This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

Even Donna Brazile Has Forsaken Her Moral Compass In The U.S. Election

Even Donna Brazile Has Forsaken Her Moral Compass In The U.S. Election
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
Donna Brazile, the acting Chair of the Democratic National Committee since the resignation of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, talks to the media on the floor at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 25, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Carlos Barria / Reuters
Donna Brazile, the acting Chair of the Democratic National Committee since the resignation of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, talks to the media on the floor at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 25, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

We don't even get a minute to catch our breath. We weren't yet fully recovered from hearing about James Comey's inappropriate letter to Congress, and BOOM!

Monday night I read, on Facebook, that Donna Brazile -- who, in addition to being a democratic strategist, was also a political analyst for CNN (she "resigned" as a result of the leak), shared questions for CNN-sponsored candidate events in advance, with members of Hillary Clinton's team. I couldn't believe my eyes.

Brazile, by the way, also became the interim chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee when Debbie Wasserman Schultz was fired because of another email scandal, moments before the Convention was set to begin.

Stupid as this may sound, I'm devastated. "Stupid," for a couple of reasons: Because I have no stake in the outcome of this election and also because I don't know Donna Brazile, so what she does or does not do is not my concern.

But devastated I am, because I've watched and listened to her for years on CNN and have always admired her. She has always been the epitome of grace, integrity and all the qualities that are in short supply in politics.

Soft-spoken, intelligent, measured in her responses she could always be counted on to listen carefully, think before she opened her mouth, respect the opinions of others -- including those who disagreed with her and offer a fair and unbiased assessment.

What was she thinking???

Why would she disgrace herself and the party this way?

She is above this. Or at least I thought so. But it seems there is no limit to just how low, low can go, as it relates to this election.

The irony is ... it's Donald Trump who opened this can of worms. Without him we would, most likely, never have known about the pervasiveness of greed, immorality, misconduct and downright unscrupulous behaviour in American politics and business. Well, to be fair, it's everywhere, not just the U.S. But thanks to 24-hour news, cable, social media and the almost two-year long election cycle, our attention has been focused on the U.S and we're seeing it all played out, in real time.

The irony is ... in so doing, he could have been the change agent, and leader, the world so desperately needs ... he could have made a positive impact ... he could have left a remarkable legacy. But instead, because of his own wicked and dishonourable ways, he is the poster boy for everything that's gone wrong in America.

The irony is ... he is the last person who should be talking about "making America great again." The very last.

Earlier in this blog I wrote that I was "devastated for a couple of reasons." Now that I think about it, there's another reason, one that is far more important than the other two.

I am devastated because of the dishonesty, the lack of ethics, the willful disregard of protocol, rules and even the law, the corruption, the hunger for power at all costs that has permeated this election from day one, at every level. And I do mean every level, republicans and democrats alike -- from the media to the politicians, from the candidates to those who are supposed to uphold the law, from the hackers to a woman I (and possibly many others) have always considered the last bastion of political civility.

So much for that.

If you enjoyed this story click on "become a fan" at the top of the article, right next to my name. You'll be notified every time I post.

Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.