WAPO Jennifer Rubin: The unnamed op-ed writer can't be pleased

[emulatorloo]

The unnamed op-ed writer can't be pleased

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2018/09/06/the-unnamed-op-ed-writer-cant-be-pleased/

By Jennifer Rubin
Opinion writer
September 6 at 3:10 PM



I do not believe that the unnamed New York Times op-ed writer, who warns us the president is unfit for office, is Cabinet-rank. Surely anyone at that level would know they would be asked and would have to deny authorship, but since the op-ed writer thinks of themselves as honorable, they wouldn’t want to lie. And in any event, a “big” name would have no reason to write anonymously. They’d would quit and get a book deal.

It therefore makes more sense that the writer is a level or two down the food chain from a Cabinet secretary. These are the sort of people who may attend the deputies meetings of the National Security Council (e.g., deputy secretaries of treasury, defense, state). They aren’t household names; they don’t generally get book deals or make the front page of papers when they are fired or quit. And these are, by the way, the same sort of people who joined the administration, rationalizing their decision, and are now inundated with I-told-you-so’s from friends, family and colleagues who said their participation in this administration was akin to selling their souls.

<snip>

But here’s the problem: No one, it seems, views this author positively. Trump cultists of course see this person as a “traitor.” Trump’s harshest critics denounce this person who serves this president and can’t even sign his name to an op-ed. In their eyes, he is a cowering enabler. The Washington establishment, where this person will likely want to continue operating, has become, if anything, even more severe in its judgment: You cannot be honorable if you are silent in what appears to be an incapacitated, antidemocratic presidency. You’re an enabler.

In short, somewhere in a West Wing or department office, a nervous adviser is trying to blend into the walls, keep his head down. He likely didn’t get what he wanted — balm for his inflamed conscience. And worse, the chief “saviors” are gone or soon to go from Cabinet jobs, leaving fewer guardrails and putting the country further at risk. No, the anonymous author didn’t get what he wanted; indeed, he may have made his own and the country’s predicament worse.

[unblock]

1. and this gets back to my "why?" question.

"who?" is interesting, but to me the real question is "why?"

i agree with the many people here who find a false flag operation far-fetched, but if it's sincere, why would they have outed their own operation? surely they knew it would bring on a purge from donnie, which would only make things more difficult....

[emulatorloo]

2. Gotta say that "Balm for his inflamed conscience" rings true to me.

I believe he truly thinks he’s doing the right thing, and wanted some kind of validation.

Did you see a couple other Trump admin folks contacted Axios, said there are dozens like the Op-Ed writer? I will try to find a link.

On edit here:

https://www.axios.com/trump-administration-white-house-leaks-a5a82efa-d6c8-4209-b616-80f1422eb36c.html

<snip>

The big picture: He [Trump] should be paranoid. In the hours after the New York Times published the anonymous Op-Ed from "a senior official in the Trump administration" trashing the president ("I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration" ), two senior administration officials reached out to Axios to say the author stole the words right out of their mouths.

"I find the reaction to the NYT op-ed fascinating — that people seem so shocked that there is a resistance from the inside," one senior official said. "A lot of us [were] wishing we’d been the writer, I suspect ... I hope he [Trump] knows — maybe he does? — that there are dozens and dozens of us."

Why it matters: Several senior White House officials have described their roles to us as saving America and the world from this president.

A good number of current White House officials have privately admitted to us they consider Trump unstable, and at times dangerously slow.

But the really deep concern and contempt, from our experience, has been at the agencies — and particularly in the foreign policy arena.

<snip>

[procon]

4. The op ed writer and the 'resistance' clearly exist in a rightwing bubble.

They think their motives are sterling and their intentions are patriotic because they are all locked in a self serving feedback loop. They have no access to differing views, and want none, and the more sober critiques of people who are not limited by their narrow ideology fall on deaf ears.

Do they want praise and congratulations for keeping a madman president away from the nukes? Do they expect a gala in their honor for not doing their Constitutional duty? When they chose to be forsworn of their oath of office to defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic, they aren't entitled to an award, but scathing rebuke for not going public with their legitimate fears.

[genxlib]

5. Because rescuing a reputation

Requires parachuting before the plane hits the ground.

I don't think it will work but I do think that this kind of rationalization will happen. As things continue to unwind, we will find more and more people who will claim to have been with us all along.

[Cary]

7. It is called "crazy" because it makes no sense

All Repuicans are evil and stupid. Do you need any more evidence?

[unblock]

8. hard to argue against that point...

[Cary]

9. It is kinda funny

When I began calling Republucans evil, stupid, and racist I got pushback. I was called too extreme.

No one is arguing any more.

Kinda funny but mostly sad. I wish I was wrong. I have lost a lot of faith in America.

[byronius]

10. 1980 was the first time I used those words.

But this is worse than that. For sure.

[Marrah_Goodman]

12. This is the ultimate trolling of Trump

Which makes me believe it is Sessions. He has nothing to lose and l am sure is beyond fed up with Trump's insults. It is the perfect revenge, the perfect buttons to push Trump's paranoia over the edge for all to see.

[Maraya1969]

3. I think it is possible the article was written by more than one person. eom

[unblock]

6. if we're going there, it's possible it was written by *everyone* in the white house except donnie!

[marble falls]

11. Thats right. Lets discourage those few who want to keep some sense of honor ...

in the WH. Let's do all we can to enforce a bunker mentality on the whole lot of them, maybe we get a Waco scenario going in there.

I'm glad whoever it was did what they did. Too bad it wasn't sooner. And shame on Democrats who wish the editorial hadn't been made.