In Trump's Jaded Capital, Marie Yovanovitch's Uncynical Outrage

[babylonsister]

Letter from Trump’s Washington
In Trump’s Jaded Capital, Marie Yovanovitch’s Uncynical Outrage
A fired Ambassador demonstrates that it is apparently still possible to be shocked by the President.
By Susan B. Glasser
November 15, 2019


For a few hours on Friday, an unassuming career diplomat named Marie (Masha) Yovanovitch did something that I thought had become impossible in Donald Trump’s Washington: she managed to hold on to her amazement and outrage at the President’s amazing and outrageous actions. In this hyper-partisan, hyper-political time, she was neither. Nearly three years into this Presidency, that is no given. A state of weary cynicism has taken hold regarding Trump, among his supporters and also his critics. He is what he is. What can we do about it? Even impeachment has quickly come to be seen through this lens. Members of Congress are all too likely to vote the party line. Does any of it matter?

In hours of spellbinding testimony, on the second day of the House’s public impeachment hearings, Yovanovitch offered a decisive rebuttal to that way of thinking. She said that she had been surprised and appalled when Trump succumbed to a foreign disinformation campaign and fired her as the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine based on false allegations trafficked by Rudy Giuliani, his private lawyer. She had taken on corrupt interests inside Ukraine, and those parties had, in turn, targeted her—and, unbelievably, it had worked. The President, the most powerful man in the world, had gone along with it. “It was terrible,” she said. Yovanovitch said that she was shocked when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo failed to issue a statement in her defense, although she had spent thirty-three years in the Foreign Service. She said that she was intimidated and incredulous when the President attacked her in a phone call with a foreign leader. She said that she felt threatened. These are simple truths, which is why they were so powerful. So was the question she posed to the members of the House Intelligence Committee arrayed on the dais in front of her: “How could our system fail like this?” That, of course, is a question for which Americans as yet have no real answer.

As with most truly memorable public moments, there was something raw and unexpected about Yovanovitch’s appearance on Friday; it cut through the rote posturing and partisanship to get at an essential fact. Yovanovitch reminded us that all of this is, in fact, amazing and shocking and outrageous. It is not normal. Trump is not on the brink of impeachment because of some arcane dispute over differing philosophies about anti-corruption policies in Ukraine. Yovanovitch, who spent her career fighting corruption in the former Soviet Union, was dumped because the President had allied himself with Ukrainians who wanted to stop America’s anti-corruption efforts. He personally ordered her fired. He spoke threateningly of her during a phone call with Ukraine’s new President and did it again, on Twitter, while she was testifying on Capitol Hill. No previous President—of either party—has ever acted in this way.

That is why Yovanovitch’s appearance was ultimately about what the hell the country is supposed to do with a President who is so manifestly unpresidential. Friday offered a chance to reflect on Trump’s conduct, to consider the extent of his boorishness, his poor judgment, his ignorance, his recklessness, and his callous disregard for anything other than his own personal interests. There will be many days and weeks to come in which to hash out what, if anything, in all this saga involving Ukraine, should be considered impeachable by Congress. But that is not the real import of Friday’s hearing, which was a rare opportunity for America to stop and take stock of Trump and what he has wrought. This was a day to contemplate the excesses of Donald John Trump.

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https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/in-trumps-jaded-capital-marie-yovanovitchs-uncynical-outrage?fbclid=IwAR2XpnFhE7cYAk8jBitMZUd9wKWCwNE2caKjthvHjgH6EZDIgXJfnRYAdMU

[cilla4progress]

1. I often ponder that a main difference between conservatives/trumpers

And we progressives is their cynicism, and our idealism. They see the world as ugly, dirty, mean and frightening. We see it as tolerant, open, loving, full of wonder.

This applies to different cultures, religions, erthnicities, even food and music!

[erronis]

4. While I agree that there is generally a difference between conservatives and liberals/progressives,

I think that trump and those who support him are into pathological behaviors, psychoses and delusions.

There used to be a group of people and politicians that identified as conservative who could still have a reasonable conversation and an exchange of ideas.

The (r)epuglicon/trumpers have adopted the worst parts of isolationism, racism, libertarianism, etc. and mixed it within their own bubble. Aided and abetted by the enemies of this government, including djt.

[robbob]

2. I also loved her comment,

reflecting on being the target of a smear campaign, when she said something to the effect that, in Washington, all you HAVE, ultimately, is your reputation.

Let those snivelling worm who defend tRump think about THAT!

[Lonestarblue]

3. She reminded people that Trump is willfully destroying innocent lives.

Some of those innocents are now dead, like the children of the Kurd fighters Trump betrayed and the Ukrainians who died for lack of military aid while Trump was conducting his extortion scheme. Voters need to be reminded constantly that Trump is amoral and corrupt to the core.

[Wellstone ruled]

5. The major upside yesterday was three fold.

First,Roger Stone seven court conviction proving the Collusion between Trump and Putin.

Second,Trumps Witness Tampering in real time and in living color blasted around the World.

Third,the Speaker finally telling Moscow Don,you are way out of your league and don't have a clue how to run a Country. Way over your head,Ka-Boom.

Three Powerful Females converging all in one day,Judge,Ambassador,and of course Speaker of the House. Worse verbal ass-kicking of a Fake President Ever.