Truth from Slate "John Kelly Was Always Just Donald Trump With Better Manners"

[NRaleighLiberal]

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/12/john-kelly-departure-cruelty-trump.html

The outgoing chief of staff’s record of casual cruelty and tolerance of bigotry should remind us that moderation means nothing when paired with such toxic ideology.
By JAMELLE BOUIE

DEC 10, 20187:07 PM

For nearly two years, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly has served as chief of staff to President Donald Trump.* On Saturday, he announced that he’ll end that tenure by the end of this year. He’ll leave the White House as chaotic and disordered as it was when he took the job. But the ins and outs of Kelly’s performance are less interesting than what he stood for in the larger context of the Trump era. If “Trumpism” has any meaning or ideological content separate from Donald Trump himself, it had a representative—if not an embodiment—in Kelly. What the outgoing chief of staff lacks in Trump’s intemperate attitude and undisciplined behavior, he makes up for in his commitment to basic elements of the president’s ideology—including his casual cruelty and tolerance for bigotry and bad behavior.

We saw these traits during Kelly’s spat with Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson, which started after Wilson criticized the president for his insensitivity toward the widow of a slain soldier, who was black. Kelly accused Wilson of taking false credit for the construction of an FBI field office in Miami, calling her an “empty barrel” more concerned with herself than the FBI agents. Kelly supposedly made this accusation on the premise of Wilson’s speech at the building dedication ceremony, but video of the event shows the opposite—she had not, in fact, taken credit for the building’s funding. Kelly refused to apologize, signaling his disdain for Wilson, part of a pattern of open disrespect for black female critics of the administration.

We saw these traits in an interview with Fox News where he blamed the Civil War on “the lack of the ability to compromise,” and praised Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as an “honorable man” along with the “men and women of good faith on both sides” of the conflict. (The Civil War broke out after more than a decade of conflict over the expansion of slavery.) Compounding the problem of these remarks was the context: They came just a few months after “Unite the Right,” a rally of white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia, that ended in violence—one counterdemonstrator was killed and dozens more were injured. In the wake of that tragedy, President Trump used the same “both sides” language to defend the actions of the racist protesters.

Kelly might value normalcy and temperance over chaos and impulse, but he shares the president’s basic worldview.
We saw them again following allegations of domestic abuse against Rob Porter, a senior aide to the president who had previously served as chief of staff for Kelly himself. Porter resigned his position after two ex-wives came forward with accusations and evidence of verbal and physical abuse, including kicking, throwing, and choking. But in the lead-up to that resignation, Porter was defiant, calling the allegations “outrageous.” Kelly knew that Porter had been subject to a protective order obtained by his second wife. Still, he backed him, calling Porter a “man of true integrity and honor.” Kelly was practically indifferent to the charges, an attitude that might have made this the most consequential scandal of his tenure, if not for what followed.


snip - read the rest at the link above

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[babylonsister]

2. Yep. He hid behind his military background. nt

[lunasun]

4. Not really -his history at south command should have been a big clue to everyone IMO

[Takket]

3. He is a grade A scumbag

[lunasun]

5. He had bad juju in the military before coming to the WH

Those who worked alongside him in Latin America knew his worldview already aligned more closely with Trump's than many may have realized, those who thought he was going to “change” the president

I was surprised at the welcoming salutations of his WH arrival here @ du considering his background
Maybe people see stars and bars and filter out

[BigmanPigman]

6. He always was a world class racist and misogynist.

He was behind separating immigrants and deporting them too. My dad told me not to be fooled and that he is another old, white dude who thinks that being in the military garnishes respect. My dad was right.

[ffr]

7. Dishonorable to longstanding U.S. traditions.

May he be caught up in his complicitness as well.

[Hassler]

8. Bigot, misogynist, liar. How is he better mannered than Smocking Gun?

Answer: he is smart enough not to use Twitter. That is all.

[oasis]

9. Kelly ain't worth shit on a stick.