No One Asked Me But… (September 19,2018)

By DR. LARRY MOSES

No one asked me but… There has been a great deal of discussion lately of the “Deep State.” There is a contention that there is a professional group of Washington D.C. bureaucrats that actually run the country. Most Washington, D.C. pundits have laughed this assertion off. However, a recent op-Ed in the New York Times may have well established it as a fact.

When the New York Times took on the tapestry of the National Enquirer, it displayed the worst in newsprint reporting. In the September 5th addition, the paper ran an op-Ed column entitled: “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration.” The New York Times justified this sham of a column by stating the following: “The Times is taking a rare step of publishing an anonymous Op-Ed essay. …at the request of the author, a senior official in the Trump administration…whose job would be jeopardized by its disclosure.”

One must take into account that this is one of the prestigious news outlets the President has branded a purveyor of “false news”. This characterization could well be the motivation for the New York Times to fabricate this op Ed and attribute it to an anonymous senior administrative official. However, if this is not a figment of the imagination of the New York Times editors, it would appear the writer is a member of the “Deep State”. An individual claiming to be a high ranking senior official in the President’s staff makes the following statement: “…many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda…”

One might assume that these are unelected senior bureaucrats who have for years run the government of the United States. Senators, Congressmen, as well as nthe President come and go; however, these professional Washington, D. C. bureaucrats go on forever. When an administration leaves, they remain.

When a freshmen congressman arrives, he is immediately assigned a professional bureaucrat to shepard him through his responsibilities in Washington, D.C. I am reminded of a meeting with a local newly elected Member of Congress who held a town hall meeting and had to wait for his assigned bureaucratic handler to arrive before he would take questions. He explained that each congressman is assigned a professional bureaucrat to help him toe the Washington, D. C. line. The Assemblyman stated he did not feel comfortable dealing with issue without his professional bureaucrat aide present. He actually deferred some question to this minion from Washington. Apparently, President Trump does not follow the “Deep State” line, and therefore he is in danger of eroding the power of the “Deep State” that does not exist.

This anonymous “senior official” list a number of justifications for his/her groups organized sabotage of the presidency: 1. The special council. 2. A bitterly divided country. 3. The fear that off year elections, as they most often do, will add more Democrats to the House and Senate. 4. The writer adds to this many senior officials in his Trump’s administration are “working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda…”

The first three issues are common to all presidents. The fourth is an issue of integrity and loyalty. It is an issue not of courage but of cowardice. This an “et. tu. Brute?” moment.

This writer alludes to the fact that the short Trump administration has many positive accomplishments including the fact that this administration “has already made America safer and more prosperous…” In fact, here is a list of some of those accomplishments: economic growth of 4.1 percent, unemployment at a record low, lowest black and Hispanic citizens unemployment in the history of the nation, millions of new jobs, millions of citizens off food stamps, soon the appointment of two supreme court justices, improved trade deals with Europe and China, NATO allies paying more to support the alliance, improving the NAFTA treaty, raising sanctions against Russia, opening nuclear negations with North Korea, withdrawal from nuclear agreement with Iran, moving the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, as well as tax cuts that have stimulated economic growth.

This cowardly writer states that these things may be true, but it is in spite of Trump, not because of his policies. He claims that “the President continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic. Therefore, it is the obligation of this “Senior Official” and his cohorts in subversion to sabotage the President whenever possible. If this is not the action of a “Deep State”, I am hard pressed to see what it is.

The writer further complained that while President Trump was elected as a Republican he “shows little affinity for the ideals espoused by conservatives.” Is it a surprise to anyone that Trump in not a pawn of any political party? Prior to running for President, he was a strong financial supporter of the Democrat Party. The Clinton’s could always count on the Donald for campaign funds. As obnoxious as Trump can be, he is no political hack. The quote above makes me believe the writer is more likely a professional bureaucrat, who has found a leader who does not allow the bureaucracy to run the country, rather than one of Trumps close advisors.

Is there a “Deep State”? One must wonder when this “Senior Official” makes the statement that most officials in Washington, D. C. are “working to insulate their operations from his (the President’s) whims.” Like it or not, the American people elected this President based on the campaign promises he made and the fact that he ran against a terrible Democrat candidate. The bureaucracy should be working with the President and not trying to stop his promised programs.

There are those who contend that the writer of op Ed piece has committed treason. This cannot be for writing of the column for this is his 1st Amendment right. However, admitting he has worked “diligently” to thwart the President’s policies has some crying treason. While what he and his cohorts have admitted to is disloyal and despicable; it is not treason. Treason is very carefully defined in the Constitution: “Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or adhering to their Enemies, giving Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on confession in open Court.

Thought of the week… A boy can learn a lot from a dog: obedience, loyalty, and the importance of turning around three times before lying down.
-Robert Benchley