The shadows of summer

My first experience with politics was attending a Eugene McCarthy campaign rally in 1968. Although I was only five I vividly recall pulling a tooth during the candidate’s speech.

The next time I took note of anything political was more painful. August 8, 1974, we arrived in St. Louis to watch the Cardinals play the Dodgers the next day.  August is a very hot time to be in St. Louis. In fact, after accounting for humidity, St. Louis and Washington D.C. are the most miserable summer cities in the country. The latitude (degrees north of the equator) of each city is near identical. We sat in the motel room and stayed out of the heat, watching television when both cities were connected by something else. In St. Louis, I watched Washington. Richard Nixon was resigning.

Even at 11, it was evident this was something major. My father followed politics and government closely but he wouldn’t be watching Nixon. He preferred taking his news from papers. Normally, we’d be watching sports. Whatever was happening was happening on every channel. The next morning, every paper ran a banner headline. Every summer day preceding August 8, I had seen part of the televised hearings. Watergate was such a mess, the coverage sometimes bled over into the time slot for “Gilligan’s Island". It was over. But it wasn’t.

Gerald Ford went on to pardon Richard Nixon but the effects of his scandal were felt into my college years. I never thought the government recovered completely, Ronald Reagan or not. The trust was never regained. And while some safety nets were installed to insure Watergate could never happen again, the perception I have of the period since is one of politicians studying how to game the system and avoid the rules. Watergate was our National Nightmare. Now, I wonder if we ever woke up.

I don’t want to spend another summer like 1974. What I do want is a favor.

The one overarching lesson taken from Watergate and recited by every politician of every type is this: The cover-up is always worse than the crime. I’m hoping – no, I’m asking my representatives in Washington, do the right thing. I don’t know if there was an election stolen for Donald Trump. I don’t care if he’s making money. I don’t like it, but unless he walked onto Fifth Avenue and shot someone, there’s very little the president can do that’s much different than anyone else in Washington. Of course, that’s part of the problem. Corruption and greed are very difficult to legislate away.

The cover-up is my biggest worry. It’s when real men begin acting like chained dogs. The desperation knows no measure or restraint. Trying to hide the malfeasance or crime is where the nightmare begins. We can avoid this. It’s not easy but it is essential. First, the folks from Texas we sent to represent us on the national stage need to look at what is going on without filters or shades. We need to know the truth, even if we can’t do much about it. In plain view and under direct sunlight, there’s nothing to hide. Without that opportunity to obfuscate, our representatives would not only do the right thing, they’d unburden a president so fixated on maintaining his image and they would most likely save his presidency in the process.

Without an investigation, there is no balance or oversight. It might seem easier to look away or stand in the shadow. But, if something is wrong, it’s going to get worse. Scandals find their level, just like water. If anything is going on (and it doesn’t hurt anyone to check) it will be contained with knowledge. If nothing is going on (which would be a remarkable relief), our elected representatives will have done right by us through the oversight. Accepting the obligation now, rather than later when the work is taken up in emergency fashion, is the only thing to do. Doing it now, without pre-judgment or blame, is better for Texas, the country, and me. It will save my summer.