So... who wrote the NYT op-ed?

[Belsnickel]

(09-10-2018, 04:09 PM)bfine32 Wrote: It's a dynamic that many not only here but nationwide are employing.

"I blame Trump for using this particular tactic, so I can use the exact same tactic to attack him. because when he does it, it's wrong, but when I do it, it's right".

Fortunately, there are some that will not cheapen their objectivity.

Who was it that said: "When they go low, we go high"?  I don't see too much of that.

I think it is an especially precarious situation when a former president does it. The norm we're talking about isn't just a matter of stability. The reason this norm was established throughout the years is because it is important to the peaceful transition of power. The reason a president removes themselves from public life, for the most part, once they leave office is because of that transition. I know I can often take these sorts of things into an extreme example, but this is why it happens, to keep those extremes from occurring. We get comfortable with things not happening because of these norms, not thinking about them, and then we end up going down a path we oughtn't.

Washington retired to Mt. Vernon after his two terms because he knew that staying in the public eye could cause a conflict of leadership. Sure, it's not as extreme as the whole two popes situation we had, but it's a similar thing. Obama violating that norm can create this sort of conflict, especially when there is currently no individual on the left that really stands out as the leader for 2020.

Maybe I think about political/democratic theory too much with these things, but I just see the cracks in the walls of the house that is our democracy widening before our eyes.