I intended to write tonight about Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s statement today before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—and I will—but the research for that topic led me elsewhere: into the world of the early years of the Trump administration, when many journalists were trying oh, so hard to pretend that maybe Trump’s gutting of the State Department, for example, was just some part of a new policy approach.
The one State Department employee who was the biggest thorn in Putin’s side is HRC. Whatever she did over there for the sake of promoting American values, like feminism, she really pissed him off. He hates her. Easy to do, considering he’s sexist and racist.
So one of the first things that Orange Sewage does, in his central role as Putin’s puppet: he idles the State Dept. Putin gets his choice for Secretary of State: Rex Tillerson is a friend and a member of this unholy alliance, like certain Republican politicians.
Now here’s a curious thought: Putin is lulled into a false sense of security by having his paid goon holding office as President of the U.S. He is seemingly so smitten with the idea of having controlling influence over the White House that he neglects to pursue his other global ambitions, like invading neighboring countries to revive the Soviet Union.
In 2021 Trump is booted out of the WH, despite threats that he won’t leave. Next thing you know, the Russian dictator and thug is invading Ukraine.
Why Ukraine? Because the three non-NATO countries providing a buffer, in his mind, between Russia and the Big Bad West, are Belarus and Ukraine [and Finland]. Belarus is already in his back pocket, but Ukraine is moving decisively towards democracy. When you’re a dictator, democracy looks like a threat. Ask Elon Musk.
So, ironically, he missed his best chance to carry out his goal of annexing Ukraine. During the Trump administration would’ve been the time.
Instead, he waits until he is feeling threatened again, by the Biden administration. Only this time, by waiting until a hostile enemy occupies the WH, he ruins his chances of taking over one of the last non-NATO European countries. The entire escapade is backfiring badly, accelerating the disappearance of that non-NATO buffer he wants to expand. Ukraine will probably slip away forever, and will certainly hate everything Russian forever. Finland and Sweden will probably be in NATO very soon. And who knows about Belarus, but it doesn’t look good.
You have to question what kind of intelligence is at work here. Whatever you do, members of the media, stop lauding this guy.
[I am purposely leaving Finland out of this conversation, there’s a different history there; it wasn’t technically part of the Soviet Union, apparently he didn’t fear their tilt towards democracy, and/or he didn’t want to annex it for some other reason, maybe their defensive preparedness]
Thank you, HCR for pointing out dramatic differences between the administrations of President Biden and TFG. From 2016 to 2020 we witnessed amateur hour. Four years of unqualified family members, friends and unfilled positions, understaffed departments and agencies. A revolving door and Twitter terminations of key cabinet members. And now we’re back in the world with experienced and intelligent people working with other diplomats to help countries build Democracies. It’s about time that the office of president meet minimum standards like other professionals. Teachers, lawyers, physicians, accountants, etc. all must be trained, educated and experienced. Not a popularity contest. A President is not an apprentice.
After Guilty Donnie was dislodged many of us saw that the historic honor-based system we'd relied on was open to exploitation. It was clear that it had been composed in the belief that our elected officials would consistently work toward the best interests of the American people and the nation. A sociopathic or corrupt leader was never anticipated, and that we'd have one who was under foreign influence was inconceivable.
Thus, when the Trump administration dismantled our State Department, we had no ability to respond. We'd left ourselves powerless to stop him, and the damage was incalculable. If an external power had done what he did as our President we'd have called it an act of war.
Myself, I cannot imagine Trump was bright enough to have orchestrated the act himself, but whoever did his thinking and planning for him remains unidentified. Suspects abound, because the US has dedicated enemies, but no conclusions have been reached.
To guard against future abuses in the same vein though, last December the House passed H.R.5314: the Protecting Our Democracy Act . It has since gone on to the Senate where it's been sitting in Committee ever since. It would be worth a call or note to your senator(s) to remind them that this legislation should be prioritized for the safety of us all.
The next time a Donald Trump takes office it shouldn't be so damn easy.
Trump spent a lot of time dismantling Gov. Departments.
There are pages of links to articles for each cabinet dept under Trump when googled paint a picture of a clear movement to shrink expertise, safety nets, research and development and necessary and needed programs for the citizens of the United States. He was getting rid of the
Why is it so hard to believe that the hard work of rebuilding what was systematically torn down starting in January of 2017 will be durable beyond the end of this presidential term. That's all we really have; belief. There's no assurance. The rise of autocracy didn't all start with His Royal Orangeness. He was an opportunist; A grifter extraordinaire who rode the dark side of our nature right into the halls of power. The seeds of that nightmare were already sown in Congress years ago, in local, regional, state governments and within a party that realized in order to govern from the minority, like-minded people would need to be placed in strategic positions across 50 states, within the courts and ultimately in Congress and the White House as well. Institutions would have to be infiltrated, mechanisms to move vast amounts of dark money would need to be created and a few key rulings within the highest courts in the land would need to happen that enabled the erosion of the guardrails of our democracy. Finally, the ceaseless trumpets of disinformation would need to blare out doubt and distrust against the sources of information that the public used to make decisions about their leaders and understand the policy implications of legislation written and promoted by their own elected officials. The genius, the profound shame of it was/is that for most of the strategy, winning wasn't actually necessary; simply poisoning the well would be sufficient to forward the agenda.
So, not only is the State Department undergoing a complete rebuild from rubble, its doors are open and it's reaching out to the very branch of government complicit in its prior destruction. Previously I mistrusted the executive branch, but now my mistrust has transferred to Congress and the Supreme Court. In one, the minority has the power of NO (veto) and in the other, the power of appointments for life.
How am I going to resurrect my ability to believe once more? I think watching a bunch of key players be indicted, tried and punished for crimes against the constitution would help. Sufficient? I don't know. I guess time, and a couple of elections will tell.
This is very heartening news against the backdrop of the brutal war with its staggering losses for the Ukrainian people. This effective leadership and recalibration in our government is sadly not well understood, and is certainly not garnering enough attention. Your report demonstrates that a responsible defense will work in tandem with diplomacy to achieve security before it would jump to sending soldiers into danger, as Sec. Austin has done. Thanks for this great news.
“Cui bono?” of course the seminal question to ask when confronted with inexplicably cretinous behavior (even from a groping grifter who ran a casino into the ground), and seminally has our beloved HCR begun to answer it.
Beyond the excellence of today’s column (and comments here-thanks as always, fellow-strugglers!) can we just acknowledge what HCR is doing? Besides providing essentially in-depth daily journalism-inflected-with-desp-historical-wisdom, she is simultaneously engaging in the sort of broad, analytical synthesis that scholars employ decades after a crisis to ground our understanding of the present-an equally important endeavor that is not usually performed this close to history and not on top of daily work of such demanding, grueling nature! This is like running two separate marathons while teaching at a day gig that isn’t easy either. Astounding. Needed. Appreciated.
Today, another brilliant letter from HCR. 🙏 I read it in context of “the beginning years,” and I found myself reading more forgotten names. Tillerson and Priebus filled a patch of screen today. Long lost crew of some berserk, farcical occupation of the OVAL OFFICE at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Also today, I love the lid popping off the can full of dens of thieves…more released tapes from the upcoming book THIS WILL NOT PASS.
McCarthy is caught in so many lies, McConnell is sweating above his upper lip and at his dainty temples when asked by reporters to comment.
Makes one so hopeful to see the US and its representatives - with all the faults, warts and all - being back, talking sense, and holding up the ideals as they are supposed to do. You're not perfect - who is after all? - but I believe still our best chance to get things right in the future. Just lock your former president and his lot up, so they won't be elected again, would ya, please?
As Heather's daily letters clearly demonstrate, there is no moral equivalence between the two parties. The Republicans have sunk lower than perhaps any party since the Civil War- they are slaves and sycophants to a truly evil human being. The best of the Republicans suffer him- the majority enable him. The democrats are led by an honest, humble, man with a strong moral compass who subscribes to the basic tenets of democracy- rule of law, peaceful transfer of power, careful deliberation before taking action, and use of government as a force for improving the lives of its citizens. So why isn't Biden's approval ratings at 90% and why isn't Trump and company at -5%? True- Republicans are busy rigging the next elections. But they do actually have a lot of popular support. While I deplore that support, I also believe enough in democracy that we must go deeper to understand why it exists, and what the only party that upholds democracy must do to reach those voters. There are millions of American voters- not just the upper .1%- who believe that the democratic party does not have their back. Why is that and what has to happen to bring them back or bring them forward?
Dr. Richardson, This LFAA is a clear reminder of the truism to never underestimate the other guy’s greed. The quiet dark money forces are always lurking in our capitalistic economy and became visible when their bumbling example gained control of the executive branch of the government and began using the power of the Presidency and the courts to reward his family and friends. Organizations such as the Heritage Society and others like it that are funded by legally protected anonymous non-taxable donor organizations are filling the judiciary with their operatives. Just witness the SCOTUS as the prime example. The courtrooms have become the battle field in America for the next multiple election cycles. Dark money plays the long game, and fortunately good journalists keep trying to expose how it is done. You are the emerging leader of that journalistic force. Thanks so much for doing the research and putting out the information so clearly.
Destroying State by demoting or firing seasoned foreign service officers was infuriating. The fact that it barely made a blip in the media and almost zero in Congress was heartbreaking. The tweets from Alt State told the story and it read like a fast-moving disaster movie. If the Republicans regain control of Congress in the mid-terms it might be almost impossible to fill diplomatic posts and get adequate funding for training and retention of personnel.
I faithfully read but rarely post. After a cursory glance at today’s comments, I want to offer that perhaps more helpful than complaining about the dem’s messaging would be to boost the amazing messaging we get every day from HCR. I frequently forward all or part of these Letters when my someone in my social circle is bemoaning our current realities. Perhaps we need to be quicker to say “Biden is doing a great job!” than to say “The dems are terrible at messaging.”
As the son of diplomats I very much appreciate your summary of such a dramatic recovery after a devastating four years.
The one State Department employee who was the biggest thorn in Putin’s side is HRC. Whatever she did over there for the sake of promoting American values, like feminism, she really pissed him off. He hates her. Easy to do, considering he’s sexist and racist.
So one of the first things that Orange Sewage does, in his central role as Putin’s puppet: he idles the State Dept. Putin gets his choice for Secretary of State: Rex Tillerson is a friend and a member of this unholy alliance, like certain Republican politicians.
Now here’s a curious thought: Putin is lulled into a false sense of security by having his paid goon holding office as President of the U.S. He is seemingly so smitten with the idea of having controlling influence over the White House that he neglects to pursue his other global ambitions, like invading neighboring countries to revive the Soviet Union.
In 2021 Trump is booted out of the WH, despite threats that he won’t leave. Next thing you know, the Russian dictator and thug is invading Ukraine.
Why Ukraine? Because the three non-NATO countries providing a buffer, in his mind, between Russia and the Big Bad West, are Belarus and Ukraine [and Finland]. Belarus is already in his back pocket, but Ukraine is moving decisively towards democracy. When you’re a dictator, democracy looks like a threat. Ask Elon Musk.
So, ironically, he missed his best chance to carry out his goal of annexing Ukraine. During the Trump administration would’ve been the time.
Instead, he waits until he is feeling threatened again, by the Biden administration. Only this time, by waiting until a hostile enemy occupies the WH, he ruins his chances of taking over one of the last non-NATO European countries. The entire escapade is backfiring badly, accelerating the disappearance of that non-NATO buffer he wants to expand. Ukraine will probably slip away forever, and will certainly hate everything Russian forever. Finland and Sweden will probably be in NATO very soon. And who knows about Belarus, but it doesn’t look good.
You have to question what kind of intelligence is at work here. Whatever you do, members of the media, stop lauding this guy.
[I am purposely leaving Finland out of this conversation, there’s a different history there; it wasn’t technically part of the Soviet Union, apparently he didn’t fear their tilt towards democracy, and/or he didn’t want to annex it for some other reason, maybe their defensive preparedness]
https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/22/how-finland-bunker-mania-made-sense
Thank you, HCR for pointing out dramatic differences between the administrations of President Biden and TFG. From 2016 to 2020 we witnessed amateur hour. Four years of unqualified family members, friends and unfilled positions, understaffed departments and agencies. A revolving door and Twitter terminations of key cabinet members. And now we’re back in the world with experienced and intelligent people working with other diplomats to help countries build Democracies. It’s about time that the office of president meet minimum standards like other professionals. Teachers, lawyers, physicians, accountants, etc. all must be trained, educated and experienced. Not a popularity contest. A President is not an apprentice.
After Guilty Donnie was dislodged many of us saw that the historic honor-based system we'd relied on was open to exploitation. It was clear that it had been composed in the belief that our elected officials would consistently work toward the best interests of the American people and the nation. A sociopathic or corrupt leader was never anticipated, and that we'd have one who was under foreign influence was inconceivable.
Thus, when the Trump administration dismantled our State Department, we had no ability to respond. We'd left ourselves powerless to stop him, and the damage was incalculable. If an external power had done what he did as our President we'd have called it an act of war.
Myself, I cannot imagine Trump was bright enough to have orchestrated the act himself, but whoever did his thinking and planning for him remains unidentified. Suspects abound, because the US has dedicated enemies, but no conclusions have been reached.
To guard against future abuses in the same vein though, last December the House passed H.R.5314: the Protecting Our Democracy Act . It has since gone on to the Senate where it's been sitting in Committee ever since. It would be worth a call or note to your senator(s) to remind them that this legislation should be prioritized for the safety of us all.
The next time a Donald Trump takes office it shouldn't be so damn easy.
Trump spent a lot of time dismantling Gov. Departments.
There are pages of links to articles for each cabinet dept under Trump when googled paint a picture of a clear movement to shrink expertise, safety nets, research and development and necessary and needed programs for the citizens of the United States. He was getting rid of the
Federal Government.
Why is it so hard to believe that the hard work of rebuilding what was systematically torn down starting in January of 2017 will be durable beyond the end of this presidential term. That's all we really have; belief. There's no assurance. The rise of autocracy didn't all start with His Royal Orangeness. He was an opportunist; A grifter extraordinaire who rode the dark side of our nature right into the halls of power. The seeds of that nightmare were already sown in Congress years ago, in local, regional, state governments and within a party that realized in order to govern from the minority, like-minded people would need to be placed in strategic positions across 50 states, within the courts and ultimately in Congress and the White House as well. Institutions would have to be infiltrated, mechanisms to move vast amounts of dark money would need to be created and a few key rulings within the highest courts in the land would need to happen that enabled the erosion of the guardrails of our democracy. Finally, the ceaseless trumpets of disinformation would need to blare out doubt and distrust against the sources of information that the public used to make decisions about their leaders and understand the policy implications of legislation written and promoted by their own elected officials. The genius, the profound shame of it was/is that for most of the strategy, winning wasn't actually necessary; simply poisoning the well would be sufficient to forward the agenda.
So, not only is the State Department undergoing a complete rebuild from rubble, its doors are open and it's reaching out to the very branch of government complicit in its prior destruction. Previously I mistrusted the executive branch, but now my mistrust has transferred to Congress and the Supreme Court. In one, the minority has the power of NO (veto) and in the other, the power of appointments for life.
How am I going to resurrect my ability to believe once more? I think watching a bunch of key players be indicted, tried and punished for crimes against the constitution would help. Sufficient? I don't know. I guess time, and a couple of elections will tell.
This is very heartening news against the backdrop of the brutal war with its staggering losses for the Ukrainian people. This effective leadership and recalibration in our government is sadly not well understood, and is certainly not garnering enough attention. Your report demonstrates that a responsible defense will work in tandem with diplomacy to achieve security before it would jump to sending soldiers into danger, as Sec. Austin has done. Thanks for this great news.
“Cui bono?” of course the seminal question to ask when confronted with inexplicably cretinous behavior (even from a groping grifter who ran a casino into the ground), and seminally has our beloved HCR begun to answer it.
Beyond the excellence of today’s column (and comments here-thanks as always, fellow-strugglers!) can we just acknowledge what HCR is doing? Besides providing essentially in-depth daily journalism-inflected-with-desp-historical-wisdom, she is simultaneously engaging in the sort of broad, analytical synthesis that scholars employ decades after a crisis to ground our understanding of the present-an equally important endeavor that is not usually performed this close to history and not on top of daily work of such demanding, grueling nature! This is like running two separate marathons while teaching at a day gig that isn’t easy either. Astounding. Needed. Appreciated.
Today, another brilliant letter from HCR. 🙏 I read it in context of “the beginning years,” and I found myself reading more forgotten names. Tillerson and Priebus filled a patch of screen today. Long lost crew of some berserk, farcical occupation of the OVAL OFFICE at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Also today, I love the lid popping off the can full of dens of thieves…more released tapes from the upcoming book THIS WILL NOT PASS.
McCarthy is caught in so many lies, McConnell is sweating above his upper lip and at his dainty temples when asked by reporters to comment.
There are a lot of folk stuttering, Who? Me?
Yup.
You.
😊
Bravo, Antony Blinken and Joe Biden. Brava, Dr Richardson.
Makes one so hopeful to see the US and its representatives - with all the faults, warts and all - being back, talking sense, and holding up the ideals as they are supposed to do. You're not perfect - who is after all? - but I believe still our best chance to get things right in the future. Just lock your former president and his lot up, so they won't be elected again, would ya, please?
Such excellent reportage! Thank you.
As Heather's daily letters clearly demonstrate, there is no moral equivalence between the two parties. The Republicans have sunk lower than perhaps any party since the Civil War- they are slaves and sycophants to a truly evil human being. The best of the Republicans suffer him- the majority enable him. The democrats are led by an honest, humble, man with a strong moral compass who subscribes to the basic tenets of democracy- rule of law, peaceful transfer of power, careful deliberation before taking action, and use of government as a force for improving the lives of its citizens. So why isn't Biden's approval ratings at 90% and why isn't Trump and company at -5%? True- Republicans are busy rigging the next elections. But they do actually have a lot of popular support. While I deplore that support, I also believe enough in democracy that we must go deeper to understand why it exists, and what the only party that upholds democracy must do to reach those voters. There are millions of American voters- not just the upper .1%- who believe that the democratic party does not have their back. Why is that and what has to happen to bring them back or bring them forward?
Dr. Richardson, This LFAA is a clear reminder of the truism to never underestimate the other guy’s greed. The quiet dark money forces are always lurking in our capitalistic economy and became visible when their bumbling example gained control of the executive branch of the government and began using the power of the Presidency and the courts to reward his family and friends. Organizations such as the Heritage Society and others like it that are funded by legally protected anonymous non-taxable donor organizations are filling the judiciary with their operatives. Just witness the SCOTUS as the prime example. The courtrooms have become the battle field in America for the next multiple election cycles. Dark money plays the long game, and fortunately good journalists keep trying to expose how it is done. You are the emerging leader of that journalistic force. Thanks so much for doing the research and putting out the information so clearly.
Destroying State by demoting or firing seasoned foreign service officers was infuriating. The fact that it barely made a blip in the media and almost zero in Congress was heartbreaking. The tweets from Alt State told the story and it read like a fast-moving disaster movie. If the Republicans regain control of Congress in the mid-terms it might be almost impossible to fill diplomatic posts and get adequate funding for training and retention of personnel.
I faithfully read but rarely post. After a cursory glance at today’s comments, I want to offer that perhaps more helpful than complaining about the dem’s messaging would be to boost the amazing messaging we get every day from HCR. I frequently forward all or part of these Letters when my someone in my social circle is bemoaning our current realities. Perhaps we need to be quicker to say “Biden is doing a great job!” than to say “The dems are terrible at messaging.”