Even if we allow for the concept that most presidents will inevitably commit some evils, and therefore do not simply label them all devils, we would still (at a pretty generous minimum) have to label around 1/3 of them as devils. Obviously Trump is bad and should be vigorously resisted, but it is not as though this country has never had leaders this reckless, this callous to human suffering, or this bigoted before. Future generations will find Trump noteworthy to be sure, but probably not singularly so.
it is not as though this country has never had leaders this reckless, this callous to human suffering, or this bigoted before
Thomas Jefferson trafficked a child to France, started a relationship with the 14 year old slave of his, raped her and had 5 children, and enslaved the children.
Edit: To the 4 liberals downvoting, go on defend Thomas Jefferson’s action here you cowards.
The other presidents left the system intact so their mistakes could be corrected. They left the ability for the US to have decent presidents after them.
Not for lack of trying. Other presidents have absolutely defied Congress or the Supreme Court, filled the government with cronies, or otherwise completely abandoned common decency and the rule of law. If Trump is more destructive than any president before him, it will be because technology put more advanced tools of destruction at his disposal, not because he is somehow more evil or power hungry than anyone before him.
And if Trump had been president in 1801, how do you think he’d have treated his slaves? If he’d been president in 1830, do you think the Trail of Tears would have been any less than an overt genocide?
Come on. This isn’t a real discussion if we’re just going to make up hypotheticals about what different presidents would do in different contexts. But even if we do base this on such speculation, Trump is still by a wide margin the worst president in American history, because it’s hard to imagine him not committing those same crimes but worse.
Even if we allow for the concept that most presidents will inevitably commit some evils, and therefore do not simply label them all devils, we would still (at a pretty generous minimum) have to label around 1/3 of them as devils. Obviously Trump is bad and should be vigorously resisted, but it is not as though this country has never had leaders this reckless, this callous to human suffering, or this bigoted before. Future generations will find Trump noteworthy to be sure, but probably not singularly so.
Thomas Jefferson trafficked a child to France, started a relationship with the 14 year old slave of his, raped her and had 5 children, and enslaved the children.
Edit: To the 4 liberals downvoting, go on defend Thomas Jefferson’s action here you cowards.
Yeah… and I don’t even think he’s our worst-ever President! It’s quite the shitshow, really.
The other presidents left the system intact so their mistakes could be corrected. They left the ability for the US to have decent presidents after them.
BS. The concentration of power to the executive has been extremely bipartisan. The road to Trump abusing power was paved by FDR and Obama.
https://press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/749396.h
https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1785&context=faculty_scholarship
Not for lack of trying. Other presidents have absolutely defied Congress or the Supreme Court, filled the government with cronies, or otherwise completely abandoned common decency and the rule of law. If Trump is more destructive than any president before him, it will be because technology put more advanced tools of destruction at his disposal, not because he is somehow more evil or power hungry than anyone before him.
And if Trump had been president in 1801, how do you think he’d have treated his slaves? If he’d been president in 1830, do you think the Trail of Tears would have been any less than an overt genocide?
Come on. This isn’t a real discussion if we’re just going to make up hypotheticals about what different presidents would do in different contexts. But even if we do base this on such speculation, Trump is still by a wide margin the worst president in American history, because it’s hard to imagine him not committing those same crimes but worse.