More info from a new investigative journalism outlet about the intelligence briefs *rump *isn't* getting ... fortunately, ex-presidents just get the Cliff Notes version 🙂
"The CIA team that reports to ex-presidents is not the same briefing team of the current president, wrote John L. Helgerson in *Getting to Know the President: Intelligence Briefings of Presidential Candidates*. Helgerson was CIA Inspector General from 2002 until his retirement in 2009."
"With intelligence information cut off, Trump has lost a precious, yet ignored, asset" - ITEMP Project
This great interview had so many clues that the Trump administration was a mental aberration, headed by a weapons-grade sociopath. Trump's supercilious attitude toward the CIA and FBI was a reflection of his grandiose self image of being superior to all others. What does a demigod need with intelligence information? The degree of sickness in Trump should not be underestimated. But the degree of emulation by his follwers is even more disturbing. The number of politicians on the right who have become baby Trumps shows not only obsequiousness but gullibility and something I would call sociopathy by proxy. When so many people follow a man who is mentally ill and see him as a role model, we are in deep trouble as a nation.
This metaphorical image of Trump comes to mind … a dandelion flower that has bloomed, puffball formed … then the winds of Jan6 blow the seedling Trumps (Pompeo, Cruz, Gates, Green, Desantis, Abbott, Nunez, Tucker …. ad nausea infinitum) all around …. Yes this could happen again IF we let it
Sobering indeed. His prediction about what the FBI would find about Jan. 6 will be interesting to see. Even if they do, what will happen? I'm afraid the conclusions will go the way of all the others the past few years about Trump and Co. Into a black hole of denial.
Sobering interview. However, it aligns to many other warnings: We're not out of the woods yet; in fact, we haven't yet seen the light. True, ridding ourselves of Trump and his odious sycophants was a first step. However, former military supporters, special forces training to 'take back the country' is very ominous.
The country has been infected politically, even culturally with a large dose of fear, hate and mass delusion. The propaganda and disinformation is nonstop using the firehose technique that has served Putin and other autocrats so well.
I wonder if indicting Trump will be enough to set things right because this disaster has morphed into more than a single man or personality. It's the idea of Trumpism, authoritarianism, the whole strongman approach that has wormed its way into the Republican psyche. We've had comments from Republican Senators and Congress critters alike who have who have publicly implied that democracy is an afterthought. JD Vance, an assumed candidate in Ohio, referred to the country as a nation state, one in which any opposition, any turning from a conservative viewpoint, must be destroyed.
That's you. That's me. That's anyone capable of critical thinking. And minorities? They're the enemy, the threat to America's 'greatness.' Pushback becomes an act of war.
Agreed, we are nowhere near out of the woods. It’s the people with more drive and intelligence than Trump, who now have a road map, that scare me most. I’m confident the next authoritarian push is just around the corner. Indicting Trump won’t be enough, we need to use this time to strengthen laws, processes and norms - and weaken the misinformation machine. The failure to get any movement on the For The People Act may be the most defining moment of 2020. We must stay active and push our MoC hard!
Amazing. This insurrection is approximately 90% from white males who have been emasculated or disaffected from our economic & social systems. Other OECD countries have political unrest but no where near what the U.S has. What could they be doing right that we don't seem to have a clue about? Could it be their economic and social systems are geared toward more of an equitable sharing of economic results rather that the massive winner-take-all approach the U.S. has pursued for the past 200 years? Could a partnership between business and government alleviate some of this vindictiveness?
I agree that its the disaffected who have united behind Trump and who pose the threat to democracy right now. Some of them are disaffected because of the progressive social changes granting status to racial and gender minorities. Maybe more of them--especially the younger ones--are alienated by the unequal distribution of wealth. They are less visible because they may not voice clearly racist or otherwise incendiary ideology. I worry that a partnership between business and government would be received poorly by the latter group, who already see the government as doing nothing to help "the little guy." It would depend on what kind of partnership you mean, though.
Excellent point and I realize it’s a stretch to think that private enterprise and the Feds / state could join forces on things like enhanced job training for those displaced by changes brought on by market forces. Ordinarily I might hold to a “are you kidding?” reaction. But more and more I’m seeing the rise of truly progressive private enterprises like Salesforce and it’s legendary progressive CEO Mark Benioff, who are taking the lead. (read “Trailblazer” and you’ll see)
There are major economic and social revolutions already in motion: ex A re-casting of workplace - home 🏡 dynamics driven by the pandemic; a new world 🌎 driven by non-carbon, smaller, simpler automobiles which will require a re-tooling of skills, capital, and assets, physical and human, so vast it will require business and govt to collaborate.
But I’ll admit I tend to be an optimist, even in the face of brutal political polarization.
Doug
Former CFO
Action-adventure author of “The Snow Leopard and the Ibex”
Maybe we'd be best served if the government created incentives for businesses to provide pro-social programs. I think a lot of the growth in green energy we are seeing now is thanks to the incentives the Obama administration put in place. If I recall correctly, he even tied the bailout of the auto industry to the development of green initiatives.
TW said the Trump era is not over until he is indicted and convicted. I couldn't agree more. This means a war being fought on several fronts will continue. Our 240 year old experiment in self government hangs in the balance. Great interview Ruth!
More info from a new investigative journalism outlet about the intelligence briefs *rump *isn't* getting ... fortunately, ex-presidents just get the Cliff Notes version 🙂
"The CIA team that reports to ex-presidents is not the same briefing team of the current president, wrote John L. Helgerson in *Getting to Know the President: Intelligence Briefings of Presidential Candidates*. Helgerson was CIA Inspector General from 2002 until his retirement in 2009."
"With intelligence information cut off, Trump has lost a precious, yet ignored, asset" - ITEMP Project
https://www.itempnews.org/2021/03/02/with-intelligence-information-cut-off-trump-has-lost-a-precious-yet-ignored-asset/
This great interview had so many clues that the Trump administration was a mental aberration, headed by a weapons-grade sociopath. Trump's supercilious attitude toward the CIA and FBI was a reflection of his grandiose self image of being superior to all others. What does a demigod need with intelligence information? The degree of sickness in Trump should not be underestimated. But the degree of emulation by his follwers is even more disturbing. The number of politicians on the right who have become baby Trumps shows not only obsequiousness but gullibility and something I would call sociopathy by proxy. When so many people follow a man who is mentally ill and see him as a role model, we are in deep trouble as a nation.
This metaphorical image of Trump comes to mind … a dandelion flower that has bloomed, puffball formed … then the winds of Jan6 blow the seedling Trumps (Pompeo, Cruz, Gates, Green, Desantis, Abbott, Nunez, Tucker …. ad nausea infinitum) all around …. Yes this could happen again IF we let it
Sobering indeed. His prediction about what the FBI would find about Jan. 6 will be interesting to see. Even if they do, what will happen? I'm afraid the conclusions will go the way of all the others the past few years about Trump and Co. Into a black hole of denial.
well put!
Sobering interview. However, it aligns to many other warnings: We're not out of the woods yet; in fact, we haven't yet seen the light. True, ridding ourselves of Trump and his odious sycophants was a first step. However, former military supporters, special forces training to 'take back the country' is very ominous.
The country has been infected politically, even culturally with a large dose of fear, hate and mass delusion. The propaganda and disinformation is nonstop using the firehose technique that has served Putin and other autocrats so well.
I wonder if indicting Trump will be enough to set things right because this disaster has morphed into more than a single man or personality. It's the idea of Trumpism, authoritarianism, the whole strongman approach that has wormed its way into the Republican psyche. We've had comments from Republican Senators and Congress critters alike who have who have publicly implied that democracy is an afterthought. JD Vance, an assumed candidate in Ohio, referred to the country as a nation state, one in which any opposition, any turning from a conservative viewpoint, must be destroyed.
That's you. That's me. That's anyone capable of critical thinking. And minorities? They're the enemy, the threat to America's 'greatness.' Pushback becomes an act of war.
Dangerous, dangerous times we are a-living!
Agreed, we are nowhere near out of the woods. It’s the people with more drive and intelligence than Trump, who now have a road map, that scare me most. I’m confident the next authoritarian push is just around the corner. Indicting Trump won’t be enough, we need to use this time to strengthen laws, processes and norms - and weaken the misinformation machine. The failure to get any movement on the For The People Act may be the most defining moment of 2020. We must stay active and push our MoC hard!
Amazing. This insurrection is approximately 90% from white males who have been emasculated or disaffected from our economic & social systems. Other OECD countries have political unrest but no where near what the U.S has. What could they be doing right that we don't seem to have a clue about? Could it be their economic and social systems are geared toward more of an equitable sharing of economic results rather that the massive winner-take-all approach the U.S. has pursued for the past 200 years? Could a partnership between business and government alleviate some of this vindictiveness?
I agree that its the disaffected who have united behind Trump and who pose the threat to democracy right now. Some of them are disaffected because of the progressive social changes granting status to racial and gender minorities. Maybe more of them--especially the younger ones--are alienated by the unequal distribution of wealth. They are less visible because they may not voice clearly racist or otherwise incendiary ideology. I worry that a partnership between business and government would be received poorly by the latter group, who already see the government as doing nothing to help "the little guy." It would depend on what kind of partnership you mean, though.
Excellent point and I realize it’s a stretch to think that private enterprise and the Feds / state could join forces on things like enhanced job training for those displaced by changes brought on by market forces. Ordinarily I might hold to a “are you kidding?” reaction. But more and more I’m seeing the rise of truly progressive private enterprises like Salesforce and it’s legendary progressive CEO Mark Benioff, who are taking the lead. (read “Trailblazer” and you’ll see)
There are major economic and social revolutions already in motion: ex A re-casting of workplace - home 🏡 dynamics driven by the pandemic; a new world 🌎 driven by non-carbon, smaller, simpler automobiles which will require a re-tooling of skills, capital, and assets, physical and human, so vast it will require business and govt to collaborate.
But I’ll admit I tend to be an optimist, even in the face of brutal political polarization.
Doug
Former CFO
Action-adventure author of “The Snow Leopard and the Ibex”
Maybe we'd be best served if the government created incentives for businesses to provide pro-social programs. I think a lot of the growth in green energy we are seeing now is thanks to the incentives the Obama administration put in place. If I recall correctly, he even tied the bailout of the auto industry to the development of green initiatives.
TW said the Trump era is not over until he is indicted and convicted. I couldn't agree more. This means a war being fought on several fronts will continue. Our 240 year old experiment in self government hangs in the balance. Great interview Ruth!