Anonymous Resistance

There are two things Republicans in Congress and Trump sycophants need to give up; the fantasy there is a “deep state” within and outside the government conspiring to destroy Donald Trump, and the fantasy that Trump is anything other than a narcissistic dysfunctional human being with the intellect of a toddler who has any grasp of what it takes to be president of the United States.

Trump was still ranting, raving, and losing his mind over Bob Woodward’s upcoming book when The New York Times published an Op-Ed yesterday titled, I Am Part Of The Resistance Inside The Trump Administration.

It was an unusual move by The Times in that it was published anonymously, but with a note stating, “The Times today is taking the rare step of publishing an anonymous Op-Ed essay. We have done so at the request of the author, a senior official in the Trump administration whose identity is known to us and whose job would be jeopardized by its disclosure.”

The author claims that “many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.” He or she continues, explaining they’re not a part of the “popular resistance of the left,” and they believe in parts of the agenda and that much of it has made the nation “safer and more prosperous,” but “the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic.” They intend to continue to thwart Trump’s “more misguided impulses until he is out of office.”

The writer claims the successes, “effective deregulation, historic tax reform, a more robust military and more,” has come despite, not because of Trump’s leadership.

He or she also claims that Trump “shows a preference for autocrats and dictators, such as President Vladimir Putin of Russia and North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, and displays little genuine appreciation for the ties that bind us to allied, like-minded nations.”

Trump proceeded to prove the writer’s point by calling the Op-Ed, “treason” and demanding that The Times turn the writer’s name over to the government for the sake of national security. Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the writer a coward and that the person should resign. Also, helping to prove the author’s point and in an attempt to show that someone believes in his leadership, Trump tweeted this morning, “Kim Jong Un of North Korea proclaims ‘unwavering faith in President Trump.’ Thank you to Chairman Kim. We will get it done together!”

Trump also gave a rant in front of camera’s claiming The Times was forced to apologize to their readers after he won the election for covering the campaign incorrectly (not true), that the anonymous editorial is “gutless,” his poll numbers are through the roof (if the roof is very low as his numbers are in the mid 30s), and that no one will come close to beating him in 2020. I find it amusing he’s talking about winning reelection when members of his staff are trying to remove him now. He also promised that a lot of news outlets will be out of business soon.

The one thing that is clear is there is a consistent pattern from reports in the media and books that those working with and closest to Trump do not have faith in him and believe he’s incompetent and dangerous to the nation.  To believe otherwise isn’t just partisan anymore, it’s stupid. Only the worst of us continue to support Donald Trump at this point.

As Washington engages in a parlor game of trying to guess the writer, which will probably be discovered by noon, the White House is turning the furniture upside down to discover the author. All electronic devices will be examined, staff will be grilled, and at some point, they’ll probably start demanding all their personal electronic devices and passwords to private email accounts.

There are questions. How “senior” is the writer in the Trump administration? Is he a hero or another who is complicit and will sell his soul to a dangerous human being to advance his own agenda? Should the author have provided his name, thus making the Op-Ed a public resignation letter?

What may be the most important question is; is this the beginning of the end? The writer claims members of the staff have “whispered” about invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump.

It is NOT the job of the White House staff to restrain the president and keep checks and balances. That is the job of the other two branches of government (if you’re a Republican, those are Congress and the Supreme Court). Congress shouldn’t confirm anyone Trump nominates to lifelong positions if his staff believes he’s incompetent and while he’s under investigation for being illegitimate.

While I am glad someone is speaking out and maybe there are a few “adults in the room,” we don’t need these people writing anonymous columns. We need them to speak and stand up publicly, and call for this illegitimate, incompetent, and dangerous man’s removal from the presidency.

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