An anonymous writer claiming senior White House status dropped a bomb in a New York Times op ed published September 5, 2018.
A synopsis of some key points is below.
The writer defends what he calls the work of the “steady state,” not the so-called “deep state.” The latter alleges public employees who thwart the electorate by pressing their own ideologies and long-term plans, presumably in defiance of the administration in power. For President Trump’s followers, this implies a shadow government run by [liberal] public administrators, in defiance of the existing electorate’s [non-liberal] political will.
For the op ed writer, to the contrary, the term “steady state” seems anchored in the Good Government movement dating to the Pendleton Act of 1883 and subsequent integrity-oriented reforms outlawing political patronage and linking the practice to malfeasance in public office, public corruption included. It is alleged Trumpian corruption and public malfeasance, the writer appears to be addressing.
Capitalism in Crisis dot Org includes a doctrinal expose’ of fraud, both private and public, public corruption included, connected particularly to right-wing ideologies such as those sustaining Donald Trump.
The op-ed writer:
- Asserts the President frequently veers off topic and “off the rails,” engaging in repetitive rants, with half-baked, ill-informed impulsiveness that lead frequently to reckless decisions.
- Castigates the President for acting on impulses generally that are impetuous, adversarial, petty, ineffective, and anti-democratic.
- Believes the writer’s first duty, along with colleagues, is to the United States, not to this president, many of whose actions he believes to be detrimental to national well-being.
- Vows to thwart parts of Trump’s agenda including Trump’s worst inclinations.
- Concludes the real problem of Donald Trump is not his presidency per se, but rather, what we as a nation are allowing him to do to us as citizens. We have sunk low with him, the writer asserts, by allowing his discourse to defile our government…our society. Rather…all Americans, he appeals, should heed the late Senator John McCain’s call to break free from the trap of tribalism, to rise above petty politics, to shed labels, to reach across the aisle and to favor only a single label by which we connect with others, not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans.
Links:
The NYT op ed: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/05/opinion/trump-white-house-anonymous-resistance.html
A Washington Post response: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-sleeper-cells-have-awoken-trump-and-aides-shaken-by-resistance-op-ed/2018/09/05/ecdf423c-b14b-11e8-a20b-5f4f84429666_story.html
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