“Congress completely lacks the ability to police itself. This is the very reason that we have a Congress that is as corrupt as it is incompetent.”
One of the things that I absolutely cannot stand about many in the left is their hypocrisy. The examples are plenty, from being anti-fascist (unless you are a conservative on a college campus) to free speech (unless you disagree with them) to being pro-women (unless those women are pro-life). Because of this, I try my best to call out both sides when they have erred. A prime example of this would be how I feel the Republican Congress completely betrayed all the conservatives who voted for them with the so-called replacement for Obamacare (which is really Obamacare 2.0).
I want to use that same view in regards to the firing of James Comey, director of the FBI. The left is completely up in arms at his dismissal. While I find quite a bit of irony in this fact, since they all wanted his head on a stick during the election, I can empathize with their concern. From all the reports released thus far, there is zero evidence to support the claim that Trump or his team were in cahoots with the Russians. However, to fire the head of the FBI while he is in the middle of an investigation does give a potential perception issue, and I, for one, am a big believer in the saying that perception is reality.
At the same time, I agree with the decision to replace Comey. I do not in any way doubt his dedication to the United States, nor do I want his reputation smeared because of all that has occurred over the last year and a half. I do not believe that you can find anyone who could honestly say that he was not placed in a losing situation, especially after Loretta Lynch acci-purposely met with Bill Clinton to have a private discussion in the middle of the investigation into his wife’s emails. After that meeting blew up in her face, she put Comey in the spotlight by essentially abdicating her prosecutorial powers to him. To be fair, there was simply no way he was going to escape from harm.
I do believe that Trump was correct in replacing him, although I think the way he went about it was undignified and not fitting for someone who has put in the service to country that Comey did. However, there is the problem of optics, and questions remain as to the truth of the Russian involvement. So, I find myself in complete agreement with the Democrats. For any of you who are waiting for the four horsemen of the apocalypse, I don’t blame you.
For the sake of truth, honesty, and openness, there is simply no other choice than having an independent probe. As a conservative, I believe in the absoluteness of integrity within our government. Therefore, if there was collusion between anyone within the Trump administration and Russia, then there should be swift and harsh punishments. This is not about ideology, it is about the law.
In order for our country to survive, we must have faith in our elected officials. Clearly this is something that simply does not exist. Trump ran on a platform that stated he was going to “drain the swamp.” If he cannot prove that he is above the fray, then he clearly cannot lead. By coming out and having the United States attorney general appoint an independent investigator he will show that there is nothing happening under the cover of darkness.
In fact, I believe that it is time that Congress enacted a law that calls for independent investigations into any elected official or primary members of the president’s staff. We, the people, deserve nothing else. It would also go a long way into gaining the trust and confidence back from the populace.
Additionally, because I believe in being fair and open-minded about such things, I think that we should demand that an independent investigation be opened up into the Hillary Clinton email scandal, the IRS targeting of conservative organizations, Operation Fast and Furious, and the Clinton Foundation. These are all investigations that were tainted by the very same perception problem that is surrounding Trump with his dismissal of Comey. Do I think that any of this will ever happen? Of course not. Congress completely lacks the ability to police itself. This is the very reason that we have a Congress that is as corrupt as it is incompetent.
What I would like to see is a grassroots movement to force our politicians to do this for us. It is time that we, as a unified group, demand accountability of our government officials. And not just from the Democrats versus the Republicans or vice versa. This is an issue that should go beyond party lines. No one, regardless of your political views, should want to be represented by someone who cheats the system.
Even if you don’t care about your own party, what goes around comes around. If one party gets away with it, then they both can and will. Only through the shared voices of all Americans can we force our politicians to do the right thing. This means accepting that even the most vocal and charismatic representatives may need to go to prison regardless of how much one may agree with their policy stances.
Is either side of the aisle willing to do this? That is questionable at best. Right now, conservatives cannot seem to even get their own representatives to stand by their campaign promises (balanced budget, defunding planned parenthood, passing a healthcare plan that was supposedly ready to go eight years ago, etc.), much less convince an extremely angry and disassociated political ideology. As for the left, they were completely willing to overlook all of the criminal activities of Hillary Clinton without batting an eye.
However, with all of that being stated, Trump, at least, needs to direct an independent investigation of his own team. This is not the time to circle the wagons. That will always be seen as trying to hide from the truth. Now is the time to meet those critics head-on. Should the investigation find something, then that should be made public immediately. If it doesn’t, then the same holds true. The Democrats in Congress who are constantly baying like their party mascot should stop this nonsense and get on with the business of the country.
Adlai E. Stevenson, a Democrat governor, once stated, “Public confidence in the integrity of the government is indispensable to faith in democracy, and when we lose faith in the system, we have lost faith in everything we fight and spend for.” I believe that we are there and have been for some time. The truth is that it is our own fault that we are in the mess we are in. For way too long, the citizenry of our nation has been willing to sit on the sidelines and allow the federal government to run amok with no oversight. They have simply done what anyone in power does when no one is watching—covet more power.
I would like to believe that Stevenson’s words were not simply that. I would like to believe that maybe, just maybe, there is someone in government who will hold themselves and others accountable. Unfortunately, I have a better chance at winning the lottery.
