U.S. Politics

[Keyblade]

The curse of civility strikes again with that NYT op-ed, which should have read:

Edited September 6, 2018 by Keyblade

[StefanAVFC]

Suspicion that it's Pence on social media.

Also this:

Quote

In an anonymous New York Times op-ed, a senior White House official writes that the president of the United States has “anti-democratic impulses,” is bereft of “any discernible first principles,” behaves in an “erratic” manner that is “detrimental to the health of our republic,” and is so psychologically unstable, “there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment” (which allows for a president to be removed for physical or mental incapacity).

But none of this should trouble you, the official explains. In fact, reasonable people can accept all of these facts and still, like the author himself, “want the administration to succeed.”

Sure, the president is a would-be autocrat with severe emotional problems (who, technically, has unilateral command of the world’s largest nuclear arsenal). But that isn’t a dealbreaker once one realizes that the White House is full of “unsung heroes” (like our fearless author) who “have gone to great lengths to keep bad decisions contained to the West Wing.” And while these patriots “are clearly not always successful,” Americans still shouldn’t feel any obligation to vote for Democrats this fall. No additional oversight is required — the “steady state” (get it? It’s like “deep state!”) has got this whole thing covered.

Sure, the president is a would-be autocrat with severe emotional problems (who, technically, has unilateral command of the world’s largest nuclear arsenal). But that isn’t a dealbreaker once one realizes that the White House is full of “unsung heroes” (like our fearless author) who “have gone to great lengths to keep bad decisions contained to the West Wing.” And while these patriots “are clearly not always successful,” Americans still shouldn’t feel any obligation to vote for Democrats this fall. No additional oversight is required — the “steady state” (get it? It’s like “deep state!”) has got this whole thing covered.

What Americans should really worry about, the anonymous official explains, “is not what Mr. Trump has done to the presidency but rather what we as a nation have allowed him to do to us.” The answer to a crisis in which one of America’s two major political parties has installed an authoritarian ignoramus in the Oval Office — and refuses to check his power in any formal way — is not to fight back, politically, but rather, to rise above partisan politics:

 

We have sunk low with him and allowed our discourse to be stripped of civility … There is a quiet resistance within the administration of people choosing to put country first. But the real difference will be made by everyday citizens rising above politics, reaching across the aisle and resolving to shed the labels in favor of a single one: Americans.

 

There is a reasonable, ethical case to be made for remaining in the Trump administration for the purpose of checking an authoritarian’s impulses. But it is impossible to reconcile that case with writing a self-congratulatory New York Times op-ed that radically increases the chances that you — and other officials like you — will be summarily fired (“don’t worry, the president has no idea that his advisers are committed to undermining him, and we will all be safe so long as he remains ignorant of this fact, which I am writing in the paper of record”).

There is, separately, an ethical case for writing a whistle-blowing newspaper column that damages the dangerous president politically. But there is no such case for discouraging Americans from organizing politically to check the dangerous president’s power — nor is there one for wanting an administration led by this president “to succeed.”

Or, at least, there is no such case unless one believes — as this senior official apparently does — that making it easier for payday lenders to scam the working poor, lowering the corporate tax rate, and increasing America’s military budget (which was already larger than every other major power’s combined) are such morally urgent goals, it is worthwhile to risk autocratic rule for the sake of advancing them:

To be clear, ours is not the popular “resistance” of the left. We want the administration to succeed and think that many of its policies have already made America safer and more prosperous … There are bright spots that the near-ceaseless negative coverage of the administration fails to capture: effective deregulation, historic tax reform, a more robust military and more.

There is a quiet resistance within the administration of people choosing to put the Koch Network’s agenda first. But the real difference will be made by everyday citizens engaging in politics, reaching across the aisle — and (figuratively) beating the Republican Party over the head until it is bloodied and broken enough to admit that it has a problem.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/09/new-york-times-op-ed-anonymous-trump-white-house-official-resistance-ethics.html?utm_campaign=nym&utm_source=fb&utm_medium=s1

[Keyblade]

4 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

Suspicion that it's Pence on social media.

That would be great

This administration needs to be turned into a soap opera or something one day. I guess Veep already exists but this is so much more entertaining

[bickster]

9 minutes ago, Keyblade said:

This administration needs to be turned into a soap opera or something one day

I don't know what its like on your side of the pond but here, its been my soap of choice for over two years. In fact, if only soap operas could be watched like this, over many different channels and media, dipping in and out of the bits you want then actual Soap Operas might actually be watchable. This should be the future of entertainment for the masses.

[Keyblade]

3 minutes ago, bickster said:

I don't know what its like on your side of the pond but here, its been my soap of choice for over two years. In fact, if only soap operas could be watched like this, over many different channels and media, dipping in and out of the bits you want then actual Soap Operas might actually be watchable. This should be the future of entertainment for the masses.

It's hard to enjoy right now because of how damaging and dangerous this administration is, but I feel you, it's absolutely bonkers. But it would be funny to look back on how ridiculous it all was once this shitshow passes. 

[StefanAVFC]

This is my favourite Trump tweet for a while

 

[bickster]

28 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

This is my favourite Trump tweet for a while

 

He can't even question where that piece of paper went to 

What piece of paper?

South where?

[bickster]

32 minutes ago, Keyblade said:

It's hard to enjoy right now because of how damaging and dangerous this administration is, but I feel you, it's absolutely bonkers. But it would be funny to look back on how ridiculous it all was once this shitshow passes. 

I imagine its what lots of us feel about Theresa May multiplied by 10. I find myself zoning out about her an awful lot because you'd get depressed just thinking of what the dickheads are doing to the country

[Keyblade]

Just saw this on Twitter

[maqroll]

What a shitshow

[maqroll]

My guess is it's Dan Coats. 

[villakram]

Sedition being thrown about, I'd be terrified if I wrote that piece.

[maqroll]

15 minutes ago, villakram said:

Sedition being thrown about, I'd be terrified if I wrote that piece.

Trump calling on the Times to out the author and "turn him over" to the government...You know, as is tradition in democracies.

[HanoiVillan]

34 minutes ago, villakram said:

Sedition being thrown about, I'd be terrified if I wrote that piece.

On what possible legal grounds? 

[bickster]

27 minutes ago, maqroll said:

Trump calling on the Times to out the author and "turn him over" to the government...You know, as is tradition in democracies.

It would be the first pardon of the next President and rightfully so

Interesting that there's no denial though

[bickster]

Cory Brooker saying he's going to risk expulsion from the Senate and release a classified document on Kavannagh

I'm caught between "This season must be ending soon" and "I don't want this season to end"

[Keyblade]

10 minutes ago, bickster said:

Cory Brooker saying he's going to risk expulsion from the Senate and release a classified document on Kavannagh

I'm caught between "This season must be ending soon" and "I don't want this season to end"

Cory Booker is a corporate shill who's trying to look like a progressive martyr. Would still love to see what he has though, this season is heating up  

[bickster]

1 minute ago, Keyblade said:

Cory Booker is a corporate shill who's trying to look like a progressive martyr. Would still love to see what he has though, this season is heating up  

Shouldn't be long he's done it according to NBC

[Keyblade]

[Czechlad]

Basically Kavanaugh believes in racial profiling and certain races are more prone to being criminals.