Emailgate 2015 Is Just Another Example
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| hillary clinton |
Hindsight is 20/20, but we really should have seen this one coming. Because let’s be honest: Emailgate 2015 is just the most recent of many examples of emails.
I remember when this Clinton news broke, I immediately thought, “Here we go again: emails.” It really needn’t have come as a surprise. Emails have been around for years. And what’s happening right now is nothing but the latest chapter in the continuing saga of email-related events.
It’s the same predictable story each time. First, someone does something to do with email, then someone else writes a story about it, then we’re off to the races! It happened in 2007 when Google rolled out its email service, Gmail, then again in 2008 when Barack Obama sent all those fundraising emails. Following the David Petraeus email story in 2012, did we really think we’d heard the last of emails? Of course not.
It’s the same predictable story each time. First, someone does something to do with email, then someone else writes a story about it, then we’re off to the races! It happened in 2007 when Google rolled out its email service, Gmail, then again in 2008 when Barack Obama sent all those fundraising emails. Following the David Petraeus email story in 2012, did we really think we’d heard the last of emails? Of course not.
The pattern is unmistakable. Emails keep happening. We’re seeing them time after time after time. At the risk of fanning the flames, I have four unread emails in my inbox even as I write this.
Thanks to Hillary Clinton, emails are back in the news once more. The truth is, they never went away. Emails are as big in 2015 as they were in 2010, and barring something unexpected, it’s only a matter of time before emails are taking over the internet again.
"No one wants their personal emails made public, and I think most people understand that and respect that privacy." This is true, however most Americans aren't being sued by the Associated Press for access to their 62,320 emails from 2009 to 2013. This lawsuit alone, in addition to the possibility of becoming the first female president in American history, separates the former Secretary of State from every other person who values privacy.
When asked why she used personal emails exclusively, Clinton answered "I opted for convenience to use my personal email account...because I thought it would be easier to carry just one device for my work and for my personal emails instead of two." Again, this could be true, however there are plenty of Americans who use multiple cell phones, email accounts, computers, and even cars for work related purposes.
Unlike Clinton, the people interviewed in The Wall Street Journal article have no problem with utilizing several devices at once. In fact, many claim that owning several cell phones is even more convenient than just one. In addition, the article explains that people use multiple devices to enhance security; an issue that Clinton has dodged from the beginning of the scandal.
"No one wants their personal emails made public, and I think most people understand that and respect that privacy." This is true, however most Americans aren't being sued by the Associated Press for access to their 62,320 emails from 2009 to 2013. This lawsuit alone, in addition to the possibility of becoming the first female president in American history, separates the former Secretary of State from every other person who values privacy.
When asked why she used personal emails exclusively, Clinton answered "I opted for convenience to use my personal email account...because I thought it would be easier to carry just one device for my work and for my personal emails instead of two." Again, this could be true, however there are plenty of Americans who use multiple cell phones, email accounts, computers, and even cars for work related purposes.
Unlike Clinton, the people interviewed in The Wall Street Journal article have no problem with utilizing several devices at once. In fact, many claim that owning several cell phones is even more convenient than just one. In addition, the article explains that people use multiple devices to enhance security; an issue that Clinton has dodged from the beginning of the scandal.
Like Nixon and Watergate, the longer Clinton evades turning over her emails, the greater the chance that people associated with the former Secretary of State will be asked to lie on her behalf. Similar to Watergate, people could end up resigning from her staff or feel the pressure to leak the information. Or, loyal aides could help her circumvent responsibility from explaining the existence of what The Atlantic describes as a "private server that Clinton was running out of her Chappaqua home."
Once Clinton discloses the remaining emails, explains clearly why private servers were used (convenience might not be the only issue), and assures the public that no security breaches took place, then any issues with FOIA will cease to remain contentious topics.
Once Clinton discloses the remaining emails, explains clearly why private servers were used (convenience might not be the only issue), and assures the public that no security breaches took place, then any issues with FOIA will cease to remain contentious topics.
In his iconic interview with David Frost, Nixon stated "It snowballed, and it was my fault." More press conferences, or "press encounters," will only hurt Clinton's chances in 2016. I want Hillary Clinton in the White House instead of Bush, Walker, or any other Republican. However, battling both the GOP and an AP lawsuit won't help in securing another Democratic presidency. Once Clinton addresses the issue of secure servers, remaining emails, and questions regarding security, 'Emailgate' will become simply another political attack, rather than a serious scandal.
via Sarah Rowan and H. A. Goodman
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