The kiddies among us may not remember, but when Ford pardoned Nixon he was praised for it by the sober centrists and moderates who just want everyone to get a long and make-pretend that crimes (when committed by the rich and powerful) are not crimes. (Those sober centrist idiots are still among us and mostly writing Op-Eds for the Washington Post and New York Times wondering if it seems unseemly and too partisan to pursue Trump for his many crimes.)
Beyond Op-Ed typists, this #bygones sentiment is blood that runs through the veins DC-based Democrats like Coons. It is because Democrats view themselves as being in the same social class as Republicans. “They can’t be criminals, because what does that say about us?”
Incredibly, Washington Post columnist Jason Willick seems to think that if Biden pardons Trump, “it could put the weary president back in the center of the political universe.” Also, a pardon would “make his former rival — if he accepts the humbling offer — appear small and weak.”
Willick is borrowing a Trump trick by calling Biden a “weary president.” It’s not much different than Trump’s schoolyard bully trick of giving people insulting nicknames, like “Sleepy Joe.”
If Biden were to make the mistake of pardoning the deeply corrupt Trump, the majority of Americans who are not in the MAGA Qnut cult would be sick to their stomachs. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of them stopped voting altogether, because the message of a Trump pardon would be that the rich and powerful can break any law with impunity.