Eric Boehlert was atop the rec list on Monday with What will it finally take for newspapers to demand Trump resign—the way they did Bill Clinton?. It left me with that “somebody oughta do sumthin” feeling, like directly contacting the newspapers was beyond my scope. Then I thought about how the Right constantly “works the refs,” continually hounding the press for any perceived bias against their cause. So what if I just ask for a little accountability and consistency from the newspapers that called for Bill Clinton to resign in 1998? What if a lot of people did?
I missed Eric’s earlier piece Newspapers should demand Trump resign. That's what they told Bill Clinton. Another great read and within it, a link to a Tulsa World article Editorial writers say Clinton should resign from September 13, 1998, three days after the Starr Report’s release. Many papers cited in the article warn against a rush to judgement, but the editorial boards of the newspapers below unequivocally called for Bill Clinton to resign the office of the Presidency. Many other newspapers called for resignation (h/t to eternallyvigilant for the link) but I decided to focus on newspapers where I could verify an explicit call to resign.
Below you can see the newspapers in question, the present editor’s name hyperlinked to their email address (in case you also want to use it), and an excerpt from the 1998 editorial. Excerpts are from the Tulsa World article unless otherwise noted. It is quite remarkable how the rhetoric employed in these editorials better describes 2019 than 1998. I just don’t remember feeling “doomed to a guided tour of hell” in 1998, but that perfectly captures the last three years.
USA Today
Nicole Carroll
Editor-in-Chief
But the legal skirmishing misses the central question: Has the president so failed in his duties to the nation that he should leave office?
The answer to that question is yes, and the time for the president to leave is not after months of continued national embarrassment, but now. Bill Clinton should resign.
Not because he is unquestionably guilty of any specific criminal offense, though he may well be. Not because of his sexual behavior, as disgraceful as it is. And not solely because of Starr's report, which is far from an impartial judgment. He should resign because he has resolutely failed — and continues to fail — the most fundamental test of any president: to put his nation's interests first.
link
Hartford Courant
Andrew Julien
Editor-in-Chief
Mr. Clinton has become a liability to his party and to his country not so much because impeachment hangs over his head but because he has squandered his moral authority to lead. He has abused his talents to persuade and failed to set a shining example. He should muster enough grace to resign.
Last year the Courant ran an Editorial: 20 Years Ago, We Called For Bill Clinton To Resign. How Quaint That Seems, which acknowledged that Trump’s level of scandal dwarfs Clinton’s, but concluded that “No longer are we so staggered by allegations of affairs and lies, mostly because there’s so much other staggering news coming out of the White House these days.” Hence no call for a Trump resignation.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Stan Wischnowski
Executive Editor / Senior Vice President
Bill Clinton should resign.
He should resign because his repeated, reckless deceits have dishonored his presidency beyond repair. He should resign because the impeachment anguish that his lies have invited will paralyze his administration, at a time when an anxious world looks to the White House for surefooted leadership.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kevin Riley
Editor
The American people have been doomed to a guided tour of hell, exposed against their wishes to the details of a particularly seamy presidential scandal.
Only one person can spare us further heartache. By resigning, President Clinton would be surrendering the office he worked his entire life to achieve and would hand his enemies the victory they have long sought. No one as proud and stubborn as the president could take such a step easily.
Yet, by making that sacrifice, Clinton would save the nation from a protracted trauma that will otherwise cripple the presidency and Congress and still further discredit a political system already held in low esteem. A president more concerned with the national interest than his own preservation would realize that resignation is his only responsible option.
Here is my effort.
I learned recently that your newspaper called for the resignation of President Bill Clinton in 1998. It was clear from the editorial that you found his behavior unfit for the office of the Presidency. I now ask you to call for the resignation of Donald J. Trump. Any objective measure would find that his corruption and incompetence far exceeds the sum total of any wrongdoing of President Clinton.
I am sure your readers will appreciate your consistency as we all grapple with how to cope with the multiple ongoing scandals surrounding Donald J. Trump. As one of our surviving newspapers with a national voice, you defend American norms and values. Please apply basic standards to the present occupant of the White House and call for his resignation.
If you do not see fit to call for his resignation, please explain how his conduct is more fitting for the office of the Presidency than that of Bill Clinton. I believe any balanced scale would find Donald J Trump far more guilty of shaming the Presidency than Bill Clinton. Please use your position to aid in the defense of our system of government.
Looking forward to your response,
I hope people can make time to email these editors. I don’t think the Press or the Congress separately can muster the courage to say “ENOUGH!” but together, and with some gentle prodding from the rabble, we can topple this regime.