Dan Rather: Pride. Sadness. Consternation. Hope.

[Pluvious]

I like how he leads with "women and men" both times.

Dan Rather

Pride. Sadness. Consternation. Hope.

These emotions and many others swirl within me as we finish the second week of testimony in the House impeachment hearings. To see women and man of character and service speak honestly about their efforts to protect the national security interests of the United States in the face of a blatant abuse of power is a reminder of what this nation can be at its best.

The picture they paint however is dark and cynical. It confirms some of the greatest fears of our Founding Fathers, a president bereft of morality using his office and its many powers in service to his narrow self interest. And beneath it all is the realization that the rot is so endemic and all-encompassing that it would defy reason to assume this is the extent of the malfeasance. We are haunted by what we don't know.

Many have asked me how this measures against the outrages of Watergate, and my answer has long been that comparisons are difficult despite obvious similarities. But as this comes into focus, we must consider that this is worse. This scandal, with its tentacles into questions of Putin and Russia, involves the future of this nation's relationship with the world. It touches on our defense and security, as well as our values. These offenses were abetted by foreign actors with interests opposed to American values. That the GOP keeps defending the indefensible, from an echo chamber of Fox News and social media, suggests that a reckoning by Republican officials, like what happened with President Nixon, is highly unlikely.

Will the impeachment hearings sway public opinion? Will it cost Democrats at the polls? Is it an exercise in futility? I respectfully suggest these are the wrong questions to ask. The ideal of the Constitution is that it is a set of values and the DNA of government that must superseded temporal political concerns. Either we stand for something as a country, or we don't. The women and men refusing to abide by the President's actions stand for something, with their right hands raised. They have said, this will not be our America, as long as we have a say.

We needed to have this airing of what has occured. The scales by which future generations will measure our actions are set. Evidence is being weighed. It is up to us to work hard to make sure this scale tips towards justice.

https://www.facebook.com/24085780715/posts/10162645790085716

[SonofDonald]

1. National Treasure

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr Dan Rather

[llmart]

2. "Either we stand for something as a country, or we don't."

It boils down to this quote.

I want to believe that we stand for something, but maybe we really don't. Maybe it's mostly just a perception we want to put out to the world, and we're only kidding ourselves to believe we stand for something at this point in our history. The world is watching, maybe even more than our fellow citizens are watching, and they will judge whether we truly are a nation that values the law and justice.

[PatrickforO]

3. Agreed.

It isn't about politics. It is about whether our republic will survive or not.

[SergeStorms]

8. And right now....

republicans could care less if our republic survives or not. They certainly don't mind catering to every whim of Vladimir Putin. As long as they maintain power, that's all that really matters to them. They truly are traitors to our country.

[MyOwnPeace]

4. Love Dan - but there's a problem..........

"Will the impeachment hearings sway public opinion? Will it cost Democrats at the polls? Is it an exercise in futility? I respectfully suggest these are the wrong questions to ask."

I look at the "wave" that put IQ45 into power to begin with. Yes, we all know who they are - and what they "believe" - and what they think is right.

THAT is the powerful force that we've got to defeat - and I'm not sure that a simple "stand by our country" belief is going to defeat them. Elsewhere on this site there's a post about PRESIDENT Obama saying that "We are not going to win just by increasing the turnout of people who already agree with us completely on everything."

I do NOT believe that the "faithful" "under 40%" will ever change their mind and a "stand by our country" stance will simply have them standing in white sheets under a statue of Robert E. Lee, holding torches.

I DO believe that we left many votes uncounted with people that thought "Ain't no way THAT idiot wins" - along with the "I'm not crazy about her" wing - we DID leave many votes on the floor instead of the ballot box.

We cannot be complacent - we cannot "ASSUME" (yeah, I KNOW you know THAT one!) - and we cannot count on a single person "doing the right thing."

We must work hard to GET OUT THE VOTE - IT COUNTS!

Dan Rather is correct on this:

"It is up to us to work hard to make sure this scale tips towards justice."

[dustyscamp]

9. Yeah, we need to do more than just get more people who are already going to vote blue to the polls

We need to reach out to independents and people who are losing faith in the party to vote blue again. We need to stay in control of the narrative that Trump and his people are corrupt. We need to make sure that the younger people care about the country and vote for a progressive future. We need to keep doing more if we want to win 2020

[Sneederbunk]

5. Will be thinking of Dan tomorrow. Helped me get through that event.

[zentrum]

6. The bigger and biggest

.....problem of all is the 40% of Americans who support him, who also seem "bereft of morality".

I feel that the country is deeply sick. He's just a symptom of something horribly wrong.

[mnhtnbb]

10. Yes, the problem is that 60 million people

Could or would not see through this traitorous, self serving con man in order to understand just how dangerous it was to vote for him.

Sixty million people in this country are very messed up.

[calimary]

7. Still love his work.

I totally get this one, too.