Courtesy of Wikipedia
Stormy Daniels is the most recent name to be caught up in the latest wave of sensationalist headlines. The Playboy playmate and adult film actress has appeared on various news outlets and caused quite a hubbub with her claims about sexual relations with President Trump. Her most recent on “60 Minutes” drew the highest ratings the show has seen in the last ten years. More people watched Anderson Cooper interview Ms. Daniels than watched the 2009 post-inauguration interview with the Obamas. The reason for the increased attention and interest in this story is the element of intimidation.
From allegations of threats against Stormy in 2011, to the initial payment in 2016 stemming from one of the Trump attorneys (as well as questions of the possible campaign finance law violations raised by this payment) ,there is unquestionably a lot of interest in this story. This being said, the ultimate question is whether or not this will have any impact on Trump’s presidency. I don’t think it will. For me, this story tells more about the people that care about this kind of story than the President himself.
Anyone who thinks that the “Stormy and Trump” story is comparable in impact or potential in real change to the “Lewinsky and Clinton” debacle is either woefully idealistic or hopelessly ignorant. The hypocrisy between liberals and conservatives on this issue muddies the water and further detracts from the crux of the issue. It is disheartening, though not surprising, to see politicians, every day citizens, and members of the media be unable to judge a situation without viewing it from a politically oriented lens. The silence of all those conservatives, women especially, who came out during Trump’s campaign decrying Clinton is deafening. These individuals were used to weaken Hillary’s campaign (as if somehow her husband’s infidelity was her failing and relates to her efficacy as president) and supposedly stood up for “moral values.” Evangelical leader James Dobson, infamous for his support of Trump, gave lengthy sermons on the moral failings of President Clinton and how his relations with Lewinsky, as well as Gennifer Flowers, made Clinton morally defunct and unfit to lead the nation. Since Trump’s ascension to the White House, Dobson has been silent on the Stormy Daniels story — as have all other prominent conservatives. There was a time when opposing pornography was on the top of the Christian Right’s agenda; it seems we don’t live in that time any more.
On the other side of the coin, liberals who were quiet about Clinton’s misdemeanor are now eagerly condemning Trump. Hypocrisy and judgments of character relating to political ‘righteousness’ run rampant on both sides of the aisle. I fail to see the surprise and shock of my friends, family, and peers on the Left.
Trump’s approval rating has not changed much since these stories started to break; this is because the people that voted Trump into office knew what kind of man he was. Our President has boasted about his infidelities numerous times and is well known for his attitudes towards women (best exemplified in the Access Hollywood tape). He does not claim to have moral high ground and dismisses these kinds of questions casually.
The only way that there will be any real damage to Trump’s presidency is if it can be proven that he or his lawyer broke campaign-finance laws when they paid off Stormy Daniels. I doubt that any investigation into this matter will bear fruit.
If, by some miracle, the individual who made threats against Ms. Daniels came forward with evidence of Trump’s involvement than there would be grounds for action. This is a fantasy.
The focus on this story does nothing more than make media outlets richer, bring Stormy Daniels attention, and distract from the legitimate issues with our President. Rather than focus on the Mueller investigation or any of the other myriad ongoing investigations and problems with our President, the American people are focused on his sexual relations with an adult film actress.
It’s disheartening to see that the focus of the American people is so easily swayed by sensationalist headlines and tales of sexual exploits.
