Via Instapundit: Forlorn liberals took refuge at the American Constitution Society's national convention in Washington this week, discussing whether to encourage the growth of the "deep state" resistance inside the government or fight President Trump from outside.
"The election of Donald Trump was an assault on the federal bureaucracy," William Yeomans said to a room full of students and civil servants, including those recently displaced by Trump's administration. "His values are simply not consistent with the values of people who are committed to public service and who believe deeply in the importance of public service."
Yeomans, an American University law professor with more than 25 years of ⦁ experience at the Justice Department, was holed up inside the Capital Hilton hotel downtown on a sunny Friday afternoon leading a panel of bureaucrats and scholars divided about how best to fight Trump.
UCLA law professor Jon Michaels said he favors filling the Trump administration with liberals opposed to Trump's agenda.
"We hear a lot of language about draining the swamp and this idea about a deep state that somehow was going to thwart the intentions or the political mandate of the president," Michaels said. "I kind of embrace this notion of the ‘deep state.'"
Michaels listed his ideas for how to ensure the success of the "deep state." Act as a group — a department, across agency lines, as a community — rather than as an individual when pushing back against Trump from the inside, he said. Once such a coalition is formed, he suggested "rogue tweeting" or "leaking to the media" as options for fighting the president.
"It's hard to figure out exactly what [way is best], I don't think we've hit our stride on that," Michaels said. "But from my understanding people are still kind of probing and poking around at what can be done and the creativity and resourcefulness of people is in some ways boundless and so I imagine what I would hope to see is kind of organic, loyal opposition is probably too strong, but ways of having well-prepared, well-defined boundaries of opposition."
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28 comments:
A lot of people, myself as well as the estimable Mr Surber, figure Comeymas killed the Resistance.
Don't these idiots know the Left has been "acting as a group — a department, across agency lines, as a community" for 83 years?
"a room full of students and civil servants, including those recently displaced by Trump's administration"
That pretty much says it.
"the values of people who are committed to public service and who believe deeply in the importance of public service" = MOAR power to public servants.
Not a convincing or constitutional argument.
Deep State uber alles.
" loyal opposition is probably too strong"
Yeah, "too strong" = wrong since it's not loyal.
It started under Obama, as far as I can tell. Weaponising the IRS against conservative leaning groups.
Pitchforks and torches.
It's time.
I think the unelected state was always left-leaning but had at least implied permission under Obama to actually strike against conservatives.
Now they're all cheesed off because they can't do that anymore. For now.
That's their big complaint. We have to do what we're told by the guy the voters elected.
Call the waaaambulance.
It's one thing for a Schumer or Pelosi to "resist" the Trump Administration. Yes, they're stretching loyal opposition to the breaking point. But they're still within the law. On the other hand, for a career bureaucrat, or an appointee, in the Executive Branch to actively undermine the Chief Executive by leaking is a CRIME. Leaking may be central to the culture of Washington but that doesn't erase the statutes on the books. When Comey leaked he committed a crime. And I don't see how Trump gets a handle on the near mutiny within if he doesn't instruct his AG to prosecute leakers to the full letter. I realize there are other methods bureaucrats have of "resisting," but I'd imagine the resulting fear-schock would freeze most in their tracks.
The Deep State is sort of like the Mob, isn't it?
I guess it is too much to ask any of them to crack a book and study the history of when citizenry rise up to fight for a new government; hint, it's not when the bureaucracy resists the national leadership, but when the bureaucracy resists the will of the people.
The left are Stalinist. What else are they gonna do?
Amartel said...
" loyal opposition is probably too strong"
Yeah, "too strong" = wrong since it's not loyal.
May I suggest disloyal, open insurrection...
Lem said...
It started under Obama, as far as I can tell. Weaponising the IRS against conservative leaning groups.
Oh, Hell, no. Willie did it. His IRS Commissioner, whom I met when she visited the Philadelphia Service Center, got her ass thrown in jail for it.
I'm guessing its was done at least as far back as Franklin Roosevelt, and maybe Woody Wilson.
Trooper York said...
Pitchforks and torches.
It's time.
May I suggest MOABs.
chickelit said...
The Deep State is sort of like the Mob, isn't it?
Where do you think the goombahs got the idea?
Can we please get ANOTHER leadoff hitter for chrissake! He is so tediously predictable and stale as 5 month old bread. He must just keep refreshing his computer obsessively. He leads off striking out, and then responds to other good comments w/ even more tedious drivel. Lets all chip in and by him a blowup doll. Maybe a redhead.
For the left, their "values" are more important than the rule of law to say nothing of other peoples' opinions and votes. The right at least values the rules of the game and will bumble along until their next opportunity. What are these alleged values, though? The shallowness and self-serving nature of the left's "values" are all too apparent now.
Rule of law cannot be defined as a lefty value. They only harp on it when it works for them. The rest of the time it's rule of law for thee but not for me 'cause I'm special.
Is free speech a lefty value? Clearly at the intersection of free speech and moar state power, moar state power wins. (Hey, a "T" intersection is still an intersection, right?)
Is diversity a lefty value? Not if you want intellectual diversity. If you want surface diversity, they're all about that. Behind the scenes, though, the old white men are still in charge with the diversity show ponies and puppets for sale out front covering for them and selling their lies. They are discarded once they are no longer useful.
Is science a lefty value? Only if you define it in a way that brings money to the state and relies on faux "consensus" that cannot be challenged.
Is intellectualism a lefty value? Once again only if it is strictly defined to promote the state. Otherwise it's suspect violent, racist, sexist, homotransphobic, and not who "we" are. Shout it down and throw poo at it, like a true intellectual!
The "values" argument is just a con and a cover for lunging toward more power for the state. They mouth these platitudes about being the party of the people, of the individual man and woman, but they're so clearly not and more and more people see this to be true.
ND throws the brushback pitch. Ed points his bat towards the left field fence and stands in.
ND - He thinks unnecessarily re-posting everyone's comments and then saying "No you're wrong" is ultra insightful and enjoyable. Git ur fresh educationz.
In reality, he's cyber-headache.
Not trying to start a brouhaha. Just speaking truth, and saying what others think.
We are not a nation of laws, we are a nation of lawyers. It's why nothing gets done.
It's time to move the capitol to a centralized interior state, but not the bureaucracy. It will be easier to clean up the federal government from a good distance. That or make the Congress work from home telecommuting. Make sure they are within baseball bat length to their constituents.
Spend a ton of money moving them to the interior and turn another state blue in the process?
No thanks.
Just enforce the laws equally that we already have and keep taking a machete to unnecessary regs and laws.
Also start canning unnecessary employees of the state. Fewer regs and laws to enforce against the rest of us will decrease the need for overseers.
They build this little mini-kremlins for themselves. I drive around Cali a lot due to my job and even in the small rural counties, the government centers are these grotesquely expensive and heavily policed piles surrounded by acres of public servant parking which regular people may not enter. Parking the government in the middle of Nebraska will just result in more spending and the construction of a massive no-go zone. Even when they come back "home" on their frequent breaks, the peoples' representatives don't visit with people they don't want to see. Please. Find a new fantasy.
Good libertarian rant, Amartel.
Also start canning unnecessary employees of the state
Yeah,good luck with that. You think you are going to get any number of cowardly politicians to cut jobs centralized in a city amidst millions that work in the federal government?
They can't make small cuts to unnecessary expenditures like PBS or the National endowments of the arts. I am not talking about moving the bureaucracy, I am talking about seperating the Congress from them and make sure their focus is on their home turf.
Rabel said...
ND throws the brushback pitch. Ed points his bat towards the left field fence and stands in.
Weren't you the one bitching about nd and his incessant sniping?
I've kept my mouth shut because you asked. You want me to go back on the offensive, trust me, I can.
and the most useless thing in the body politic is Libertarianism. they talk a good game, but always wuss out when the fight is on.
Who were Trump's biggest critics last year and some of the biggest NeverTrumpers? The libertarians.
nd is just bitching because I saw the post first. If he's that sensitive about it, maybe Lem can set some kind of switch so poor little nd always goes first.
PS Anybody else see how drug overdoses have skyrocketed in CO since marijuana was legalized?
How the bums have taken over in some towns
Even little kids and, for God's sake, pets.
Hey, April, how do you like how your best bud wants your state turned into a sewer?
But, yeah, keep listening to your new guru because marijuana's harmless, right?
LOL! AND GET OFF MY LAWN!!
At what stage does this become sedition and appropriate action becomes necessary. They are literally promoting sedition. Why isn't this being looked at?
"Weren't you the one bitching about nd and his incessant sniping?"
I thought I was taking your side on that one by putting you in the Babe Ruth role but your self-control is admirable.
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