern reality and continue to support this anomaly to our presidency. They have succumbed to the cult of a tyrannical , narcissistic vulgarian who has mesmerized a part of this country. Shame on them all.
23
Well said. Crass, cruel, clueless presidents make up a small set but Andrew Johnson and the current soon-to-be-impeached incumbent head up the list. But we should remember that many Americans grew tired of the need to constantly protect the gains of Reconstruction, usually be sending federal troops to southern states to protect new citizens. The rise of the KKK showed northerners just how hard it was going to be to achieve Lincoln's end-of-wartime goals. Many people gave up. So while Johnson takes the blame for ending this noble experiment in reparation and justice, he had plenty of accomplices. Will historians say the same after Trump -- that post-Trump, the people grew tired of fighting for their democracy at the hands of the reactionary forces that would undermine it? I truly hope not. It's easy to blame one person and believe all is well after he is flushed out. But as with Johnson, that is not the end of the work to be done. Far from it.
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@Cal Prof All the more reason to insist that civics and ethics courses be brought back as required courses in primary education as the great documentary film director Ken Burns has suggested.
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@Twg - Yes, well said!
3
@Cal Prof - Well said!
4
Lincoln is turning over in his grave at what his party has become, but Andrew Johnson and James Buchanan are trading high-fives at the prospect of moving up from the bottom of the ratings.
38
If only eloquent summaries of our sad presidential situation like this article could persuade Republican partisans of the dangers to democracy and the country posed by DJ Trump.
But the Fox political fog machine and endless GOP spin moves just take folks on the right farther and farther down the rabbit hole of Trumpism.
41
@carllowe Playing on fear and hatreds of “the other” works for all despots from Hitler and Mussolini to Stalin, Putin, Erdogan etc. There isn’t a one of these men who doesn’t ride to the head of governing on the waves of varying hatreds and resentments and Trump is one of them.
He is “cuter” however, because he uses circumlocutions and talks about “illegals” and “aliens” and rarely names them outright as Hispanics or Blacks or Latinos or Jews. You’ll never find his fingerprints on anything. He lets others do his dirty work like Giuliani and assumes that when he asks for help from foreign governments right in front of the cameras his audience will dismiss it as theatrics. Yes, theatrics and Truth as well.
Behind him and the Republican Party lies corporate money, which is why Republican Senators have no problem abandoning Truth for money.
2
Thank You, I found this essay hopeful. If our democracy is fragile now, it was more fragile then, though there are dissimilar elements, we endured.
We can only hope we will learn from the mistake of Trump and recognize our election process can be gamed and erect systems to limit those events.
I wish us vigilance, luck, we can be better.
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@J. Mocarski:
I wish I could share your optimism. During Johnson's time, fake news was probably not in existence. Today, it the greatest threat to truth, freedom, justice, and democracy.
2
@Merlin
Therefore, the nod to "dissimilar elements". Yes, I agree.
"But Johnson was damaged goods after impeachment, and neither the Republicans nor the Democrats wanted him anywhere near their presidential tickets in 1868."
However, Republicans do actively want Trump to be on their presidential ticket in 2020. Decency and morality are dead in some quarters of the country.
94
Thank you for an excellent article Professor. Shame on Lindsey Graham, Nunez and other Republicans choosing to ignore facts and continue to defend a man who is a clear and present danger to national security.
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I don’t believe that these men are capable of feeling shame any longer. Their souls are sold, the deal is closed.
7
@Z There cannot be two truths. Those who choose to promulgate “alternative facts” live in a lie and know it.
5
Bravo
12
“Tyler has the unique distinction so far of being the only president to commit treason against his country”
Trump’s treason has been out in the open since he became President. He favors Russian interests over those of our country.
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@Padfoot : Treason out in the open and favoring Russian interests even before the 2016 election.
The news leaders of our country haven’t decided yet which side, America’s or Russia’s, they want to support.
Both siderism brought us to where we are now.
5
@Padfoot Also worth noting is that George W. Bush aka President AWOL openly and explicitly stated that his primary loyalty was to Texas and his loyalty to the nation was secondary or tertiary.
How many MAGA nation voters—or Republicans on The Hill, Ms. Sinha—will read your long, discursive point-by-point twinning of the 17th and 45th presidents?
Your history lesson here, a superb, irrefutable catalog of the unseemly characteristics and personalities of both men, will find few converts outside of sober and reflective citizenry.
When choosing a president—in my lifetime, anyway— it has been my observation that the majority elects the winner of the two choices more or less correctly. Electing a president is serious business. Donald Trump’s candidacy and its potentially deleterious consequences were never in hiding. Sexual assault? Racism? Deceit? Untruthfulness? There was no excuse to gift him our most precious offering.
The ‘16 final demonstrated that presidential character meant less to most voters than their fixations on a candidate’s exterior meanness. Richard Nixon had this pettiness in abundance and it led to his self-removal from office. Bill Clinton’s personal peccadilloes, before his election, were public knowledge. America ignored both men’s liabilities.
The 17th president was everything that the 45th is today. Andrew Johnson’s history would not have counted against him greatly in many of the vast reaches of today’s America. He could have won ‘16.
Oh, wait! He did win. He changed his name to Donald Trump.
36
@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18 His evil twin occupies the Senate and is named McConnell. Together they have blocked any reasonable and necessary legislation for three years except for a tax break for millionaires and appointments for inappropriate and reactionary judges.
7
Manisha Sinha declares."If the recent House impeachment hearings have revealed anything, it is that Mr. Trump’s actions clearly meet the criteria laid out in the impeachment clause, “Treason, bribery or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors.” But during the impeachment inquiry, no witness testified that the president committed “Treason, bribery or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors.” No one testified that Trump set a quid pro quo condition on military aid to Ukraine. In fact, the diplomats and officials directly involved say there was no quid pro quo on military aid. The Ukrainians says there was no quid pro quo.
Ambassador Sondland said he added “two-plus-two” and presumed the president attached a quid pro quo to a White House meeting with President Zelensky, but under questioning admitted this was only a presumption. He testified that no one had told him there was a quid pro quo and that the president explicitly told him there was no quid pro quo. He presumed the president would refused to meet with Zelensky unless Zelensky publicly committed to investigate the Bidens, but this presumption turned out to be wrong.
1
President Zelensky wanted a White House meeting with Trump. He is still waiting. All he got was a brief meeting at the UN.
7
@William Case You are grossly misinformed and don't have a grip on the chronology. It is not necessary for witnesses to identify the proper name of a crime for it to be alleged and successfully prosecuted.
Zelensky was in no position to comment on whether Trump expected something in return for meeting, or for releasing arms. Sondland was on the right track concluding something was expected in exchange and was advised by Trump that he wanted "nothing" only AFTER the word of the desired exchange was public.
23
@William Case A lot of people just don't get it. A quid pro quo was not required. All Trump had to do, which he did, was to solicit Zelenski to investigate the Bidens. Zelenski ddn't need to feel pressured at all. He didn't have to do anything. The crime was already committed in the solicitation. The quid pro quo was just icing on the cake. And the impeachment inquiry has elicited much more slimliness on the part of Trump, Giuliani, Devin Nunes and has demonstrated the moral vacuum of Lindsay Graham
9
Excellent comparison of two loathsome presidents. It appears that MAGA means turning the country back 150 years. Let the reconstruction of our democracy begin.
56
Truly remarkable, parallelism, Professor Sinha. Uncanny even. That the country has already once survived a crude and narcissistic, law-breaking demagogue is comforting to know. That after a century this country still is plagued by its harpies of slavery and racism is not as comforting. I've seen problems like the Second Amendment, the housing crisis, the electoral college, the incarceration rate, economic inequality, immigration—all said to be the noxious weeds growing from the congenital seed and root of slavery, of racism. As Neil Young would sing, "How long?/ How long?"
I wonder if the mild men bent on unifying, and in my mind, somewhat placating, that volcanic base of hate and the chthonic cult of victimhood, have as much in common? Were both Lincoln and Obama too conciliatory? Should both of them have been more clear about the mendacious forces aligning, about the violence of our citizens' divide?
Did their very equanimity somewhat normalize intolerable positions?
44
I think these times call for a new quote, something along the lines of: "A decline of public morals in the United States will probably be marked by a refusal by the President and his political allies to respect the impeachment process and the institutions tasked with carrying it out, as a means of protecting him against ejectment from office even in the face of grossly unethical behavior and obvious abuses of power."
96
Fascinating history lesson. Reminded me of another quote that should be remembered by blind partisan allies of this current vile President: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Of course in the case of Trump himself it's not a matter of remembering. He never learned any history, he was always too busy enriching himself at the expense of others.
56