Bannon should never have been associated with anyone running
for public office, let alone the presidency. To have him associated with donald
trump in both the White House and the campaign that led to White House is a
travesty that cheapened the presidency.
So, firing an Alt-Right spokesman and leader from his
White House job is the least trump could do. It would have been better if
Bannon had not been there at all. But now that he is gone, trump needs to
remain separated from him for good.
The second step trump needs to take is to clean the White
House of all other alt-right persons and suspected leakers. Let Gen. Kelly do
his job. Clean house and build discipline among the troops in the West Wing. But
more needs to be done, still.
That task is building a TEAM in the West Wing. This is not a
trump White House; it is the American White House and it belongs to all of us.
We all have to believe in it. If we don’t, then there is a third step that
needs to be taken.
And that step is the resignation of trump himself. This may
very well occur a little later this year. I think this step is unavoidable
mainly because of trump himself. This is not an ideological view on my part. It
is purely practical.
The man elected to the presidency has not done well in the
role at all. He has not fashioned legislation. He has not created policy. All
he has done is mix things up and sign meaningless documents called executive
orders. That is not governance in any way, shape or form.
Talk with any political scientist or historian. They will
tell you with academic frankness that trump has been a disaster on the
governance scene and done damage to himself and the institution of the White
House. It is that bald a statement they will make, and they will be correct.
That is why trump must resign. The earlier steps removing
Bannon, cleaning the WH staff of misfits and troublemakers, and finally
building a team, are all good; but they will likely fall apart as long as trump
is on the scene.
Why? Because he is not a team player. The Republican Party
knows this; so do the party leaders – personally and intrinsically. The WH
staff know he is not a team player. And even though Gen. Kelly is a team
player and a team builder, there is no discipline that will make trump a
collaborator or cooperator in or on the team. Period. No way.
That is a sorry state of affairs, but it is a logical
conclusion when we note trump’s private corporate status and wealth that gives
him his own head in decision making. And then everyone goes along with it.
That’s not how government works. It is team all the way.
Leadership directs and pulls the team along a path. It is not done by fiat or decree. Only spoiled kids and wealthy adults think in such a manner. Leaders do
not think this way. To make the point, just observe Gen. Kelly. End of
argument.
So, there you have it. Second step and third step. No matter
how you cut it, trump must resign. That will leave Pence in place but that is
another story, another day and yet another playbook to study.
I doubt Pence has staying power. I doubt he has the
leadership capability the nation requires. But we will have the time needed to
analyze his performance on the job and then conclude what will be concluded
after an appropriate time. At least let’s put trump out of our misery. For his
own good and ours.
August 21, 2017
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