203. All the president's men

Last weekend I rewatched Alan J. Pakula’s excellent political drama recounting events leading to Richard Nixon’s resignation as US President, known as the Watergate scandal. A good movie, with an excellent cast, which gives us insight into the workings of the US democracy of the day. As the scandal unravelled, Nixon used plausible deniability to preserve his position. However, after US Congress issued articles of impeachment, the Senate authorised a wide ranging investigation into the affair, by a 77-0 majority, which proved Nixon’s involvement. Such a majority is unthinkable today, at a time when the Senate, in similar circumstances surrounding Donald Trump, splits down party lines (with the honourable exception of Mitt Romney) and conducts a farce hearing to quickly acquit Trump rather than investigate further. It seems that 1970s GOP Senators put democracy above party, whilst today’s GOP Senators put party above democracy, a worrying evolution of democratic values in American society 

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