Presidential scandals class at Chapman has something to enrage everyone ...Middle East

There was, of course, Nixon and Watergate. Reagan and Iran-Contra. Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Trump and Jan. 6.

Presidential scandals make for juicy analytical fodder, and Chapman University’s Fred Smoller taps into an august appetite for same with a class devoted to these sordid episodes. With a peaceful Jan. 6 in the rearview mirror, “Presidential Scandals,” i.e. Political Science 312C, slices and dices their similarities and their differences — and has 40 students signed up for the winter semester, with a waitlist of 30.

There’s likely something to enrage everyone.

“I argue that all of the scandals — although in varying degrees — have lowered the bar for acceptable presidential conduct,” said Smoller, veteran observer and associate professor of political science. “None of the scandals resulted in the president being removed from office. Nixon resigned and was pardoned. Reagan was not impeached. Clinton was impeached but not convicted. And Trump was impeached twice, and reelected.”

Smoller finds clarity in the words uttered by Republican Congressman M. Caldwell Butler of Virginia more than 50 years ago, when Butler helped seal Nixon’s fate: “If we fail to impeach, we will have condoned and left unpunished a course of conduct totally inconsistent with the reasonable expectations of the American people … and we will have said to the American people, ‘These deeds are inconsequential and unimportant.’”

Democrats were wrong when they chose not to remove Clinton, Smoller argues. If the president of Chapman was found to be having an affair with an undergraduate, the trustees would certainly demand the president’s resignation. Why, Smoller asks, should the president of the United States be held to a lower standard?

“The failure to remove Clinton partly paved the way for a man who was convicted of sexual assault to be our next president,” he said.

On the final, students are asked to rank the scandals from “least worst” to “most worst” and explain why. A quick refresher for those not enrolled:

Watergate. Folks associated with Nixon’s 1972 reelection campaign broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters to plant microphones, and the Nixon administration tried to cover up involvement.

Iran–Contra. Senior Reagan administration officials helped traffic arms to Iran between 1981 and 1986, even though Iran was subject to an arms embargo at the time. Proceeds were to fund the Contras, a rebel group in Nicaragua, even though Congress had cut off funding for the Contras.

Clinton-Lewinsky sexcapades: Also known as Monicagate, Lewinskygate, Sexgate and Zippergate, and famously illustrated by a stained blue dress, it involved the “improper” relationship between a 49-year-old president and a 22-year-old intern that Clinton at first insisted never happened, splitting legal hairs under oath (“depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is”).

Trump and Jan. 6: Rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol after Trump repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Trump was impeached for incitement of insurrection. (The first impeachment, where Trump was accused of trying to barter American aid to Ukraine in exchange for a Ukrainian investigation of Joe Biden, plays second fiddle here.)

Says the syllabus: “Consideration will also be given to other enduring values and ethics questions, including the vulnerability of true believers. Many people caught up in presidential scandals were comparatively young, ardent supporters of a president. Their energy, idealism and intelligence were channeled in the wrong direction; instead of saving the country, they broke the law.

“Young political workers who enter politics today need to realize that they will be dealing with forces that are much greater than anything they have ever encountered. Their eagerness to please a political leader or zeal for a cause — rather than fealty to the Constitution — can blind them to the legal and moral consequences of their actions.”

Required reading includes Keith W. Olson’s “Watergate: The Presidential Scandal That Shook America,” Malcolm Byrne’s “Iran-Contra: Reagan’s Scandal and the Unchecked Abuse of Presidential Power,” Jeffrey Toobin’s “A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President,” and Liz Cheney’s “Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning.”

“The course is very popular with students,” John Compton, chair of Chapman’s political science department, said by email. “One reason for this, I think, is that students are hungry for some historical context that will allow them to better understand the presidential scandals and general political turmoil of the past few years.

“Clearly, the past few years have seen some unprecedented developments. … However, these unprecedented events have highlighted some enduring problems and challenges of our constitutional system,” he said. “To what extent do presidents enjoy immunity from legal prosecution? How can we hold presidents accountable for legally dubious acts when the president effectively controls the law enforcement apparatus via the Justice Department? How can Congress perform its investigative and oversight functions when the executive branch refuses to cooperate? When is impeachment an appropriate remedy for presidential malfeasance, and can this remedy still function in a polarized political environment?

“Fred’s class helps students see that these issues are not new. … By grappling with this history, students gain a framework to better understand what is happening today. In particular, they gain tools to understand the role of the executive within our constitutional system, and also to think about how some of the weak spots in our constitutional system might be addressed going forward.”

I know how I’d rank these from worst worst to least worst. How ’bout you? Send me your final exams explaining why and we’ll explore them in another story.

Related Articles

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Presidential scandals class at Chapman has something to enrage everyone )

Also on site :

• Brooke Shields Does This Beauty Trick 'Every Day' for Plump Lips at 60
• Israeli fire kills at least 27 aid seekers in Gaza: Health Ministry
• 7 pet-friendly Colorado hotels for your next getaway or roadtrip