An Unexpected Consequence Of The Intelligence Hearing

[AGBF]

I have to admit that I did not intuit that women would respond to James Comey's testimony as they have. However, more than one intelligent woman has written an essay for "The New York Times" today expressing how James Comey's experience with Donald Trump parallels her own experience dealing with a male in a position of power over her. I consider this an unexpected (or one could say "unintended") consequence of the intelligence hearings yesterday. Some of you may enjoy enjoy reading them as I did.

Women Say Welcome To Our World...https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/08/...edCoverage&region=EndOfArticle&pgtype=article

James Comey And The Predator-In-Chief...https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/08/opinion/james-comey-and-the-predator-in-chief.html

AGBF

 

[Dee*Jay]

Deb, I was also struck by this! I had seen one of the those articles yesterday but not the second so thank you for posting them both.

The line, "He wanted to avoid granting any favor while avoiding the risk of direct confrontation" really summed it up perfectly for me.

I find Comey to be credible and genuine and I like him (as much as you can like anyone you have never met). I also have tremendous empathy for the position he was put in and I admire the fact that he was a big enough person (no pun intended) to admit how he acted -- and more importantly, FELT --in the context of his interaction with Chump. Many people have expressed that he should have stood up to Cheeto. The insinuation is that he should have "manned up." In keeping a loose mental list I've noticed that almost all of the comments I've seen in the vein have been from men and I wonder how many of those men have either never been in a position like this -- or more accurately never admitted, even to themselves, the awkward feelings that being put in a position like this brings on.

As a total aside, I also loved that he said he's wished he'd kept that date with his wife! That, his comment that he was "between opportunities" at the moment, and other examples of his humor as he was under incredible pressure added (for me) grace to his power in the face of adversity.

 

[gemgirl]

<<<I find Comey to be credible and genuine and I like him (as much as you can like anyone you have never met). >>>

Listening to him carefully with my eyes closed to try to hear any change or inflection in his voice caused my either nervousness or not telling the complete truth was not evident at all. Then I watched him for a bit and I believe that Comey is an upstanding, honest gentleman who worked for both Bush (Republican) and Obama (Democrat) and both Presidents stood behind this genuine man's character during their double terms in office. That in itself says a hell of a lot.

 

[redwood66]

He is calculated in everything he does right down to the aw shucks thing. I can thank him most definitely for his service to the US for many years. I am sure he is honest but he is also political in some of his actions. Comey is a very skilled prosecutor and garnered what he needed from the testimony yesterday obviously. Most people here wanted his head in October. I thought he was wrong and politicking in July. He says he had an issue with following Lynch's order to call it a "matter" yet he did just that. But it made him queasy or nauseous (as Anna corrected nauseated). So if it made him feel that way why did he do it? Is Lynch also guilty of this harassment spoken of in the articles?

Thanks for posting them Deb.

 

[LLJsmom]

I have to admit that I did not intuit that women would respond to James Comey's testimony as they have. However, more than one intelligent woman has written an essay for "The New York Times" today expressing how James Comey's experience with Donald Trump parallels her own experience dealing with a male in a position of power over her. I consider this an unexpected (or one could say "unintended") consequence of the intelligence hearings yesterday. Some of you may enjoy enjoy reading them as I did.

Women Say Welcome To Our World...https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/08/...edCoverage&region=EndOfArticle&pgtype=article

James Comey And The Predator-In-Chief...https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/08/opinion/james-comey-and-the-predator-in-chief.html

AGBF

I totally got the same feeling listening to it on the radio yesterday. So funny that I am not the only one.

 

[AGBF]

I do not want to derail this thread by getting off the path of the parallels between powerlessness when one is confronted by power (be it by a man or woman who is confronted) and by the constant exploitation of women by men. However, there is one thing that came out in yesterdays's hearings that I do not think has been said anywhere else on Pricescope yet. That is that Trump never asked Director Comey about how the investigation into Russian hacking of the US elections was going. He only asked if he, himself, was being investigated. President Obama, however, asked several times. That shows that President Obama cared about whether Russia had breached American sovereignty, whereas Donald Trump did not. In fact, as he said on the campaign trail, Trump encouraged Russian intervention! He called for more leaks of Hillary Clinton's e-mails. That he continued his stance once he knew that the Russians had violated the sanctity of our elections is beyond belief, however.

Returning to the note of power: much has been made of comparisons between Trump and Comey versus Henry II and Thomas à Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury whom he had murdered. "The New York Times" states in one of its articles that many people are probably googling the phrase "will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?". That is the line attributed to Henry II in "Murder in the Cathedral" that, no sooner than uttered, caused his men to slay the Archbishop on hallowed ground. As has been pointed out again and again, a wish or a hope, expressed by someone at the top of the power structure, is more than a simple wish.

AGBF

 

[Matata]

He is calculated in everything he does right down to the aw shucks thing. I can thank him most definitely for his service to the US for many years. I am sure he is honest but he is also political in some of his actions. Comey is a very skilled prosecutor and garnered what he needed from the testimony yesterday obviously. Most people here wanted his head in October. I thought he was wrong and politicking in July. He says he had an issue with following Lynch's order to call it a "matter" yet he did just that. But it made him queasy or nauseous (as Anna corrected nauseated). So if it made him feel that way why did he do it? Is Lynch also guilty of this harassment spoken of in the articles?

I agree with you Red but for one minor correction. He did not say he was nauseous about Lynn asking him to call it a "matter". He said he was nauseous at the thought that his announcement about additional HRC emails may have influenced the outcome of the election.

I do believe he has the best interest of the nation at heart and that in a comparison between his truthfulness and moral center and trump's, trump is sorely lacking.

 

[lovedogs]

Also don't mean to derail the thread, but when I was watching the hearing I was struck by the similarities between what was said to Comey about, "why didn't you say X/Y? Why did you continue to take his calls? Why didn't you tell anyone?" and what was said to me (and of course many others) about sexual assault/rape. It was pretty freaking disgusting, and the victim blaming is BS.

 

[Tekate]

He did it because he allowed his boss to direct him, he knew it was partisan. He's a registered republican. He is not a politician, he's a lawyer and an investigator.

Why wouldn't we want his head in October? he screwed Clinton over royally because he allowed his personal distaste for her actions get in the way of his job. Clinton was NEVER hacked.

In the situation he felt Trump was trying to influence him, remember Clinton's emails have been gone over and over and over, yes she deleted personal emails. Yes I believe 6 emails that were confidential got out, but so far the world has not ended and it's not been revealed what those emails were.

Trump is on his well earned way to destruction. It's a actually sad to me that a man who wanted to be a leader is such a poor one.

He is calculated in everything he does right down to the aw shucks thing. I can thank him most definitely for his service to the US for many years. I am sure he is honest but he is also political in some of his actions. Comey is a very skilled prosecutor and garnered what he needed from the testimony yesterday obviously. Most people here wanted his head in October. I thought he was wrong and politicking in July. He says he had an issue with following Lynch's order to call it a "matter" yet he did just that. But it made him queasy or nauseous (as Anna corrected nauseated). So if it made him feel that way why did he do it? Is Lynch also guilty of this harassment spoken of in the articles?

Thanks for posting them Deb.