SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Could Trump Presidency Close Down Washington?
Donald Trump's campaign for the nomination showed an intimidating style. He attaches ugly labels to those who compete with him -- and then announces that the other guy "started it."
His wife advised that Donald would "hit back 10 times harder to any attacks." He, himself, talks of the "heavy price" that his opponents would pay if they dare to oppose.
He seems to be a smear artist and bully.
May 13, 2016
Donald Trump's campaign for the nomination showed an intimidating style. He attaches ugly labels to those who compete with him -- and then announces that the other guy "started it."
His wife advised that Donald would "hit back 10 times harder to any attacks." He, himself, talks of the "heavy price" that his opponents would pay if they dare to oppose.
He seems to be a smear artist and bully.
My personal experience with the Nixon administration suggests what life in Washington, D.C., might come to resemble if Donald Trump became president.
On May 6, 1971, the Federation of American Scientists released a 50-page heavily documented report signed by famous scientists, which I had authored, titled "Is there an R&D gap?"
It was praised in the press and in TV news. The famous Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Herblock published a cartoon with the ironic caption: "More Money! The Russians May Be Outspending Us." And the Senate Armed Services Committee opened an investigation.
The Nixon administration retaliated. It had an office of dirty tricks. A right-wing columnist, Joseph Alsop, was induced to attack. In his column, published in 600 newspapers, he said I was working for the Russians and following the Communist line.
The Nixon administration had an enemies list and I was put on it.
A Trump administration might do this and worse. It seems likely to unleash an unruly mob of Trump supporters to harass its critics, something that was not done by the Nixon administration.
Already, a Trump backer (Roger Stone, no relation) has threatened to release telephone numbers and room numbers of Republican convention delegates who stray from the fold.
Megyn Kelly of Fox News said on the air, on "The Kelly File," that "yours truly" had been threatened with retaliation if she asked Trump hard questions.
She did, and the Trump organization unleashed a mob of outraged Trump supporters to denounce her on Twitter and by email.
In other words, a Trump administration seems likely to consider its critics "fair game" for political destruction, as Vice President Dick Cheney famously referred to the wife of a critic of President George W. Bush. Cheney is supporting Mr. Trump.
In 1971, after the Nixon White House enemies list had been revealed, The Washington Post called to ask if I had been audited by the IRS.
The reporter said the paper was investigating to see whether the Nixon administration had ordered the IRS to harass everyone on its enemies list.
A Trump administration would have voluminous information, collected by all the agencies of government, including the National Security Agency, on the infidelities and peccadilloes of all the congressmen (and others inside Washington and outside).
Congressmen could be afraid to dissent. Fear of Trump-induced smear and harassment could exceed the legendary fear of the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover and his files.
The one thing about Donald Trump that seems unlikely to change is his narcissistic and combative personality, his arrogant contempt for critics and his indifference to the usual rules of civility in debate.
And he seems likely to surround himself with others who believe in the politics of bullying such as Gov. Chris Christie. Christie had a film team instructed to be careful to film all episodes in which Christie shouted down critics -- for use in his presidential campaign.
Ominously, Christie is now in charge of the transition team that selects candidates for Trump's Cabinet and thousands of other executive branch positions. He will look for tough guys.
Accordingly, the worst thing about a Trump administration may not be an erratic seat-of-the-pants approach to policy-making. The worst thing is that his administration might intimidate Washington, D.C., from effective review of those policies.
Trump supporters may be right to sense that he could cut through the gridlock. But what if his administration closes down the town?
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Jeremy J. Stone
Jeremy J. Stone, a Carlsbad resident, is the former president of Federation of American Scientists (1970-2000) and the president of Catalytic Diplomacy (1999-present).
Donald Trump's campaign for the nomination showed an intimidating style. He attaches ugly labels to those who compete with him -- and then announces that the other guy "started it."
His wife advised that Donald would "hit back 10 times harder to any attacks." He, himself, talks of the "heavy price" that his opponents would pay if they dare to oppose.
He seems to be a smear artist and bully.
My personal experience with the Nixon administration suggests what life in Washington, D.C., might come to resemble if Donald Trump became president.
On May 6, 1971, the Federation of American Scientists released a 50-page heavily documented report signed by famous scientists, which I had authored, titled "Is there an R&D gap?"
It was praised in the press and in TV news. The famous Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Herblock published a cartoon with the ironic caption: "More Money! The Russians May Be Outspending Us." And the Senate Armed Services Committee opened an investigation.
The Nixon administration retaliated. It had an office of dirty tricks. A right-wing columnist, Joseph Alsop, was induced to attack. In his column, published in 600 newspapers, he said I was working for the Russians and following the Communist line.
The Nixon administration had an enemies list and I was put on it.
A Trump administration might do this and worse. It seems likely to unleash an unruly mob of Trump supporters to harass its critics, something that was not done by the Nixon administration.
Already, a Trump backer (Roger Stone, no relation) has threatened to release telephone numbers and room numbers of Republican convention delegates who stray from the fold.
Megyn Kelly of Fox News said on the air, on "The Kelly File," that "yours truly" had been threatened with retaliation if she asked Trump hard questions.
She did, and the Trump organization unleashed a mob of outraged Trump supporters to denounce her on Twitter and by email.
In other words, a Trump administration seems likely to consider its critics "fair game" for political destruction, as Vice President Dick Cheney famously referred to the wife of a critic of President George W. Bush. Cheney is supporting Mr. Trump.
In 1971, after the Nixon White House enemies list had been revealed, The Washington Post called to ask if I had been audited by the IRS.
The reporter said the paper was investigating to see whether the Nixon administration had ordered the IRS to harass everyone on its enemies list.
A Trump administration would have voluminous information, collected by all the agencies of government, including the National Security Agency, on the infidelities and peccadilloes of all the congressmen (and others inside Washington and outside).
Congressmen could be afraid to dissent. Fear of Trump-induced smear and harassment could exceed the legendary fear of the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover and his files.
The one thing about Donald Trump that seems unlikely to change is his narcissistic and combative personality, his arrogant contempt for critics and his indifference to the usual rules of civility in debate.
And he seems likely to surround himself with others who believe in the politics of bullying such as Gov. Chris Christie. Christie had a film team instructed to be careful to film all episodes in which Christie shouted down critics -- for use in his presidential campaign.
Ominously, Christie is now in charge of the transition team that selects candidates for Trump's Cabinet and thousands of other executive branch positions. He will look for tough guys.
Accordingly, the worst thing about a Trump administration may not be an erratic seat-of-the-pants approach to policy-making. The worst thing is that his administration might intimidate Washington, D.C., from effective review of those policies.
Trump supporters may be right to sense that he could cut through the gridlock. But what if his administration closes down the town?
Jeremy J. Stone
Jeremy J. Stone, a Carlsbad resident, is the former president of Federation of American Scientists (1970-2000) and the president of Catalytic Diplomacy (1999-present).
Donald Trump's campaign for the nomination showed an intimidating style. He attaches ugly labels to those who compete with him -- and then announces that the other guy "started it."
His wife advised that Donald would "hit back 10 times harder to any attacks." He, himself, talks of the "heavy price" that his opponents would pay if they dare to oppose.
He seems to be a smear artist and bully.
My personal experience with the Nixon administration suggests what life in Washington, D.C., might come to resemble if Donald Trump became president.
On May 6, 1971, the Federation of American Scientists released a 50-page heavily documented report signed by famous scientists, which I had authored, titled "Is there an R&D gap?"
It was praised in the press and in TV news. The famous Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Herblock published a cartoon with the ironic caption: "More Money! The Russians May Be Outspending Us." And the Senate Armed Services Committee opened an investigation.
The Nixon administration retaliated. It had an office of dirty tricks. A right-wing columnist, Joseph Alsop, was induced to attack. In his column, published in 600 newspapers, he said I was working for the Russians and following the Communist line.
The Nixon administration had an enemies list and I was put on it.
A Trump administration might do this and worse. It seems likely to unleash an unruly mob of Trump supporters to harass its critics, something that was not done by the Nixon administration.
Already, a Trump backer (Roger Stone, no relation) has threatened to release telephone numbers and room numbers of Republican convention delegates who stray from the fold.
Megyn Kelly of Fox News said on the air, on "The Kelly File," that "yours truly" had been threatened with retaliation if she asked Trump hard questions.
She did, and the Trump organization unleashed a mob of outraged Trump supporters to denounce her on Twitter and by email.
In other words, a Trump administration seems likely to consider its critics "fair game" for political destruction, as Vice President Dick Cheney famously referred to the wife of a critic of President George W. Bush. Cheney is supporting Mr. Trump.
In 1971, after the Nixon White House enemies list had been revealed, The Washington Post called to ask if I had been audited by the IRS.
The reporter said the paper was investigating to see whether the Nixon administration had ordered the IRS to harass everyone on its enemies list.
A Trump administration would have voluminous information, collected by all the agencies of government, including the National Security Agency, on the infidelities and peccadilloes of all the congressmen (and others inside Washington and outside).
Congressmen could be afraid to dissent. Fear of Trump-induced smear and harassment could exceed the legendary fear of the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover and his files.
The one thing about Donald Trump that seems unlikely to change is his narcissistic and combative personality, his arrogant contempt for critics and his indifference to the usual rules of civility in debate.
And he seems likely to surround himself with others who believe in the politics of bullying such as Gov. Chris Christie. Christie had a film team instructed to be careful to film all episodes in which Christie shouted down critics -- for use in his presidential campaign.
Ominously, Christie is now in charge of the transition team that selects candidates for Trump's Cabinet and thousands of other executive branch positions. He will look for tough guys.
Accordingly, the worst thing about a Trump administration may not be an erratic seat-of-the-pants approach to policy-making. The worst thing is that his administration might intimidate Washington, D.C., from effective review of those policies.
Trump supporters may be right to sense that he could cut through the gridlock. But what if his administration closes down the town?
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.