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The Screaming Moderate

The first 100 days...aren't as important as the next 1361

4/28/2017

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Heading into the final 24 hours of President Trump’s first 100 days, he has kept 11 of his campaign promises and has 23 more in progress.

I wanted to start with a very positive lead. The rest of the story is that Candidate Trump, according to "Trump Tracker" (which can be found at: https://trumptracker.github.io/about/), made 175 promises. As of today, he has not started on 119 of them, broken 19, compromised on 15 and, as stated above, kept 11 and has 23 more started.

To me, though, the first 100 days isn’t the end of the day – but it should be the beginning. The first 100 days can set the tone for the rest of a president’s term.

I fault this president for setting the wrong tone. He is learning that this job is not easy, as he apparently imagined it. You can’t just say, I will designate China as a manipulator of its currency without knowing what really is happening, and without some facts from your administration. And without knowing the process for such a designation.

You cannot simply leave empty thousands of political appointee jobs because you think that’s a way to save money (which I’m sure he’ll claim someday) because most of those people actually make sure your agenda gets done, and keep the government working … or make their best efforts.

You cannot say, simply, you will repeal and replace Obamacare on Day One. The system doesn't work that way. Plus, at stake, truly, are the lives of hundreds of millions.  The President truly makes decisions on life and death.

Being president is more than signing sometimes meaningless executive orders and calling the press the enemy of the people while defending Bill O’Reilly, a chronic harasser of women.

President Trump has been learning some of what his responsibilities are from other countries’ leaders. If not for the president of China, Trump might not better understand the politics of the Korean peninsula. And he has been taught some of the intricacies of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) by the leaders of Mexico and Canada, just days before he was going to terminate the agreement, without learning what it really was all about.

And among his teachers have been the leaders of the very countries he's maligned for two years (China and Mexico).  

If he had the right people, and enough of them, working for him, he might have learned those things with their help and before having to concoct a strategy that makes him look not as uninformed as he is. He now will point to his decision not to terminate NAFTA as a negotiating ploy. Thus far, we have not seen his self-acclaimed talents as the world’s best negotiator. So far those alleged talents have done nothing to help the people he promised he’d help. And his best tactic in negotiations so far has been to cave not just on his opening gambit but on his entire position.

His son-in-law may know a lot about foreign policy (though I doubt it) but he never worked in government so he doesn’t know it from that perspective. And I’m not saying a businessman or woman can’t work in a government, but you can’t depend solely on them for your counsel. They see it from a dollars and cents point of view not a sensible point of view that includes dollars and cents, common sense and geopolitics. Thankfully, he has a capable defense secretary and, now, a national security advisor.

We’re not so lucky on the economic side where his advisors there are proposing solving  problems “suffered” by the wealthy, not the middle or lower classes. who are the ones Trump said he would help to better lives.

Plus, a president can’t deliver on most of his promises on his own – he needs buy-in from the Congress and he needs to keep it within the bounds of the law.

Which brings me to probably the best news of the first 100 days and that is:

Our system works.

The system of checks and balances that the framers envisioned more than 200 years ago, lives on today. The Congress stopped a poorly thought through replacement of Obamacare and made sure they didn’t repeal it first. The courts have been stopping unconstitutional bans on travel attempted by Trump and not cowering in the face of  his immature rantings about a judge or an entire circuit of courts. He is, of course, “not the boss of them” so his rantings mean little.

The hope is that Trump is learning too that this is not a dictatorship. It is a democracy. Some of what he wants to do makes sense, most does not. The system, we hope, continues to ferret out the bad and usher in the good.

If he would staff his government properly and work with the Congress, he would be less likely to get crosswise with the judiciary and maybe get some good things done. Which is what he promised the base of supporters he has that, thus far, hasn't wavered but also has not grown.

Imagine that, rather than behave as he has, President Trump tried to foment collegiality with Democrats.  Maybe play golf with a few Democrats, or had a Democrat in his Cabinet. Maybe the last 99 days would have been different. But, he didn’t, and they aren’t. And the divide between the parties is as wide as ever.  Remember he promised, too, that he was the only one who could close that divide.

Since I believe the first 100 days is not the end but the beginning I won’t foolishly grade Trump. But I will grade him on his keeping to his own 100-day promise and he gets there a D and an F for setting no good tone for political bi-partisanship. So, call it a D-.

I will grade our system of government, though -- A+, thank goodness.


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Oys! and Yos!

4/20/2017

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Oys! and Yos! return, thanks to Bill O’Reilly, the Huffington Post and, who else, President Donald J. Trump!

Not sure whether O’Reilly deserves Yos! for agreeing to leave Fox New or Oys! for the reason he’s leaving. So, let’s go with 2 ½ of each! O’Reilly, an alleged serial sexual harassment offender, follows in the footsteps of his partner-in-crime Roger Ailes, who also was forced out by allegations of sexual harassment not long ago. O’Reilly was Fox’ top ratings-getter, and the top in all cable news. Ailes founded and ran the network. If the two, in effect, top guys were serially harassing women, can that be the end of the issue for the network? Hmmmmm. So, officially let’s award 2 ½ of each to O’Reilly and that leaves room for more in the future. Oy! Oy! ½ Oy! and Yo! Yo! ½ Yo!

The Huffington Post invited  to the White House Correspondents Association annual dinner those high school journalists who ousted their new principal through shoe leather and determination by investigating her credentials. They did the background checking the school board never did and showed that the academic background she presented as her bona fides to the school board were fiction. Her principal-ship was short. The dinner, which in the last 20 years morphed from an annual gathering of DC journalists and their sources into a must-get ticket for Hollywood celebrities and included (really) a red carpet, this year will have nearly no celebrities as they are boycotting because Donald Trump is president. Then, Trump said he wouldn't attend because he is in a "fake news" war with the media. Since Trump wasn't going to attend, his entire administration,  backing up his refusal to attend, also has said they won't attend. To the Huffington Post, which typically fills its seats with Hollywood types, five Yos!: Yo! Yo! Yo! Yo! Yo! To the high school students, enjoy the dinner, you earned it.

President Trump shares with, at least his press secretary Sean Spicer,  five Oys! for the misdirection saying that an “armada” was heading toward North Korea as it prepared to launch a test missile or conduct an underground nuclear test. For a while it appeared Trump’s first 100 days might result in a war.  In fact, that “armada” was heading in the opposite direction. No true explanation has come about yet – was Trump doing a misdirection or was there miscommunication or what? Eventually the ships did turn and head toward North Korea. Spicer is saying, in effect, “The ships were heading to the vicinity of North Korea they just started in the opposite direction.” Five Oys! for scaring the bejesus out of the world. Oy! Oy! Oy! Oy! Oy!



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When to invoke Hitler's name? Never.

4/12/2017

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White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer broke the first rule they teach you at Spokesman School: Never mention Adolph Hitler’s name. OK, there is no such thing as Spokesman School but the Hitler rule does exist at least in each spokesman’s mind.

Being the White House spokesman in normal times (meaning any time Donald Trump is not the President) is a difficult job.  While the press secretary’s staff is always very good about anticipating what questions will be asked (which is why there is a pre-brief meeting to go over those questions and the best responses – not answers, responses), sometimes a question comes up that you didn’t anticipate.

And even if you anticipated all the questions, you still are the one standing up at the podium, on the record and on camera. Exposed for all to see and hear.

It’s really a job no one should want, however for those who have been in political media, it is a job many covet as the ultimate test of their abilities. Question is, do you have the experience, confidence and guts to take the job?
 
Having briefed the White House press a few times and having been in those pre-brief meetings to review issues with the press secretary, I can speak from some experience.

The first time I briefed, my voice literally was shaking – I could hear it, I knew I sounded very nervous but I couldn’t do anything about it. Thanks to the late Helen Thomas of UPI, the then-dean of the White House press corps who in those days began and ended White House briefings and press conferences, the briefing was cut off after 15 minutes and I fast-walked back to the press offices asking my colleagues along if the way if I had mucked up anything (I hadn't).

Before you go to the podium, you do review most issues that will be raised. Fortunately, you also have colleagues sitting nearby during the briefing who are more expert on some issues than you are and you can turn to as appropriate for help during a briefing. You don’t do that often because you can quickly lose control of the room if a give-and-take begins between the reporters and your colleague. I can't imagine anyone would do it while on camera.

I use the past tense because in my day, the briefings typically were not on camera and seldom live. That’s partly because we controlled when a briefing was live and more so because the only cable news network at the time was CNN, which was just beginning. Broadcast networks nearly never ran a press spokesman’s briefing live then. Now, it's must-see TV on cable.

The other thing you do, or I did anyway, before I took the podium was think about the various constituencies who would be paying attention to the briefing and how what I said might be interpreted by them and how they might react.  I always thought of:  the President, the Cabinet, other countries, the financial markets and the First Lady, not necessarily in that order.

After I thawed from freezing up knowing it was nearly impossible to keep all the audiences happy and still respond to reporters’ questions, I put that out of my mind and went the podium.

As I began, in the best of times it is not an easy job and press secretaries each have their own ‘tics’. Like Spicer, some mangle their words unintentionally but from nerves mostly, often resulting in Yogi Berra or Casey Stengel-like quotes or mispronounced names of foreign leaders. For some, as Spicer did yesterday, you start to go down a path and can't find your way back.

That's because sometimes there is that hole you tippy-toe into and then realize it leads to hell but it's too late because you're already falling in. As Spicer did yesterday when he invoked Hitler’s name.

It was a huge blunder and round about 6 p.m., before the evening news shows, Spicer appeared live on CNN to apologize for his mistake, after reportedly also calling one of the GOP’s biggest Jewish donors and, I imagine, some long talks with the chief of staff and probably the President.

We all noted that Spicer apologized -- in words and deed -- and more than once. He even acknowledged sage advice offered by Democrat Leon Panetta, who preceded him on Wolf Blitzer’s show and who served as White House chief of staff, CIA director and defense secretary. Panetta was being interviewed on something else entirely when Wolf Blitzer asked him about Spicer’s performance, what advice he would offer to him and then interrupted to take Spicer live.

This administration does not apologize, The President doesn’t and he sets the stage for his people. I gotta believe President Trump said it was okay or necessary to do in this instance. If I were the press secretary and knew the President doesn’t tolerate apologies, I wouldn’t go out there and apologize unless I had his blessing – or I was prepared to lose my job when I returned. That could portend a turning point for the Administration or more likely it was a decision to mollify the Jewish supporter(s) of Trump. It also could be a strategic move setting Spicer up to lose his job.

Frankly, I wouldn’t want Spicer’s job. The whims of this President are too ever-changing that you just can’t possibly do a good job every day. A President who looks to the winds and the cable news for his reactions to issues is not an easy person to please. And he considers himself the best at handling the media, so you can rarely do no wrong.

That is not to defend Spicer’s comments yesterday. He said the name Hitler and then just kept climbing into the hole despite reporters, in real time, giving him a chance to climb out.

He should have accepted the ladder he was offered and cleaned up his mistake immediately but I have to believe he was thinking he couldn’t back off of what he said because of the standard the President has set on “no apologies.”

What does it mean for apologies in the future? My guess is not much.


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Oys! on the plane!!!! And other places

4/11/2017

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Planes, Pulitzers and a resignation resulted in OYs! and Yos! yesterday:

OYs! to United airlines which went against its iconic logo – “Fly the Friendly Skies of United” – when a thug, I mean a security official, dragged a doctor off the plane when he wouldn’t give up his seat to a United employee. I’m not sure what the charge for that is, against the doctor I mean. Maybe it’s un-aggravated and not-disorderly conduct.

But clearly there was a snake on that plane and it was the security guard who now has been suspended over an incident that I’m guessing the doc has a good lawsuit for, if he so chooses. The incident did educate us (or me at least) on passenger rights when being asked to give up your properly purchased seat at the time appropriate to your needs, not the airline's needs. For example under U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) regulations in some circumstances you may be eligible for 400% of the ticket price you paid, up to $1350. There is nothing in DoT regulations that says you get a bloodied nose or manhandled for giving up or being asked to give up your seat.

Having handled a bunch of public relations crises for clients over the years, I can point to yesterday’s United example as a classic case of what not to do in a situation. Okay, you needn’t be an experienced PR professional to know what United did was wrong from physically abusing the passenger to the company CEO talking about “reaccommodating” the passengers. In fact, as I type “reaccomodating” that red underline thingie shows up to say not only is a dumb concept, it is not a word.

Certainly worthy of five Oys!: Oy! Oy! Oy! Oy! Oy! (And six Oys! if the rules allowed it for the security guy who dragged the doc off the plane)

Pulitzer prizes always get a Yo!  Pulitizers were awarded yesterday and most notably yesterday to me David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post won a Pulitzer for his series of articles uncovering then-candidate Donald Trump’s philanthropic claims over the course of his campaign. Fahrenthold is the one who discovered through shoe-leather and dogged reporting that Trump’s “charity” over the years was mostly to himself, such as purchasing portraits of himself with his charity’s money and paying off lost or settled lawsuits with his foundation’s funds. Fahrenthold also did the story uncovering that “Access Hollywood” tape in which Trump admitted to promoting sexual harassment against women. Good thing Farnenthold got the Pulitzer because his outstanding reporting didn’t stop Trump from being elected. Five Yos!   Yo! Yo! Yo! Yo! Yo!

Alabama governor resigns. And let us not forget yesterday’s “other news” where the governor of Alabama resigned because he had an affair with a staff member resulting in the governor’s divorce and an investigation into that and his misuse of state money. The guv hung in for a long time, refusing to resign and claiming innocence, but we all know how that story ends. Three Oys!, only because he isn’t the first and won’t be the last to leave under these circumstances. Oy! Oy! Oy!

And a final category that occurred only when I read again the former governor’s statement of resignation and the United CEOs statement that didn’t include his resignation. The Oys! have been aplenty today but the stockroom tells me we have 10 left. So, five Oys! each to the airline president and the former governor!

Here are their statements:

 The governor:  “I have decided it is time for me to step down as governor. I've not always made the right choices. I've not always said the right things. Though I have sometimes failed, I've always tried to live up to the high expectations the people place on the person who holds this esteemed office." (Emphasis added to show his high expectations differ from the voters.)

The United CEO:  "This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United. I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers. Our team is moving with a sense of urgency to work with the authorities and conduct our own detailed review of what happened." (Emphasis added because a red underline doesn’t show up here.)

Five Oys! to each Oy! Oy! Oy! Oy! Oy!

I’d “voice” the other five but you get the idea.
 



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Trump passes first challenge from a despot

4/7/2017

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In the first challenge from a foreign leader/despot, President Trump passed the test.

We don’t yet know the full story of what happened on the ground in Syria after the U.S. bombing – casualties, etc. – but I think we can be sure there were no “innocents” injured or President Assad would have broadcast that quickly.

We knew Trump’s military advisors were solid and that the Pentagon has had military options drawn up and kept up to date for many years. And the tools needed to conduct the bombing were already in position. Still, I didn’t expect such quick retaliation by Trump. The timing, though, was good not just because of the Syrian leader's actions the other day, but to send a message to North Korea and the Chinese as he is meeting with the Chinese leader in Florida and on the eve of his secretary of state's first official visit to Russia.

Trump deserves credit when he earns it and it seems this was handled well in terms of timing, notifications of the appropriate people (Congress and the Russians) and the targeted nature of the bombing. The images that came out of Syria after Assad used chemical weapons against his own people clearly spoke for themselves and told a horrible story in death and consequences of using sarin gas.

Will there be consequences for the U.S. bombing? We will see. There is the expected sabre rattling by Syria and the Russians. But Secretary of State Tillerson is headed to Moscow next week for previously scheduled meetings and everyone is positioning themselves for those talks.

For Trump, today’s another day but yesterday he made the difficult decision that presidents are called upon to make.


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'America First' isn't very pretty right now

4/5/2017

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President Trump is facing his first foreign policy crisis – the chemical bombing of his own people by Syria’s president – and is failing, miserably.

Rather than condemn President Assad’s actions and showing his sympathy and empathy for the victims, and calling for international action at least in the UN,   Trump condemned the bombing and then blamed President Obama for creating the environment for Assad to do it.

Obama deserves some blame for the environment – he did draw a red line that Assad crossed with no retribution – but for a sitting President to point a finger at his predecessor in this manner and at this time is not just bad form, it’s a reprehensible response by any president when another country’s leader is killing his own people.

I watched CBS news last night and the anchor warned viewers to move their kids away from the TV because the images they were about to show were difficult but “you need to see them”. He was right – the images – dead bodies of adults and children, and victims who were gasping for breath and foaming at the mouth – were not easy to see. But we had to see them to accept just how horrific this was. This is not a reality show, it is  reality.

I hope President Trump saw them because I don’t know how any human being can see them and not be revolted, reduced to tears and be opposed to taking some action against the bastard who did it.

There’s a time and a place for politics, and this isn’t the time or the place for Trump’s  pointing a finger at Obama. And Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s first reaction was not  not comment though later his department did issue a statement in his name. Friends, this isn’t even a close call. What happened in Syria should be condemned by every normal thinking person in the world. And I chose the word "normal" carefully.

(I’d be remiss in not mentioning that at the time Obama drew the red line in the sand, four years ago, Trump tweeted this: “President Obama, do not attack Syria. There is no upside and tremendous downside. Save your ‘powder’ for another (and more important) day.”

Is this not that day or at least in the running, Mr. President?

It’s one thing for Trump and his pals in the Senate to play politics and be on the precipice of the “nuclear option” to get his Supreme Court nominee through – and likely destroy any future of comity in the normally collegial Senate – but to not condemn Assad without bringing Obama into it, to not put human rights in the forefront of his foreign policy, as presidents of both parties have done for decades…well now everyone is seeing what “America first” really means.

And it ain’t pretty.
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    B. Jay Cooper

    B. Jay is a former deputy White House press secretary to Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He also headed the communications offices at the Republican National Committee, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Yale University. He is a former reporter and is the retired deputy managing director of APCO Worldwide's Washington, D.C., office.
    He is the father of three daughters and grandfather of five boys and one girl. He lives in Marion, Mass.

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