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[misko27]

The Deep State is real, and it's a bunch of Republicans.

[Dunamisdeos]

Ya don't get me wrong not everyone agrees with the guy in the article's political values, but that's not the point. The guy is capable of acting rationally, claims there are a large number of other people also capable of doing so, and that makes me feel hopeful.

Also @Rolan
I think Trump knows or suspects there are people still working against him in the WH already. There have been scattered indications since he was elected, and if I recall he even got rid of some folks when he caught them.

[sluissa]

Perhaps 6D Checkers by someone... just probably not Trump. Scare trump's base up by making them think there are secret democrats... (or traitorous republicans) in the white house.

I mean, it was the Republicans that started talking about impeachment recently in order to scare the base up ahead of midterms.

Granted, if this IS one of those attempts, it's risky and messy and very likely to backfire. But when has that ever stopped a politician?

[Dunamisdeos]

I'm not polarized to the point where I find it impossible that someone can have different beliefs than me and also be sincere.

[smjjames]

Perhaps 6D Checkers by someone... just probably not Trump. Scare trump's base up by making them think there are secret democrats... (or traitorous republicans) in the white house.

I mean, it was the Republicans that started talking about impeachment recently in order to scare the base up ahead of midterms.

Granted, if this IS one of those attempts, it's risky and messy and very likely to backfire. But when has that ever stopped a politician?

I think that's going into epileptic tree conspiracy theory territory.

[Rolan7]

Perhaps 6D Checkers by someone... just probably not Trump. Scare trump's base up by making them think there are secret democrats... (or traitorous republicans) in the white house.

I mean, it was the Republicans that started talking about impeachment recently in order to scare the base up ahead of midterms.

Granted, if this IS one of those attempts, it's risky and messy and very likely to backfire. But when has that ever stopped a politician?

Yeah to clarify, I was hinting at 6D checkers.  Or, to not ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence, that this statement doesn't actually help anybody but Trump.

High-level leaks have been almost constant in the administration, it's not new information that there are dissenters.  But now the dissenters appear to be moustache-twirling establishment villains, who can't help but laud "the hero's" praises as they conspire against him.  Edit:  And brag about it, for... reasons??

I'm not polarized to the point where I find it impossible that someone can have different beliefs than me and also be sincere.

I respect that, and I've often pointed out how much the Republican establishment hates Trump (not to mention conservative voters!)
This just seems like a bad idea, or a false flag.  His base will thrive on it.

[Reelya]

The Deep State is real, and it's a bunch of Republicans.

We're long past that point now. We're in the Derp State.

[smjjames]

I'm not polarized to the point where I find it impossible that someone can have different beliefs than me and also be sincere.

I respect that, and I've often pointed out how much the Republican establishment hates Trump (not to mention conservative voters!)
This just seems like a bad idea, or a false flag.  His base will thrive on it.

Yeah, whoever it is probably isn't taking that into account (especially because it's anonymous), or is taking that risk regardless. Theres also a segment of his base who will stick with him no matter what and will thrive on it regardless.

Still, if Trump really IS such a danger, why aren't they coming out with the evidence? It's like they don't know how to have a spine or something, or that they're putting party over country, but just enough to not put the country in absolute danger.

[misko27]

Trump has posted a tweet which says only "TREASON?"

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1037464177269514240

Still, if Trump really IS such a danger, why aren't they coming out with the evidence? It's like they don't know how to have a spine or something, or that they're putting party over country, but just enough to not put the country in absolute danger.

Anyone who thinks that any evidence short of a video recording of Trump sucking Putin's dick at Helsinki will sink Trump has clearly been ignoring the news for the last few years. The evidence is not "out there", it's in the news every goddamned day.  I'm not sure what evidence you guys are asking for that isn't plainly obvious to anyone who listens to any of his speeches, follows his policy moves, etc.

They aren't saying he committed a crime. They're saying he's dangerously incompetent. This is public knowledge. In that light, "coming forward" will do nothing but get rid of one of the remaining sane hands in the administration, remove one of the people who hide the paperwork tearing up international treaties on his desk.

This just seems like a bad idea, or a false flag.  His base will thrive on it.

Important question: if it's a false flag, why did the NY Times publish it?

I wonder who it is. Someone with access to cabinet discussions, it seems.

[Rolan7]

This just seems like a bad idea, or a false flag.  His base will thrive on it.

Important question: if it's a false flag, why did the NY Times publish it?

My dad asked me the same thing, so to clarify:  I believe the NYT spoke to a high ranking staffer, I just think the staffer was lying to them.  Convincingly I guess... but how convincing would it need to be?  Again, there have been leaks from the start, and unprecedented turnover in his administration.

[Trekkin]

This just seems like a bad idea, or a false flag.  His base will thrive on it.

Important question: if it's a false flag, why did the NY Times publish it?

My dad asked me the same thing, so to clarify:  I believe the NYT spoke to a high ranking staffer, I just think the staffer was lying to them.  Convincingly I guess... but how convincing would it need to be?  Again, there have been leaks from the start, and unprecedented turnover in his administration.

It's also possible that the staffer was himself lied to. The Trump administration is a core of utter chaos surrounded by people trying desperately to wring one last thing from it before it collapses; it would not surprise me that several mutually exclusive versions of events were being promulgated with absolute confidence at the same time.

[smjjames]

This just seems like a bad idea, or a false flag.  His base will thrive on it.

Important question: if it's a false flag, why did the NY Times publish it?

My dad asked me the same thing, so to clarify:  I believe the NYT spoke to a high ranking staffer, I just think the staffer was lying to them.  Convincingly I guess... but how convincing would it need to be?  Again, there have been leaks from the start, and unprecedented turnover in his administration.

It's also possible that the staffer was himself lied to. The Trump administration is a core of utter chaos surrounded by people trying desperately to wring one last thing from it before it collapses; it would not surprise me that several mutually exclusive versions of events were being promulgated with absolute confidence at the same time.

Especially since there is so much backstabbing, factionalism, and intrigue that you could replace the cast of Game of Thrones or maybe House of Cards (for less literal backstabbing) and not notice the difference.

[smjjames]

Perhaps we have the Game of Thrones/House of Cards-esque factionalism to thank for holding back or styming some of the worse impulses.

We'll eventually learn about what's really happening behind the scenes, but not likely until after he is out of office.

[RedKing]

Trump has posted a tweet which says only "TREASON?"

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1037464177269514240

Still, if Trump really IS such a danger, why aren't they coming out with the evidence? It's like they don't know how to have a spine or something, or that they're putting party over country, but just enough to not put the country in absolute danger.

Anyone who thinks that any evidence short of a video recording of Trump sucking Putin's dick at Helsinki will sink Trump has clearly been ignoring the news for the last few years. The evidence is not "out there", it's in the news every goddamned day.  I'm not sure what evidence you guys are asking for that isn't plainly obvious to anyone who listens to any of his speeches, follows his policy moves, etc.

Meh...the MAGAt base would tout such a video as showing his willingness to incur personal cost to further US-Russian relations, and counter any criticism as homophobic. We're at the point where I think there is literally nothing that would turn them aside at this point. Those people are lost to us as fellow citizens.

(And yes, I'm one of the people who will not reconcile when this is all just an unpleasant chapter in our history. Unrepentant MAGAts are free to line up on the nearest dock, jump in, and start swimming you motherfuckers.)

As to the op-ed, there's a growing suspicion (based around some idiosyncratic word choices like "lodestar") that the writer could be none other than one Michael Richard Pence, 48th Vice-President of the United States. While it would be kinda hilarious for Pence to be the Brutus to Trump's Caesar*, I worry that Pence would then present himself as the Savior of the Republic and try to use that to defend his own legitimacy and get everyone to accede to his being sworn in if the 25th Amendment is invoked. And frankly, fuck that noise. Pence needs to take his Christian Dominionist ass back to Crackerville, Indiana and step aside if Trump goes down.


*Part of the hilarity being that Pence is the ONE person in the entire executive branch that Trump cannot fire. Even if Pence fesses up, Trump is stuck with him till at least 2020 and/or the end of his Presidency. We haven't had a situation where the President and Vice-President openly loathed each other since the early days of the Republic, when the VP was the runner-up in the general election.

[smjjames]

Only problem with Pence penning that is that the person who did it would have their job jeopardized, and since Pence can't be fired (Trump would definetly be able to make life miserable for Pence though)....

It really doesn't give any clues as to who it might be, other than that they are clearly an admirer of John McCain and has access to top officials.