An article in The Washington Post published on May 22nd was advertised in an email alert that bore this headline: "So much depends on Robert Mueller." The actual article, by columnist David Von Drehle, had a slightly different headline: "Mueller has no room for mistakes." The Post, in other words, is giving the impression that the future of Donald Trump's presidency will largely be determined by what Special Counsel Muller decides to do.
An article in The New York Times, also published on May 22nd, gives a somewhat different impression. The Times' article provides a roadmap to impeachment indicating that Muller's role in the future of the presidency, while important, is in no way going to be determinative.
Both articles are worth reading. My comment relates to the use of the word "depends" in the headline from the email alert sent by The Post.
Our democracy, if it is to survive, can never "depend" on the actions of any government official (including the president, by the way). We are tempted, always, to hope that one person (whether it is President Obama, Robert Mueller, or someone else) can "solve" our problems for us. That approach assumes that we are the "governed," not the "governing." Hoping that someone else is going to extricate the nation from the nightmare of the Trump presidency - and the nightmare of our failed government - is an illusion. WE, not someone else, are going to have to organize, strategize, and act.
Waiting for Robert (or for anyone else), is just delaying the inevitable. The future of our democracy will require political action by ordinary Americans.
That means "us."
An article in The New York Times, also published on May 22nd, gives a somewhat different impression. The Times' article provides a roadmap to impeachment indicating that Muller's role in the future of the presidency, while important, is in no way going to be determinative.
Both articles are worth reading. My comment relates to the use of the word "depends" in the headline from the email alert sent by The Post.
Our democracy, if it is to survive, can never "depend" on the actions of any government official (including the president, by the way). We are tempted, always, to hope that one person (whether it is President Obama, Robert Mueller, or someone else) can "solve" our problems for us. That approach assumes that we are the "governed," not the "governing." Hoping that someone else is going to extricate the nation from the nightmare of the Trump presidency - and the nightmare of our failed government - is an illusion. WE, not someone else, are going to have to organize, strategize, and act.
Waiting for Robert (or for anyone else), is just delaying the inevitable. The future of our democracy will require political action by ordinary Americans.
That means "us."
Image Credit:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/05/robert-mueller-probing-trump-money-laundering-collusion-russia.html
"We are tempted, always, to hope that one person (whether it is President Obama, Robert Mueller, or someone else) can "solve" our problems for us." This is the reasoning that I dislike when it comes to superhero movies where 1 person is the savior, so to speak. Same goes for other genres of movies where 1 person is credited for saving the USA or the World.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point, Clay. Agreed! Thanks for this comment. As I often say it's "ME" versus "WE," and we always do better emphasizing the latter!
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