We Shouldn’t Disgrace Ourselves Editors’ Blog – Talking Points Memo / by Josh Marshall

We Shouldn’t Disgrace Ourselves

Editors’ Blog – Talking Points Memo / by Josh Marshall / 5h

Over the last 24 hours, in emails and tweets, I’ve heard people say some version of ‘Hey, it’s a twofer. Maybe this new scandal will take out Trump and Joe Biden!’

Let me say that there are lots of reasons for Democrats not to support Joe Biden – ideology, mass incarceration, age, it not being his time, politics, just qualities as a campaigner. But even though these comments are semi-flippant this is a temptation Democrats should resist. This really is no different from claims that Hillary Clinton killed Vince Foster or Barack Obama was born in Kenya, though obviously there’s a racist component to the latter canard. In terms of being in touch with reality or not, it’s no different. Democrats are prone to being manipulated in this way. They really need to resist the urge, just as Clinton’s opponents should have resisted rightwing and Russian efforts to sow divisions among them in 2016.

Again, this is not about supporting Joe Biden. But the claims that Giuliani and Trump are making aren’t just driven by blackmail or abuses of government power. They’re ridiculous on their face. This has all been scrutinized. Not only is there no evidence. The timeline doesn’t even add up.

This is like a redo on becoming pawns in a Russian intelligence operation in 2016. What President Trump and Rudy Giuliani are doing here is shocking abuse of power and national betrayal. In any normal world or by any normal standard, this would lead rapidly to the President’s resignation. Obviously that won’t happen. Because anything the President does will be backed or excused by his supporters in Congress.

But any sort of wink-and-a-nod passive benefit from this kind of criminal conduct is a disgrace. There’s no other way to put it. It’s no about Joe Biden. It’s about maintaining a democratic republic if we can keep it.

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