The most tragic aspect, above all others, of the Trump Presidency is the undermining of recruitment of qualified, outstanding candidates for government service careers.
We need the best people in the younger generation to wish to serve in the diplomatic corp, and in the various government agencies that serve our population.
But instead, young people are looking elsewhere than government careers, and not only because of Donald Trump, but also because of the Republican Congress, which is out to make government service a type of work that people will not get adequate compensation and benefits, and also respect.
The Republican Party is anti government, except for their elite, privileged group which knows how to make deals with corporations and special interest groups, like the National Rifle Association and the oil and coal industries, and the pharmaceutical industry, and many others, who care not a whit for the public good anymore than the GOP.
So therefore, the goal is to avoid regulation, and convince people who are committed to such regulation, to be forced out and replaced by party hacks and industry goons.
So we are seeing massive resignations early of people who might have stayed longer in their government jobs, and the word is out, to avoid government service at all costs in the future.
This will undermine our government in both domestic and foreign policy, and make America a backward place, going back to the Gilded Age and 1920s mentality, as the Republicans and their allies, and our disgraceful President, work to destroy all of the New Deal and Great Society and Barack Obama legacy as well.
This is a setback which will affect most Americans for the rest of their lives, even if Trump were to leave office soon, as the Republican Party would be no better under Mike Pence or Paul Ryan in the short term.
But this is why it is essential that the Democrats, against great odds, must win control of both houses of Congress in 2018, and convince millions of young people, women, racial minorities, labor, and educated suburbanites, that Donald Trump and the Republican Party are anathema to the long term prosperity and security of the United States.
The hard work of changing this country back to the way it was before the 2016 election must be at full speed and with great earnest!
I have also noticed this loss of diplomatic and administrative expertise, as witnessed in the resignations of numerous career diplomats and lawyers. Fortunately, the military is still well staffed with professional (killers.)
Bombshell from the Washington Post:
Officials in at least four countries have privately discussed ways they can manipulate Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, by taking advantage of his complex business arrangements, financial difficulties and lack of foreign policy experience, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports on the matter.
Among those nations discussing ways to influence Kushner to their advantage were the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico, the current and former officials said…
H.R. McMaster, President Trump’s national security adviser, learned that Kushner had contacts with foreign officials that he did not coordinate through the National Security Council or officially report. The issue of foreign officials talking about their meetings with Kushner and their perception of his vulnerabilities was a subject raised in McMaster’s daily intelligence briefings, according to the current and former officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/kushners-overseas-contacts-raise-concerns-as-foreign-officials-seek-leverage/2018/02/27/16bbc052-18c3-11e8-942d-16a950029788_story.html?utm_term=.9795e69ffd9a
Some Mueller time:
Mueller’s team is investigating Trump’s Russian business dealings.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/27/politics/trump-russia-investigation/index.html
Trump is gearing up for his 2020 campaign. However, his 2020 campaign manager is connected to the Russia scandal.
https://www.vox.com/2018/2/27/17058208/brad-parscale-trump-campaign-russia-cambridge-analytica
Some more news. NBC News has confirmed that Russia compromised election systems in seven states, including Florida and Wisconsin.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/u-s-intel-russia-compromised-seven-states-prior-2016-election-n850296
The more and more news that is revealed about Russiagate, the more and more I am convinced that Trump’s win was a fraud.
Hope Hicks and her “white lies” are out.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/28/politics/hope-hicks-white-house/index.html
Mueller is asking what Trump knows about the hacked DNC emails.
http://www.msnbc.com/katy-tur/watch/mueller-asking-when-trump-was-aware-of-stolen-democratic-emails-1172838467630
Yet more scandal. The Kushner family business got over $500 million in loans from two companies after Jared held meetings with them in the White House.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/kushner-loans-white-house-meetings
More Mueller time!
Mueller is planning to charge the Russians in hacking the DNC.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/mueller-eyes-charges-against-russians-who-stole-spread-democrats-emails-n852291