Of Mice and Men
“In every bit of honest writing in the world there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. There are shorter means, many of them. There is writing promoting social change, writing punishing injustice, writing in celebration of heroism, but always that base theme. Try to understand each other.”
-- John Steinbeck; 1938.
Back in April of this year, I posted a brief essay on a small group within the administration that was secretly operating to lay the groundwork in preparation for Trump's removal from office. I identified VP Pence, UN ambassador Nikki Haley, and a shared-staff individual named Jon Lerner. You may recall that Lerner had no qualifications for either of the two full-time positions, other than his previous “Never Trump” efforts during the 2016 republican primaries. When Trump learned of this, he was quoted as asking why Pence would do that to him?
https://upload.democraticunderground.com/100210509861
It is important to keep in mind that “anonymous” and the “resistance” spoken of in the NY Times' op-ed are the type of republicans that support much of Trump's domestic agenda, but would prefer to have the holy-rolling Pence as president. Their actions should be seen in the context of trying to remove Trump so that Pence is not severely damaged before 2020. They should never be confused as being allied with a surge of Democratic Party power, ethics in politics, or social justice.
The discussions in the media about if the individual or group that wrote the op-ed should identify themselves reminds me of Mahatma Gandhi's lesson on the cat and the mouse. The mouse submits to the cat in fear, not because of a grasp of the principles of non-violence. That mouse hates the cat, and would surely kill it, were the mouse capable of that. No mouse ever shouts, “Fievel, forgive that cat, for he knows not what he's doing.”
Now, I am enjoying the uproar that the op-ed –combined with Woodward's book – is causing. I love it. As indicated in my April essay, I prefer to view systems using the model of a mobile, hanging above an infant's crib. When one piece moves, the others shift to adjust. There are many pieces moving and shifting position in the Trump administration.
However, they are not what I view as “unsung heroes.” They are not honorable women and men. They are mice, infesting the executive branch as the cold looms in their near future. Most lack the postive attributes of mice, and need to be swiftly removed from government, for their only real contribution is toxic feces.
Back in 2017, in an essay I posted here, I told about the last time that Kellyanne Conway was on Morning Joe on MSNBC. As always, she rapidly delivered “talking points” like a rubber-faced robot while the cameras were on. Once they reached a commercial break, she began talking about what a flaming asshole Trump was, and how difficult her job was. She anticipated a sympathetic response, but was met instead with stunned silence. As soon as she left, the crew determined she would never be invited back.
Those details were not reported in the media. But they are likely to come back into the spotlight, if the administration looks closely at who is actively participating in the anti-Trump activities. And they are just the tip of the ice cube. Velow is a link to an interesting Newsweek article about Pence and Conway; though it isn't directly about the information in this essay, it's related.
https://www.newsweek.com/pence-conway-morning-joe-clueless-710516
(Note: I am also extremely impressed with the Democratic Senators in the USSC nominee hearings. Add our field of 2018 candidates, and our party is reaching its potential.)
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Thanks WaterMan. 
you're fired. 
