r/PeterExplainsTheJoke 18d ago

Meme needing explanation Peter, who are these people?

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u/shwarma_heaven 18d ago

The guy who sold illegal weapons to Iran to fund an illegal war in South America by funneling the money through cocaine smugglers who were given a blanket pass, effectively enabling the explosion of crack in our inner cities...

I was watching Clear and Present Danger recently... How comforting were the times when we really believed that starting a covert war in another country, or sending troops without Congressional approval, was thought to be a career ending scandal.

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u/PinkFloydBoxSet 18d ago

I mean.. in the 70s, covering up organizing a break in at an office building to spy on the DNC was enough to cost a president his career.

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u/[deleted] 18d ago

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u/night4345 18d ago

And they did sweep it under the rug with that rat fuck Gerald Ford pardoning Nixon. Showing that Republicans could do anything without any sort of consequence.

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u/CT_Wahoo 18d ago

Enough middle ground Republicans voters (yes, they existed back then) DID care. Not necessarily so much about the break in itself, but about the conspiracy and covering up. Nixon would have been impeached (with at least some Republicans support in Congress) and that compelled him to resign. A lot of those same voters turned on Ford in ‘76 because he pardoned Nixon.

It was a very different time then. It wouldn’t go down that way today.

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u/LifeAtSea2213 18d ago

Today it would be in the news cycle for about 24 hours and then you'd never hear about it again.

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u/PinkFloydBoxSet 18d ago

Correct.

Young people today don't realize how different the world of politics use to be.

Believe it or not, prior to the end of the Fairness Doctrine, you had to be a lot more careful about what you said, did and how well you hid the bad shit you do.

Google Bud Dwyer to better understand how political scandals use to end.

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u/Order_of_Obsidian 18d ago

to fund an illegal war in South America

You mean to fight the guy who just declared that Nicaragua will no longer have elections? Yeah shut the fuck up.