A Watergate Every Week
J. D. Vance contends that the scandal would be “a 12-hour news story” today. He’s probably correct, but the lesson isn’t what he claims.
TL;DR
- J. D. Vance previously expressed deep skepticism about Donald Trump, even comparing him to Nixon or 'America's Hitler'.
- Vance recently suggested that the Watergate scandal would be a mere '12-hour news story' today, implying its diminished impact due to current political polarization and media distrust.
- The article contends that while Vance is correct about the public's desensitization to scandals, the Trump administration faces a constant barrage of corruption allegations, unlike the singular Watergate event.
- Examples of alleged corruption include a deal with Kazakhstan involving tungsten deposits, the quashing of an investigation into a convicted fraudster, Larry Ellison's influence on media acquisitions post-donation, and federal contracts awarded to donors of Trump's 'White House ballroom' project.
- The article posits that Trump's strategy of 'flooding the zone with shit,' as advised by Steve Bannon, overwhelms the public and press, making individual scandals less impactful.
- It is argued that Nixon was held accountable by his own party, while Trump has largely faced partisan loyalty, and that Vance's embrace of Trump's alleged corruption shows cynicism.
- The FBI's dissolution of its public-corruption unit is also mentioned in the context of the current political climate.