Gem
Rookie
- Aug 11, 2004
- 2,080
- 783
- 0
- Banned
- #21
If Thompson's own memoir is to be believed:
"Thompson had been a staunch supporter of Nixon and had hoped the tapes would exonerate the president, a theory he said proved totally wrong. But the impulse to protect Nixon may not harm him with the conservative base of the Republican party."
Than it would appear that while he did help Nixon during Watergate it was because he believed in the President and felt that he was innocent and that the tapes would prove that. He admits that he was "totally wrong" on that regard.
I'm not sure if its reasonable to state that you aren't going to vote for someone because over 30 years ago he believed that a president was honorable when he really wasn't...realized that...and now admits that he was wrong.
As a comparison, Kerry testified before Congress about war crimes that turned out to have never happened...incidents that were "related to him" by others that he expressed as things he had personally witnessed...things that turned out to be lies from anti-war activists...if Kerry is to be believed...he testified because he truly believed that ending the war was important and that these stories would help that...he later realized that he was using false information...he apologized for it and for any pain it caused veterans...I don't remember any Democrats saying that because Kerry believed that he was using true information and it turned out he was wrong 30+ years ago they wouldn't vote for him...
Bill Maher once stated that the bullshit over what political candidates did in their youth needed to stop. If you are voting for a candidate in his 50's or 60's based on what they did in their 20's youre an asshole. People do things in their 20's so they can learn from their mistakes and become better 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 year olds. If you want a candidate to be exactly the same - you're basically saying that you want a candidate who never learns from their mistakes (haven't we seen enough of that in our current administration???).
Again, if he is to be believed, Thompson believed in President Nixon - so did most of the nation - hence why Watergate was such a big deal to this nation, people were shocked, and surprised. He, in his youthful idealism, gave additional support to the President that he admits now, was a mistake.
Not voting for Thompson for this reason is, in my opinion, ridiculous. It doesn't mean it shouldn't be noted, it should be. When a person decides to vote for a candidate they should know who that person is to the best of their ability...but on this issue, I have to side with Bill Maher...if a person is the same in their 50's as they are in their 20's then they have no business being elected to anything.
"Thompson had been a staunch supporter of Nixon and had hoped the tapes would exonerate the president, a theory he said proved totally wrong. But the impulse to protect Nixon may not harm him with the conservative base of the Republican party."
Than it would appear that while he did help Nixon during Watergate it was because he believed in the President and felt that he was innocent and that the tapes would prove that. He admits that he was "totally wrong" on that regard.
I'm not sure if its reasonable to state that you aren't going to vote for someone because over 30 years ago he believed that a president was honorable when he really wasn't...realized that...and now admits that he was wrong.
As a comparison, Kerry testified before Congress about war crimes that turned out to have never happened...incidents that were "related to him" by others that he expressed as things he had personally witnessed...things that turned out to be lies from anti-war activists...if Kerry is to be believed...he testified because he truly believed that ending the war was important and that these stories would help that...he later realized that he was using false information...he apologized for it and for any pain it caused veterans...I don't remember any Democrats saying that because Kerry believed that he was using true information and it turned out he was wrong 30+ years ago they wouldn't vote for him...
Bill Maher once stated that the bullshit over what political candidates did in their youth needed to stop. If you are voting for a candidate in his 50's or 60's based on what they did in their 20's youre an asshole. People do things in their 20's so they can learn from their mistakes and become better 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 year olds. If you want a candidate to be exactly the same - you're basically saying that you want a candidate who never learns from their mistakes (haven't we seen enough of that in our current administration???).
Again, if he is to be believed, Thompson believed in President Nixon - so did most of the nation - hence why Watergate was such a big deal to this nation, people were shocked, and surprised. He, in his youthful idealism, gave additional support to the President that he admits now, was a mistake.
Not voting for Thompson for this reason is, in my opinion, ridiculous. It doesn't mean it shouldn't be noted, it should be. When a person decides to vote for a candidate they should know who that person is to the best of their ability...but on this issue, I have to side with Bill Maher...if a person is the same in their 50's as they are in their 20's then they have no business being elected to anything.