Profiles in (not exactly) moral courage
If you worked for Mango Mussolini and are now convinced he poses a clear and present danger, do you not have a moral obligation to speak out forcefully?
Former vice president Mike Pence is not planning to take a public role for or against Trump, according to people close to him. Others close to many former Cabinet officials say they will be silent. Elaine Chao, the former transportation secretary who resigned, Jim Mattis, the former defense secretary, and others have signaled they do not relish a big fight with Trump even as they don’t want him to be the nominee. Former defense secretary Mark T. Esper, who has sometimes leveled criticisms at Trump, did not respond to requests for comment.
That many of those who once worked for Donald Trump still live in mortal fear of him isn’t surprising. That they believe he poses a clear danger to our democracy is understandable. That some continue to reject the idea that they have a moral obligation to warn America is genuinely astonishing.
What sort of chickenshits are we dealing with here?
The question, of course, answers itself.
But does that mean these moral blackguards should sit back while Rome burns? Should they be allowed to shrug their shoulders and sit on the sidelines? After all, these moral reprobates worked for the biggest moral lowlife of them all. They know what he’s capable of because they’ve seen it firsthand, up close and personal. And now they’re going to sit back and let the Trumpian wave wash over America?
John F. Kelly, the longest-serving chief of staff in President Donald Trump’s White House, watches Trump dominate the GOP primary with increasing despair.
“What’s going on in the country that a single person thinks this guy would still be a good president when he’s said the things he’s said and done the things he’s done?” Kelly said in a recent interview. “It’s beyond my comprehension he has the support he has.”
Kelly, a retired four-star general, said he didn’t know what to do — or what he could do — to help people see it his way.
“I came out and told people the awful things he said about wounded soldiers, and it didn’t have half a day’s bounce. You had his attorney general Bill Barr come out, and not a half a day’s bounce. If anything, his numbers go up. It might even move the needle in the wrong direction. I think we’re in a dangerous zone in our country,” he said.
Agreed. Wholeheartedly. That’s precisely why General Kelly and the others who thought they could “control” Trump or “temper” his lunacy need to be making themselves heard. They need to be on cable news networks, on TV stations in swing states, writing opinion pieces, running naked through the streets with their hair on fire…well, maybe not the last one, but you get my point.
All of these folks have a unique perspective…and, I might add, an extraordinary obligation. They were a part of the shit show. They willingly participated in the delusional stupidity. They’re uniquely culpable, perhaps not criminally but certainly in a moral sense. They witnessed the madness and, in some cases, even enabled it. They should now accept that they are responsible for ensuring Donald Trump will not be taking the Oath of Office on the Capitol steps on 1.20.25.
(And while we’re at it, can we stop lionizing Cassidy Hutchinson and treating her like Joan of Arc? She was part of the psychopathic atmosphere up to and including January 6th. Yes, that day may have (finally) caused her to see the light, but she was part of the inner circle at the White House. She was one of the minions who helped to keep the wheels greased. She’s no hero; she’s trying to sell a book.
Indeed, her testimony may help to convict Donald Trump- and keep herself out of prison- but she was part of the problem every step of the way.)
No president has ever attracted more public detractors who were formerly in his inner circle. They are closely watching his rise — cruising in the GOP nomination contest and, in most polls, tying or even leading President Biden in a general election matchup — with alarm. Among them are his former vice president, top military advisers, lawyers, some members of his Cabinet, economic advisers, press officials and campaign aides, some of whom are working for other candidates.
Among their reasons for opposing a second Trump term, they cite the 91 criminal charges against him, his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, his false claims of election fraud, his incendiary rhetoric in office, his desire to weaponize the Justice Department, his chaotic management style, his likely personnel choices in a second term, and his affinity for dictators.
Interviews with 16 former Trump advisers — some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss their former boss — show they are grappling with how they can puncture Trump’s candidacy in 2024, whether they can or should coordinate with one another and whether their voices will even matter.
More than a dozen people who once worked for Trump could take the stand and testify against him. That’s an unbelievable thing to contemplate happening to a former President. And it’s a statement on how completely morally bankrupt he was on January 6th and remains today.
Despite that, I find this genuinely astonishing- “even some who have publicly declared Trump unfit for office have said they would still support him over Biden in 2024.”
So, they consider Donald Trump unfit to be President, yet they’d STILL support him over Joe Biden in 2024? How morally bankrupt must one be to take that stance?
Yes, some worked for Trump and are doing the right thing and speaking out against him, but it never seems to be enough. Perhaps some of the reluctance is because those who are doing the right thing are being met with this sort of vitriol from the Trump campaign:
“These media whores are always looking for their next grift — whether it’s book deals or cable news contracts — because they know their entire worth as human beings revolve around talking about President Trump,” said Steven Cheung, a Trump spokesman. “They clearly don’t own any mirrors because if they did, they would not be able to look at themselves every day knowing what they’re doing is hurting the country. These charlatans are disgusting and should be wholly ignored.”
Wow…pure class, eh? Neither the candidate nor anyone else in the Trump campaign ever does anything with dignity or decency. Everything they do is mean, nasty, and deeply personal.
Their plan, of course, is to convince Americans to ignore what a total disaster the first Trump Administration was. Trump’s minions are burying those trying to point out the truth about him in cheap personal insults. In doing so, they’re hoping to paper over things like the number of COVID-19 deaths Trump’s utter incompetence and sociopathy are responsible for:
If we were at war, Donald Trump would be imprisoned in the Hague awaiting trial on genocide charges, with the likely punishment being death. Few in this century could be held to be more deserving of such a punishment.
Americans deserve better, and those who served by Trump’s side should be out there relaying their experiences and warning the American people. They should be on Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, and every other cable news outlet that will provide them air time.
They have a story to tell, and voters should hear their story. The Democratic Party should be paying them to tour the nation for the next 11 months, speaking, writing opinion pieces, doing interviews, and anything else they can do to connect with voters.
Perhaps they’ll make a difference. Maybe they won’t. But they shouldn’t be allowed to sit back and proclaim neutrality. They helped loose this criminal sociopath upon America; they now have a moral obligation to ensure he doesn’t get a second bite at the apple.
Because it’s possible American democracy may not survive another four years of Donald Trump.
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The comedy stylings of Steven Cheung, calling other people charlatans and disgusting.
That being said, all of these people knew who Trump was when they went to work for him, regardless of whether (at the time) they were prepared to admit the fact. Some, now, after direct contact, are ready to admit the fact.