Accountability After Trump

[Zorro]

How can America rebuild democracy’s guardrails and hold the past administration to account for its lawlessness?

By The Editorial Board

After any major national disaster or failure of government, it’s essential to study what happened and why, if for no other reason than to enact laws and policies aimed at preventing the same thing from happening again. From the Warren Report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to the Church Committee in the wake of the Watergate scandal, from the commission on the Sept. 11 attacks to the commission on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a thorough official reckoning makes for good government.

What could accountability look like in 2021? How does American democracy confront the scale of the damage wrought by the departing president — the brazen obliteration of norms, the abundant examples of criminal behavior, the repeated corruption and abuses of power by the highest officeholder in the land, even after he was impeached?

In short, how does America prevent the next Trump administration if it can’t properly hold the current one to account?

This is the task facing the country and the next administration, as Joe Biden prepares to assume the presidency after running, and winning, on a platform of national unity and healing. Does restoring the soul of America require an exorcism of the past four years? Or would that only deepen the nation’s divisions, making it impossible to move forward?

In a country as polarized as the United States in 2020, making even incremental progress on pressing issues would be a win. We’ve urged Mr. Biden to champion an agenda based on decency. The first step is to dial down the culture wars wherever possible, then pursue a policy agenda where there is ample common ground. But Mr. Biden should also champion accountability after four years that tested the outer limits of what America’s democracy could handle.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/opinion/sunday/trump-presidency-accountability.html

[Timewas]

1. In the end

If no one is held to answer for this blatant corruption and absolute illegalities then this country is over with, the constitution is in tatters and the rule of law is in fact very questionable. If those two things are no longer viable then might as well sign off.

[Skittles]

2. Dubya started a war based on lies and nothing was done

I don't hold out much hope this time either.

[Irish_Dem]

3. The precedent of letting a president get away with malicious deception and outright crimes is a

dangerous one. We have seen the deadly consequences.

[Timewas]

4. It was started

With Nixon, then bush got away with starting a war and breaking international laws using torture and actually admitted it on at TV...If this one gets away then I am finished the oaths they take the supposed laws and justice and our constitution mean nothing anymore, can't have anarchy at the highest levels and not have it in our levels too.

[exboyfil]

5. Dates back to even earlier

Remember the Maine
The Gulf of Tonkin

[Skittles]

6. damn straight

it sickened me to see people like BOLTON coming back - why was HILLARY questioned more that the GOP's warmongering pieces of shit