I liked this quote:
"The allegations about Hunter Biden could, indeed, impact the primary race. This is in part because mainstream media outlets spend time discussing them. When we read political reporting—perhaps when we read much of the news in general—we are looking to an independent variable for announcements about dependent variables. "
This suggests perhaps we should not discuss the fact that a VP's kid received $50k per month for nothing. We should, as many media outlets are engaging in handstands to do right now, preface every discussion of that situation with, "but all evidence of any wrongdoing is completely artificial, totally made up by Trump, and there is nothing at all to see here..."
Yes, there is something to see here. The Trump kids are obviously milking their positions for gain. Ivanka was acquiring Chinese trademarks, god only knows what sort of Saudi loan guaranties Kushner has obtained, and Erik and Don Jr. are surely using the office to gain entree they'd never otherwise enjoy (their father being a joke in serious R/E circles).
But that doesn't mean there's nothing worth discussing about Hunter or Joe's brother, particularly where Hunter has admitted in an interview that he got almost all of his jobs based on his name. Would Chelsea Clinton be raking in the cash she is without famous parents?
Nothing is illegal about nepotism. But it is fair game for political campaigns. Just as Bush's alleged DUI and coke use were used in the 2000 campaign. In fact, I'd say nepotism is even more important than past libertine adventures. Ted Kennedy killed a woman and hot away with it, but that's a one-off if ever there was a one-off. What's more lurid than that is why that family persisted in politics based on... genetics?
Fuck the media for trying to make everything a controversy. But also, fuck the media for trying to squelch discussion of Hunter, Ivanka, Chelsea, or any other mediocrity with a family name cashing out. It's not illegal. Hell, we'd all do it too if our last name was Clinton, Trump, or Biden. But it is worth discussing.
The proper response to accusations against Hunter isn't "How dare you!" It's, "Are you fucking kidding me? Have you looked into Trump's kids' activities?"
