Editor,
I write in reference to the opinion piece by Michael Shannon which appeared in the March 3 edition of the Record on page 4A.
Mr. Shannon espouses the idea that Nixon and Trump share the regrettable position of having won a presidential election expecting that having done so conferred upon them special powers and privileges only to find that there were mechanisms in place limiting that power.
The framers of the constitution went to great lengths to ensure that the president didn’t become an autocrat. A war was fought, people died, fortunes were lost to escape the whims and foibles of a king and there was no way the new government was going to vest dictatorial power in any leader, elected or not.
If Mr. Trump had been more familiar with U.S. political history, perhaps his expectations would have been more realistic. He would have had to look no further than the downfall of Richard Nixon to get a glimpse of the possible result of placing oneself above the law.
Gordon L. Sabin
San Marcos
