Clinton Is Starting to Sound Like Nixon

[left-of-center2012]

The server fracas isn't Watergate, yet, but the Democratic front-runner is starting to sound a little like Richard Nixon.
Bob Woodward said that the email scandal engulfing former secretary of State Hillary Clinton “reminds me of the Nixon tapes:
thousands of hours of secretly recorded conversations that Nixon thought were exclusively his."

Woodward’s impression is justified, and not just by the steady drip, drip of new secrets in the latest batch of Clinton emails released by the State Department.
There is also a remarkable resonance between Nixon’s statements during the evolving Watergate crisis and Clinton’s public statements regarding her emails:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/09/01/hillary-clinton-new-email-released-state-department-column/71504450/
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[brooklynite]

1. ...except that Nixon's tapes revealed criminal wrongdoing; Clinton's emails revealed Gefilte Fish...

[whatchamacallit]

10. So far

and maybe ultimately, all the emails will prove to be innocuous. Let the authorities do their work. Imagine if, wanting to avoid the appearance of a political witch hunt, no one listened to Nixon's tapes.

[SonderWoman]

15. What exactly do you think they'll find?

In order to make the comment you made you must believe Benghazi was a nefarious cover up.

[whatchamacallit]

18. I'm less interested in inadvertent exposure of classified material

and more interested in certain SOS activities she may have wanted to conduct off the books.

[DesMoinesDem]

14. ...except that Hillary deleted any emails she didn't want anyone to see; Reminds me of someone...

Nixon.

[SonderWoman]

16. Nixon deleted emails?

And what emails are you looking for, a Benghazi smoking gun?

[DesMoinesDem]

27. I said it reminded me of him. Do some research and you'll figure out what he deleted.

[leveymg]

28. Do you remember Rosemary Woods and the 16 minutes of missing tape?

The tape was over-recorded, not deleted. Same idea, different decade.

[sufrommich]

2. More right wing sourced shit flinging aimed at Clinton.

Robbins is a senior editorial writer at The Washington Times and as right wing as right wing gets. Any port in the storm for some of you,I won't even bother with an alert.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

3. Do we just quote anybody fawningly now?

James S. Robbins (born 1962) is a commentary writer for USA Today and Senior Fellow for National Security Affairs on the American Foreign Policy Council. He is the award-winning former Senior Editorial Writer for Foreign Affairs at the Washington Times, an author, political commentator and professor, with an expertise in national security, and foreign and military affairs. He also served as special assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

His books include Native Americans: Patriotism, Exceptionalism and the New American Identity (2013), This Time We Win: Revisiting the Tet Offensive (2010) and Last in Their Class: Custer, Pickett and the Goats of West Point (2006). He is also a political commentator and contributing editor for National Review Online.

[SonderWoman]

6. Someone should make a list:

So far I've seen Ann Coulter, SE Cupp, Jim Robbins, National Review, and plenty others.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

7. By their fruit you will recognize them.

By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

- Matthew 7:16

[DURHAM D]

8. The Moonie (Washington) Times should be at

the top of the list. I think the OP is funny.

[Maedhros]

13. I found a video of Ron Paul slamming Bernie Sanders

that was posted in another thread.

Source is relevant only to a point - refute the content.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

17. Source is relevant only to a point - refute the content.

Source is relevant only to a point - refute the content.

Clinton Is Starting to Sound Like Nixon


"I like coitus."

-Benito Mussolini


"I like coitus."

- DemocratSinceBirth



DemocratSinceBirth Is Starting to Sound Like Mussolini



ROTFLMFAO

[Maedhros]

20. I didn't say I agreed with the post, I just place no importance on the logical fallacy

of attacking the source.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

21. I am aware of the perils of the ad hominem fallacy

I am aware of the perils of the ad hominem fallacy but there are times when the source is the issue, i.e. cui bono?

[Maedhros]

23. That is always worth considering, when analyzing a post, but it doesn't serve as a refutation

in and of itself.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

25. On a larger note...

This whole investigation of Hillary Clinton's e-mails began with a referral from Trey Gowdy's Committee, fine...

But in the U.S. we investigate crimes and not people. His committee's referral investigates a person, Hillary Clinton, in search of a crime. It irks me and would irk me for any American.

That Robbins guy compares HRC's remarks about her e-mail to RMN's remarks about Watergate. In the latter the investigation emanated from a crime: the Watergate break in.

[Maedhros]

33. Agreed - any similarities between Watergate and Clinton's email situation are superficial.

My personal take is that it was a very bad idea to run State Department communications through a personal server, but whether it rises to the level of a crime is another question.

To my mind the bigger issue here is that Obama's DoJ has been exceptionally overzealous when pursuing prosecutions involving alleged misuse or unwarranted retention of classified information, to the degree that the ridiculous and outdated Espionage Act has been invoked repeatedly against legitimate whistle blowers and journalists. Hillary's situation shows a double-standard in place: low-level government employees have had their careers ruined and have faced multiple felony charges for actions on par with Hillary's, yet the argument on DU is that Hillary should get a free pass.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

43. A few points...

-In hindsight the private server was a really bad idea...I have conceded it several times, But bad does not equal illegal.
-The private server is a bit of a red herring. The private e-mail usage is the issue. Colin Powell exclusively used a private e-mail address so if there are classified after the fact material on hers there was presumably classified after the fact material on his. I will be consistent and not attribute mendacity to either.
-The Espionage Act has been used to prosecute spies, traitors and deliberate leakers or whistle blowers. Whether whistle blowers should be prosecuted or not they deliberately released information they believed to be classified.
-It is my understanding there are different layers of security and receiving classified information on a yougov address is forbidden because it offers the lowest level of security.

...

By coincidence I am in the process of reading my second book about Nixon in a row. I am now reading 'Being Nixon' by Evan Thomas. I just finished 'One Man against the World: the Tragedy of Richard Nixon.'

What's interesting is Nixon didn't know about the Watergate break in until after the fact but he was involved in so much illegal doings through CREEP and the Ellsburg break in that he had to cover it up lest his other illegal activities be discovered.

Lots of presidents, even some we admire, and some with a (D) after their name have pushed the envelope of illegality but he took the proverbial envelope and pushed it into infinity.

[Maedhros]

46. I disagree that the Espionage Act has been used, by Obama, to prosecute any spies or traitors.

A number of those prosecuted, such as Tom Drake, simply possessed classified information and did not try to leak it. Drake was able to plead to a misdemeanor, because the Government's case was so weak. I imagine if Hillary was actually prosecuted, she would also beat the charges.

[Cali_Democrat]

19. Thanks for the info, DSB. nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

22. You are welcome, sir...

eom

[SonderWoman]

4. "New secrets" = favorite tv shows and food recipes.

[DURHAM D]

5. lol stupid stalker

ETA: referring to writer, not OP starter

[Adrahil]

9. Now we're posting stuff...

By right wing stooges?

The dude writes for National Review Online and served as a political appointee under Rumsfeld. That's where we are now, apparently.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. Ever notice the paucity of critical Bernie Sanders articles on the right.

If a person can't draw the correct inference from that phenomenon they really shouldn't be on a political board.

[SonderWoman]

12. And DU is starting to sound like Breitbart.

Thanks for your contribution!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

24. "I'm not a crook" makes one helluva campaign slogan.

[leveymg]

30. So does, "I'm not a felon."

But, that's really up to the Attorney General and a Grand Jury. We will see.

[randys1]

26. Is today Wednesday on DU? Must be smear Hillary day, again.

You would have to set up a tent 200 feet to the left of Bernie Sanders to be as liberal left as I am, and even I can see what is going on.


I wish there was a message board on the internet dedicated to Democrats and their party ....

[hifiguy]

29. I've been saying for some time now

that HRH's campaign strategy and tactics are a virtual replay if Nixon's '68 and '72 runs. The similarities are uncanny.

[Metric System]

31. So you and this Right-Winger are on the same page.

[hifiguy]

34. Doubtful. I've never thought

there was much credence to the e-mail dustup which seems to me like a combination of sloppiness and arrogance on her part rather than anything criminal. Benghazi has never been anything more than reichwing shit-stirring.

My comment was directed to the campaign, not this issue per se, and the similarities I mentioned are impossible to not notice.

[Jester Messiah]

38. I think a lot of people are on that page.

And it's Hillary's job to allay peoples' fears. A job at which she is failing.

[left-of-center2012]

35. .......

It got Nixon elected twice.

[Warren DeMontague]

32. she's pretty clearly interested in ramping up the drug war, politics be damned.

That was Nixon's deal, too.

[hifiguy]

36. So's her imperial "I don't mix with the peasantry, only the millionaires"

attitude. You had to pay big to play in Nixonland and the same goes for HRH.

Her obsession with becoming POTUS for its own sake also has a very Nixonian pall about it.

[Warren DeMontague]

37. She couldn't run a less inspiring campaign if she tried, from where I sit.

It's sort of depressing, so far.

[hifiguy]

39. Agreed. Maybe she's just tired out,

and I don't mean that snarkily. She has literally been running for the presidency nonstop for fifteen years. That has to take something out of anybody.

Anyone who wants it that much should be viewed with immense suspicion.

[Warren DeMontague]

44. I wouldnt want to be the aide who first told her Biden was floating new trial balloons about running

DUCK!!!!!!

[hifiguy]

47. No shit.

The air was,no doubt, filled with flung random projectiles of various sizes and densities.

[oasis]

40. Breaking news: Hillary's dog, Checkers, just bit the mailman.

[leftynyc]

41. I can't believe I have to read

this right wing crap here on DU. The only reason I even commented was the thread was at the top. Hopefully it will sink into the sewer it came from.

[HassleCat]

42. Woodward? Really?

I automatically refuse to believe anything Bob Woodward says. He is a hack of the first order.

[Zorra]

45. "The b******s have never been bombed like they're going to be bombed this time."

~ Richard Nixon, 1972