[ April 24, 2024 ]
A “coup” is no longer proof of “right-wing paranoia”, but increasingly a part of the general progressive discourse of resistance to Trump.
Victor Davis Hanson – ‘Coup’ concerns suddenly don’t seem so far-fetched
Richmond.com. November 22, 2019:
Story continues below advertisementState Department official George Kent, left, and U.S. diplomat William Taylor Jr., right, are sworn in to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Nov. 14. Sipa USA
For most of the last three years, Donald Trump’s critics have scoffed at supposed “conspiracy theories” that claimed a “deep state” of bureaucrats were aborting the Trump presidency. We have been told the word “coup” is hyperbole that reveals the paranoid minds of Trump supporters.
Yet oddly, many people brag that they are proud members of a deep state and occasionally boast about the idea of a coup.
Recently, former acting CIA chief John McLaughlin proclaimed in a public forum, “Thank God for the deep state.” Former CIA director John Brennan agreed and praised the “deep state people” for their opposition to Trump.
Far from denying the danger of an unelected careerist bureaucracy that seeks to overturn presidential policies, New York Times columnists have praised its efforts to nullify the Trump agenda.
On the first day of the impeachment inquiry, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., called his initial two witnesses, career State Department diplomats William Taylor Jr. and George Kent. Far from providing damning evidence of criminal presidential behavior, Taylor and Kent mostly confined themselves to three topics: their own sterling résumés, their lack of any firsthand knowledge of incriminating Trump actions and their poorly hidden disgust with the manner and substance of Trump’s foreign policy.
Oddly, both had little clue that their demeanor and thinly disguised self-importance were a perfect example of why Trump got elected — to come up with new ideas antithetical to the conventional wisdom of unelected career bureaucrats.
Taylor and Kent announced that they are simply high-minded civil servants who serve the presidential administrations of both parties without bias.
But by nature, the huge federal bureaucracy counts on bigger government and more taxes to feed it. So naturally, the bureaucracy is usually more sympathetic to big-government progressives than to small-government conservatives.
Taylor and Kent cited their anguish with Trump’s foreign policy toward Ukraine — namely that it did not go through official channels and was too unsympathetic to Ukraine and too friendly to Russia. If so, one might have thought the anguished bureaucrats would have similarly gone public during the Obama administration.
After all, Vice President Joe Biden took over the Obama administration’s Ukraine policy at a time when his son Hunter was knee-deep in Ukraine affairs. As a consultant for a Ukraine natural gas company, Hunter Biden made a reported $80,000 a month without expertise in either the energy business in particular or Ukraine in general.
Also, Trump’s policies have been more anti-Russia and pro-Ukraine than those of the Obama administration. Trump armed the Ukrainians; Obama did not. Trump imposed new sanctions against Russia, used force against Russian mercenaries in Syria, beefed up NATO defenses, pulled the U.S. out an asymmetrical missile treaty with Russia and pumped more oil and gas to lower world prices — much to the chagrin of oil-exporting Russia.
In contrast, Obama was the architect of a “reset” with Russia that reached its nadir in a hot mic exchange in which Obama offered a quid pro quo, vowing more flexibility on issues such as U.S.-sponsored missile defense in Eastern Europe in exchange for Russia giving Obama “space” to concentrate on his re-election.
Trump’s critics also have radically changed their spin on “coups.” To them, “coup” is no longer a dirty word trafficked in by right-wing conspiracists. Instead, it has been normalized as a possibly legitimate means of aborting the Trump presidency.
Mark Zaid, the attorney representing the Ukraine whistleblower, boasted in two recently discovered tweets of ongoing efforts to stage a coup to remove Trump.
“#coup has started. First of many steps. #rebellion. #impeachment will follow,” Zaid tweeted in January 2017. Later the same month, he tweeted: “#coup has started. As one falls, two more will take their place.”
Retired Admiral William H. McRaven recently wrote an op-ed for The New York Times all but calling for Trump’s ouster — “the sooner the better.”
No sooner had Trump been elected than Rosa Brooks, a former Defense Department official during the Obama administration, wrote an essay for Foreign Policy magazine discussing theoretical ways to remove Trump before the 2020 election, among them a scenario involving a military coup.
In September 2018, The New York Times published an op-ed from an anonymous White House official who boasted of supposedly widescale efforts inside the Trump administration to nullify its operations and subvert presidential directives.
Such efforts to oppose Trump are often self-described as “The Resistance,” a reference to the underground French fighters resisting the Nazis in World War II.
Trump’s opponents often have praised the deep state precisely because unelected career officials are seen as the most effective way to sabotage and stymie his agenda.
A “coup” is no longer proof of right-wing paranoia, but increasingly a part of the general progressive discourse of resistance to Trump.
In these upside-down times, patriotism is being redefined as removing a president before a constitutionally mandated election.
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33 Comments
4 years ago
Mr. hanson is no right-wing nutcase, he’s a classics scholar teaching at some CA college waging a lonely fight against the fascists who run that state. for him to write something this is telling….we obviously have a government that believes it is answerable to one, and like white blood cells, those career bureaucrats will swarm and destroy anything that looks like a threat to the health of their deep state. trump needs to mandate a 10% annual headcount reduction in federal employment every year for the next 5 years. there is no other peaceful way to rid ourselves of this scum
4 years ago
Reply to
tituspullo
The government ones running the coup are at the top not the bottom. He would have to mandate that the top level be reduced…but the rats have been there for years and would be protected.
4 years ago
Reply to
patd
Just look at ‘ teflon ‘ tricky hilly and slick willie – no proof is further needed.If EVER 2 criminals needed to be in jail –
4 years ago
Reply to
tituspullo
He should have announced a government-wide RE-INTERVIEW process for EVERYONE when he first took office in 2017. That way he can pick an choose who works for him.
Steve Jobs asked the entire board of Apple to resign when he returned, so he could bring in his own people.
4 years ago
Reply to
tituspullo
I noticed that Steve Bannon used the term “send them back to their agencies” yesterday in reference to getting rid of Leftist bureaucrats instead of saying ‘fire’ them when he was on Maria Bartiromo’s FOX program. Evidently it’s not that easy to fire a government employee so as you said, mandating an annual headcount would be the way to go.
4 years ago
Literally, from the very hour Trump won the election, the word “impeach” was spoken aloud by so many who were disappointed with his win. “Impeach 45” and Russia collusion were announced by the Democrats and their minions. I’m just waiting for a call for a military coup to come from the retired generals, admirals, and the military who believe they know better than the American people.
Like the old joke, “We’re here from the government and we’re here to help.” Bureaucrats can screw everything up.
4 years ago
For some reason the Shakespearean quote about something being “rotten in the state of Denmark” comes to mind.
4 years ago
mullah Omar taliban, congresswoman Omar taliban, Tlaiban taliban, islam, socialism, dems, lefts, crooked & Co – GO to Somalia!!!
4 years ago
In these upside-down times, patriotism is being redefined as removing a president before a constitutionally mandated election.
That’s impeachment. It’s in the Constitution, you know. And of course the Republitards are such great patriots that they impeached Bill Clinton because he (gasp!) had a GGGURRRRRRlllL friend.
4 years ago
Reply to
Andy_Lewis
Memo to Andy: Your “pubic-education” has taught you incorrectly, Mr. Lewis::: Clinton was impeached because he LIED to a GRAND JURY and suborned (that means he tried to get others to lie, too,) perjury of others. . . . FELONIES, Mr. Lewis. . . . The House vote to impeach him was BI-partisan, Mr. Lewis, that means Dummycrats, like YOU, also VOTED TO IMPEACH. . . .He was tried, but NOT REMOVED from office. . . . His “guuurlfriend” and his sperm on HER dress had nothing to do with his impeachment. . . (other than when he said “I did not have sexual relations with that girl, Miss Lewinski”…..)
4 years ago
Reply to
Carl
I haven’t been coming to this site until recently. Andy is the first troll I have seen here. Good response.
4 years ago
Reply to
santashandler
I present fact and logic and all you can come up with in response is gutter insults? You’re the troll.
4 years ago
Reply to
Andy_Lewis
Oh, you mean facts like “Trump shits out lies every time he opens his mouth?” Facts like that? You’re another deluded Trump hater of the highest order. Please readmit yourself to Creedmore state hospital and get some treatment.
4 years ago
Reply to
Andy_Lewis
That’s ok. It’s to be expected from a mentally disordered person like you
4 years ago
Reply to
Andy_Lewis
You seem to have some deeply buried sexual thoughts about Trump, little andi. You poor, poor little thing.
4 years ago
Reply to
Andy_Lewis
Are you referencing the Thirty-Eight Thousand emails that were under direct subpoena that she destroyed? That, in and of itself, is a felony punishable by up to fifteen years in a federal penitentiary. Little andi, why do you continue to HUMILIATE yourself? You poor, poor little thing.
4 years ago
Reply to
Andy_Lewis
What fact(s)? Clownton was impeached for committing perjury, suborning perjury, and obstruction of justice. You, referenced that he was impeached because he “had a GGGURRRRRRlllL friend”. You tell bald faced lies and claim it “fact and logic”. TOO funny, little one. Why is it that you, and your ilk, insist upon HUMILIATING yourself. You poor, poor little thing.
4 years ago
Reply to
Carl
Trump shits out lies every time he opens his “mouth.”
And BTW, Clinton didn’t lie. A bj is NOT sexual relations. Don’t you know ANYTHING?
4 years ago
Reply to
Andy_Lewis
It’s OK, Andy, you can believe whatever you want. He was impeached by the House, tried in the Senate, and was not removed from office – FOR LYING – but lost his law license and has never really recovered. It’s been DONE and cannot be changed, no matter how you scream and call others names. YOU can believe whatever you want. Truth hurts.
4 years ago
Reply to
Andy_Lewis
TOO funny! Our dear little andi, once again, HUMILIATES herself. The poor, poor little thing.
4 years ago
Reply to
Andy_Lewis
Poor little andi, She HUMILIATES herself once again. The poor, poor little thing.
4 years ago
Reply to
Andy_Lewis
…nope…that’s not why he was impeached….he was impeached for perjury. The girl friend was just gravy.
4 years ago
Reply to
ladywarrior
And the “perjury” was about the girl friend. And as I explained above, the perjury charge was fake.
4 years ago
Reply to
Andy_Lewis
Explain, little one, how “the perjury charge was a fake”. And, how Clownton’s suborning perjury was “fake”. And, how Clownton’s obstruction of justice was “fake”. Poor little andi HUMILIATES herself, one more time.
4 years ago
Reply to
Andy_Lewis
No, little andi, Clownton was impeached for committing perjury, suborning perjury, and obstruction of justice. Dead to rights and proven on all three.
The only goods that they had on Nixon was suborning perjury. Why, little one, must you, and your ilk, tell such bald faced lies?
