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Anonymous, A Warning

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  • Anonymous, A Warning

    Book Review: In ‘A Warning,’ Anonymous Author Makes Case Against Re-election
    The same official who wrote an Opinion essay in 2018 argues in a new book that the president’s contract shouldn’t be renewed.

    By Jennifer Szalai
    Nov. 7, 2019
    “Trust me”: It’s a tired cliché, a throwaway line, but when you first encounter it in “A Warning,” the new book by “Anonymous,” who is identified here only as “a senior Trump administration official,” it lands with a startling thud. Any revealing details have been explicitly and deliberately withheld to protect this person’s identity. Who is this “me” that we’re supposed to trust?

    It’s a question that the anonymous author — who wrote an Op-Ed for The Times last year about resisting the president’s “more misguided impulses” — might have anticipated, given how much of the book is devoted to the necessity of “character” and to quoting dead presidents by name.

    Not to mention this individual’s own conspicuous failures of judgment thus far. You don’t even have to take it from me; you can take it from Anonymous. “Many reasonable people voted for Trump because they love their country, wanted to shake up the establishment, and felt that the alternative was worse,” Anonymous writes. “I know you because I’ve felt the same way.” A mildly chastened Anonymous now seems to recognize, somewhat belatedly, that President Trump’s peddling of birtherism conspiracy theories and his boasts about grabbing women’s genitals might have constituted their own kind of warning — plausible evidence that Mr. Trump might not magically transform into the dignified statesman Anonymous so desperately wanted him to be.

    Anonymous.jpg
    Credit...Twelve Books

    Now here's one whistleblower whose identity I'd like to see revealed.

    In various reporting, there's some question whether the author is still a senior Trump administration official, but sufficient information to follow up on some of his more incendiary charges.

    Book by ‘Anonymous’ describes Trump as cruel, inept and a danger to the nation

    By Philip Rucker
    November 7, 2019 at 8:31 p.m. EST
    Senior Trump administration officials considered resigning en masse last year in a “midnight self-massacre” to sound a public alarm about President Trump’s conduct, but rejected the idea because they believed it would further destabilize an already teetering government, according to a new book by an unnamed author.

    Double-checking this claim will naturally lead to surveying all current and recently-departed senior Trump administration officials.

  • #2
    If he doesn't have the courage and conviction to make his name public, then I really don't care what he has to say.
    Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
    But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
    Than a fool in the eyes of God


    From "Fools Gold" by Petra

    Comment


    • #3
      ThIs JuSt pRoVeS tHe DeEP sTaTe iS OuT tO gEt TrUmP!!!


      I think the release of this book is going to be unhelpful as it plays into existing right wing nutter conspiracy theories about how the swamp is the deep state who are all out to get Trump. The US Republican base has bought 100% into Nixon's infamous idea of "When the [Republican] President does it, that means that it is not illegal". So whenever anyone in government stands up to Trump and says "you can't do that, it would be illegal and unconstitutional" then in the minds of the Republican base it's that person, and the law, and the constitution who is the bad person and wrong for daring to allege anything Trump wants to do is wrong.

      We've already got plenty of books about the dumpster fire of the Trump administration. A few more amusing / nightmare-inducing anecdotes from inside the disaster ridden administration, isn't what the country needs at this point. And the guy's unwillingness to reveal his name just means that all right-wingers are going to discard this guys claims out of hand.
      "I hate him passionately", he's "a demonic force" - Tucker Carlson, in private, on Donald Trump
      "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism" - George Orwell
      "[Capitalism] as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of evils. I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy" - Albert Einstein

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Dimbulb View Post
        I think the release of this book is going to be unhelpful as it plays into existing right left wing nutter conspiracy theories about how the swamp is the deep state who are all out to get Trump is the most evilest person ever.
        And so on...
        Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
        But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
        Than a fool in the eyes of God


        From "Fools Gold" by Petra

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Mountain Man View Post
          left wing nutter conspiracy theories about how... Trump is the most evilest person ever.
          It kinda goes without saying, but I don't think Trump is the most evilest person ever.

          Trump's not anywhere close to the worst possible. He's no Hitler, no Stalin. They had brains he doesn't have. To be actively that evil you have to be smart enough to enact your cunning evil plans. Trump's just not.

          He's just a moronic criminal loser. He's incompetent. He's mentally deficient. He constantly fails at stuff. He has multiple criminal tendencies with regard to white collar business crimes and sexual assaulting of women, and no interest in following the law in either respect. He has no understanding of the rules of government, nor the constitution, nor any interest in or ability to understand the values that US government is built on and the legal limits of the power of the presidency.

          It's his incompetence and how much of a loser he is that I find as bad as his tendencies toward crimes and his disinterest in following the law. The US in the past has had criminal Republican presidents, like Nixon, who enacted clever and sophisticated criminal schemes in order to try and break the law deliberately and cleverly get away with it. Trump's not on their level. Trump's mental capabilities don't extend to understanding whether what he is doing is illegal or not, he doesn't care. His mental abilities extend only to demanding other people (or countries) do things for him that benefit him, and that's it. There's no clever criminal conspiracies, only dumb run of the mill criminality.

          I do think he's the worst president the US has had, but by 'worst' I mean a combination of incompetence, ignorance, inability, stupidity, illegality, disinterest in law, and a focus on making money off the presidency. He's a small time crook and con man who was elected president by idiots, not The Most Evil Person Ever.

          Here's how I think of Trump:



          He would love to commit crimes for person gain. He's just incompetent at it.
          Last edited by Starlight; 11-09-2019, 03:37 PM.
          "I hate him passionately", he's "a demonic force" - Tucker Carlson, in private, on Donald Trump
          "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism" - George Orwell
          "[Capitalism] as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of evils. I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy" - Albert Einstein

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Mountain Man View Post
            If he doesn't have the courage and conviction to make his name public, then I really don't care what he has to say.
            It is about time you did care.

            When you have a monster like Trump in the most powerful office in the world, and you want to be critical, it is best to keep your head down, at least until the message gets out and the puiblic is mobilised to action.

            And, Trumps vindictive assaults on the whistleblower are about the most disgusting things I have ever witnessed. I am appalled that there are people like you, who call themselves Christian, and stand up for him.
            “I think God, in creating man, somewhat overestimated his ability.” ― Oscar Wilde
            “And if there were a God, I think it very unlikely that He would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence” ― Bertrand Russell
            “not all there” - you know who you are

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Mountain Man View Post
              If he doesn't have the courage and conviction to make his name public, then I really don't care what he has to say.
              Originally posted by firstfloor View Post
              It is about time you did care.

              When you have a monster like Trump in the most powerful office in the world, and you want to be critical, it is best to keep your head down, at least until the message gets out and the puiblic is mobilised to action.

              And, Trumps vindictive assaults on the whistleblower are about the most disgusting things I have ever witnessed. I am appalled that there are people like you, who call themselves Christian, and stand up for him.
              Compare the effect of the anonymous senior administration official's op-ed to that of the anonymous whistleblower. Following procedures, with a detailed report, the whistleblower launched an impeachment investigation. This book, by intention, deliberately avoids detailing abuses in order to preserve the official's anonymity. From Ms. Szalai's book review, cited in the o/p.
              In light of three years’ worth of resignations, tell-all books, reports about emoluments and sworn testimony about quid pro quos, this is a decidedly minimalist definition of “extraordinary.” How can a book that has been denuded of anything too specific do anything more than pale against a formal whistle-blower complaint?

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Starlight View Post
                ThIs JuSt pRoVeS tHe DeEP sTaTe iS OuT tO gEt TrUmP!!!
                This just proves the deep state is principally composed of Trump-appointed, likewise ineffective and incapable, senior administration officials.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Starlight View Post
                  ThIs JuSt pRoVeS tHe DeEP sTaTe iS OuT tO gEt TrUmP!!!


                  I think the release of this book is going to be unhelpful as it plays into existing right wing nutter conspiracy theories about how the swamp is the deep state who are all out to get Trump. The US Republican base has bought 100% into Nixon's infamous idea of "When the [Republican] President does it, that means that it is not illegal". So whenever anyone in government stands up to Trump and says "you can't do that, it would be illegal and unconstitutional" then in the minds of the Republican base it's that person, and the law, and the constitution who is the bad person and wrong for daring to allege anything Trump wants to do is wrong.

                  We've already got plenty of books about the dumpster fire of the Trump administration. A few more amusing / nightmare-inducing anecdotes from inside the disaster ridden administration, isn't what the country needs at this point. And the guy's unwillingness to reveal his name just means that all right-wingers are going to discard this guys claims out of hand.
                  The Deep State is out to get Trump, because what Trump and his minions call the Deep State is nothing more than the good patriotic americans who can see from the inside what a treasonous criminal we have living in the White House.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Juvenal View Post
                    This just proves the deep state is principally composed of Trump-appointed, likewise ineffective and incapable, senior administration officials.
                    Exactly, Trumps own administration is the true deep state. That's how dictatoships come to be, they accuse the other of what it is they themselves are guilty of.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by JimL View Post
                      Exactly, Trumps own administration is the true deep state. That's how dictatoships come to be, they accuse the other of what it is they themselves are guilty of.
                      I agree with Starlight that Trump is too scatterbrained to justify fears of an incipient dictatorship. He can't even tweet coherently, e.g., covfefe. Taking advantage of the low bar, it's fair to say his advisors are better, e.g., alternative facts and the Bowling Green massacre.

                      The point is that any effective resistance to the Trump administration would require a high-level position, which translates to a Trump appointment, or an appointment by one of his appointees, e.g. Taylor's appointment by Pompeo.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        In the book, the author repudiates the central thesis of the column: “I was wrong about the ‘quiet resistance’ inside the Trump administration. Unelected bureaucrats and cabinet appointees were never going to steer Donald Trump the right direction in the long run, or refine his malignant management style. He is who he is.”
                        Deep stater: "It's not working, we're losing "

                        Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by demi-conservative View Post
                          Deep stater: "It's not working, we're losing "

                          Translation of the quote -- This is the first President that we in the bureaucracy cannot manipulate into unAmerican politics.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by mikewhitney View Post
                            Translation of the quote -- This is the first President that we in the bureaucracy cannot manipulate into unAmerican politics.
                            It's a really weird conspiracy theory. It's pretty much like the deep state conspiracy theory that Trump supporters believe, only the motive is in reverse. Instead of working against Trump who they believe wants to better America and defeat globalism, they're working against Trump who they believe is destroying America. It's like a counter of the first conspiracy.

                            I guess in this atmosphere of conspiracy theories gone wild from both political sides, it's pretty much a free-for-all.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by seanD View Post
                              It's a really weird conspiracy theory. It's pretty much like the deep state conspiracy theory that Trump supporters believe, only the motive is in reverse. Instead of working against Trump who they believe wants to better America and defeat globalism, they're working against Trump who they believe is destroying America. It's like a counter of the first conspiracy.

                              I guess in this atmosphere of conspiracy theories gone wild from both political sides, it's pretty much a free-for-all.
                              NBC

                              (Emphasis mine)
                              The author, described only as “a senior Trump administration official,” is the same person who wrote an op-ed in The New York Times last year headlined, “I am part of the resistance inside the Trump administration.”

                              The column said “many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.”
                              That terminology is right from the QAnon conspiracy theorists themselves about Q.

                              Comment

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