Survey Says I Am Fully Out Of Step
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
It's difficult when you come to the realization that you're out of step with the majority of Americans.
That's what has happened to me over this whole mess with President Bill Clinton.
According to the polls, the majority of Americans don't think Clinton should be impeached.
In fact, only about 25 percent of them think he should. That puts me squarely in the minority. This is difficult for me to understand.
Some people say that this is just about sex. I see it as being about perjury, witness tampering and obstruction of justice.
More people say that it's about perjury, witness tampering and obstruction of justice, but they don't think it warrants impeachment.
Lying to a federal grand jury is a felony punishable by five years in prison.
If that isn't an impeachable offense, what is?
I know that Clinton's attorneys are scurrying to come up with a defense. They say his answers are "legally accurate" or that the questions were "non-specific" or whatever.
They are bending over backwards to deny the behavior while Clinton is simultaneously apologizing for it. It's lunacy.
Does anybody really believe them? Does anybody really think Clinton was telling the whole truth in the Paula Jones deposition and in his grand jury testimony?
Maybe so, but generally I think people know he lied.
Even Congressmen in his own party are telling him to stop splitting legal hairs.
One of the many analysts paraded through the CNN studios this week said, "It's not hair-splitting, it's side splitting." He called the defense "idiotic."
So I have been trying to make sense out of all this. Why don't people seem to care?
It has to be more than the economy. Just because your 401k is doing well doesn't predispose you to forgive perjury, does it?
No, I think it has a lot to do with Clinton's ability to shine in the face of adversity.
Whatever you say about Clinton, you have to admit he is a brilliant politician.
He has the ability to turn himself into the victim, to bring people around to his point of view on any given issue.
He's in the process of doing that now. He's called in a fresh batch of advisers - spinmeisters - to map out his strategy.
This team, of course, includes a couple of ministers to pray with him, counsel him and keep him on the path of contrition.
I'm skeptical. After all, at the same time Clinton gave his heartfelt prayer breakfast apology he also promised us an all-out legal battle.
This new spin team will be on all the talk shows, all the networks and in all the national publications. They will demonize the evil Republicans in Congress. They will attack the office of the Independent Counsel.
They will do all they can to make us feel sorry for Clinton. And in the end, I think, it probably will work.
It has worked before.
Remember how Clinton criticized Republicans for "cuts" in Medicare. He used words like "decimate" and "eviscerate" to describe the GOP's policy. The GOP proposed $234 billion in Medicare spending. The bill the president signed called for $236 billion.
Remember how Clinton initially characterized "welfare to work" when the Republicans proposed it? He thought it was a bad idea. But when the polls said it was popular among the electorate, he claimed the idea as his own and embraced it.
Then, to stay firmly on the fence, he told critics of the plan that he approved it with the intent of coming back and "fixing" it later.
Then he never fixed it.
He is a master at claiming credit and deflecting blame. It will be his political legacy.
Clinton knows he's in the political fight of his life and he won't back down.
Who could blame him? The majority of Americans apparently support him - despite the fact that he may have committed a felony while in office.
And even if the House of Representatives impeaches him and the Senate convicts him, I doubt there would be enough votes to toss him out of office.
It is difficult to understand.
In situations like this I always ask myself a simple question to test my objectivity: How would I feel if there were a Republican in office?
I can honestly say that if Bob Dole, George Bush or Indiana's own Dan Quayle were in the same situation I would demand their resignation.
Would Clinton's proponents so vigorously defend a Republican?
They're not defending Henry Hyde, Helen Chenowith and Dan Burton. They're the Republicans who have been "outed" recently for having affairs years ago.
All three of them admitted their indiscretions. That was probably a mistake.
They should have looked directly into the camera and lied. They should have said, "I never had sexual relations with that woman/man." Then perhaps they could enjoy the widespread support that Clinton enjoys.
Clinton's approval rating is driving the Republicans in Congress nuts. And frankly, I'm disappointed in the way they're handling it.
On the one hand they say the polls aren't important, that they will act independently and do "the right thing." But on the other hand they're rushing to release Clinton's videotaped testimony and all the other gory details to the public.
Why? I know why.
They're hoping to shave a few percentage points off the next approval rating.
But if public opinion isn't important to them, why not make the decision based on the evidence first and then release the stuff?
The Republicans better be careful. If the public perceives them being heavy-handed and unfair, Clinton wins even more points.
All the politics aside, this is not a proud time for our nation.
Clinton's behavior defiles the office of the president. His subsequent attempts at a coverup quite possibly constitute obstruction of justice. He most likely committed perjury in a sworn statement in a civil case and before a federal grand jury.
The House of Representatives is poised to begin impeachment hearings.
All this, and the President's approval rating was up one point this week, to 63 percent.
Perhaps those who don't condone this type of behavior have fallen into the minority in today's America.
Maybe the Clinton scandal is telling us something about ourselves. [[In-content Ad]]
It's difficult when you come to the realization that you're out of step with the majority of Americans.
That's what has happened to me over this whole mess with President Bill Clinton.
According to the polls, the majority of Americans don't think Clinton should be impeached.
In fact, only about 25 percent of them think he should. That puts me squarely in the minority. This is difficult for me to understand.
Some people say that this is just about sex. I see it as being about perjury, witness tampering and obstruction of justice.
More people say that it's about perjury, witness tampering and obstruction of justice, but they don't think it warrants impeachment.
Lying to a federal grand jury is a felony punishable by five years in prison.
If that isn't an impeachable offense, what is?
I know that Clinton's attorneys are scurrying to come up with a defense. They say his answers are "legally accurate" or that the questions were "non-specific" or whatever.
They are bending over backwards to deny the behavior while Clinton is simultaneously apologizing for it. It's lunacy.
Does anybody really believe them? Does anybody really think Clinton was telling the whole truth in the Paula Jones deposition and in his grand jury testimony?
Maybe so, but generally I think people know he lied.
Even Congressmen in his own party are telling him to stop splitting legal hairs.
One of the many analysts paraded through the CNN studios this week said, "It's not hair-splitting, it's side splitting." He called the defense "idiotic."
So I have been trying to make sense out of all this. Why don't people seem to care?
It has to be more than the economy. Just because your 401k is doing well doesn't predispose you to forgive perjury, does it?
No, I think it has a lot to do with Clinton's ability to shine in the face of adversity.
Whatever you say about Clinton, you have to admit he is a brilliant politician.
He has the ability to turn himself into the victim, to bring people around to his point of view on any given issue.
He's in the process of doing that now. He's called in a fresh batch of advisers - spinmeisters - to map out his strategy.
This team, of course, includes a couple of ministers to pray with him, counsel him and keep him on the path of contrition.
I'm skeptical. After all, at the same time Clinton gave his heartfelt prayer breakfast apology he also promised us an all-out legal battle.
This new spin team will be on all the talk shows, all the networks and in all the national publications. They will demonize the evil Republicans in Congress. They will attack the office of the Independent Counsel.
They will do all they can to make us feel sorry for Clinton. And in the end, I think, it probably will work.
It has worked before.
Remember how Clinton criticized Republicans for "cuts" in Medicare. He used words like "decimate" and "eviscerate" to describe the GOP's policy. The GOP proposed $234 billion in Medicare spending. The bill the president signed called for $236 billion.
Remember how Clinton initially characterized "welfare to work" when the Republicans proposed it? He thought it was a bad idea. But when the polls said it was popular among the electorate, he claimed the idea as his own and embraced it.
Then, to stay firmly on the fence, he told critics of the plan that he approved it with the intent of coming back and "fixing" it later.
Then he never fixed it.
He is a master at claiming credit and deflecting blame. It will be his political legacy.
Clinton knows he's in the political fight of his life and he won't back down.
Who could blame him? The majority of Americans apparently support him - despite the fact that he may have committed a felony while in office.
And even if the House of Representatives impeaches him and the Senate convicts him, I doubt there would be enough votes to toss him out of office.
It is difficult to understand.
In situations like this I always ask myself a simple question to test my objectivity: How would I feel if there were a Republican in office?
I can honestly say that if Bob Dole, George Bush or Indiana's own Dan Quayle were in the same situation I would demand their resignation.
Would Clinton's proponents so vigorously defend a Republican?
They're not defending Henry Hyde, Helen Chenowith and Dan Burton. They're the Republicans who have been "outed" recently for having affairs years ago.
All three of them admitted their indiscretions. That was probably a mistake.
They should have looked directly into the camera and lied. They should have said, "I never had sexual relations with that woman/man." Then perhaps they could enjoy the widespread support that Clinton enjoys.
Clinton's approval rating is driving the Republicans in Congress nuts. And frankly, I'm disappointed in the way they're handling it.
On the one hand they say the polls aren't important, that they will act independently and do "the right thing." But on the other hand they're rushing to release Clinton's videotaped testimony and all the other gory details to the public.
Why? I know why.
They're hoping to shave a few percentage points off the next approval rating.
But if public opinion isn't important to them, why not make the decision based on the evidence first and then release the stuff?
The Republicans better be careful. If the public perceives them being heavy-handed and unfair, Clinton wins even more points.
All the politics aside, this is not a proud time for our nation.
Clinton's behavior defiles the office of the president. His subsequent attempts at a coverup quite possibly constitute obstruction of justice. He most likely committed perjury in a sworn statement in a civil case and before a federal grand jury.
The House of Representatives is poised to begin impeachment hearings.
All this, and the President's approval rating was up one point this week, to 63 percent.
Perhaps those who don't condone this type of behavior have fallen into the minority in today's America.
Maybe the Clinton scandal is telling us something about ourselves. [[In-content Ad]]