Horsemen of the Trumpocalypse

  “The King of Voter Suppression”: The “ALEC Exposed” series was published July 12, 2011, by the Nation. The Center for Media and Democracy maintains an important website at www.alecexposed.org. I wrote about many of these issues in a May 17, 2016, Nation article headlined: “Wisconsin Republicans Were ‘Giddy’ About Making It Harder to Vote.” The American Civil Liberties Union released several assessments and alerts regarding Kobach’s selection for the commission, including a May 11, 2017, statement headlined “Trump Voting Commission is a Sham.” The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law condemned the launch of the commission in a May 11, 2017, statement. The McClatchy article on Kobach, “Civil rights groups fume over Trump’s choice of Kobach to head voter fraud panel,” appeared May 11, 2017. PolitiFact reviews of Trump’s statements on voter fraud can be found at http://www.politifact.com/personalities/donald

  -trump/statements/byruling/pants-fire/. Ari Berman’s Nation article “Trump’s Commission on ‘Election Integrity’ Will Lead to Massive Voter Suppression” was published May 11, 2017. The New York Daily News report on Kobach, “Trump picks controversial figure to head voter fraud investigation,” was published May 11, 2017.

  Part II: Generals and CEOs Searching for Monsters to Destroy

  Eleanor Roosevelt wrote about freedom in her 1960 book, You Learn by Living, which was republished in 2011 by Harper Perennial. The Eisenhower quote is from the less-noted section of his 1961 “Farewell Address to the Nation,” better known as the “Military-Industrial Complex” speech. There are many fine biographies of John Quincy Adams, although there are many more to be written about this remarkable statesman. I like Harlow Giles Unger’s John Quincy Adams (Da Capo Press, reprint edition, 2013) and, especially, Paul Nagel’s John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, a Private Life (Harvard University Press, 1999). The full July 4, 1821, speech—“An address delivered at the request of a committee of the citizens of Washington: on the occasion of reading the Declaration of Independence, on the fourth of July, 1821”—was published that year in pamphlet form by Davis and Force. Read more about Colin Powell’s “Pottery Barn Rule” in Kathy Gilsinan’s fine September 30, 2015, article for the Atlantic: “The Pottery Barn Rule: Syria Edition. Colin Powell on his famous ‘you break it, you own it’ view of war, and how it’s nice to have a doctrine named after you.” Kristina Wong wrote a good piece, “Trump says he wouldn’t take use of nuclear weapons ‘off the table,’” for the Hill on March 30, 2015; another important assessment came on September 28, 2016, when Robert Windrem and William Arkin put together “What Does Donald Trump Really Think About Using Nuclear Weapons?” for NBC. Shane Goldmacher’s article “Why Trump Is So Obsessed with Generals” appeared in Politico December 9, 2016, while Andrew Bacevich discussed the question on Democracy Now! on December 16, 2016. David Graham’s article “Are Trump’s Generals Mounting a Defense of Democratic Institutions?” appeared January 31, 2017, in the Atlantic. Fred Kaplan, the author of Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War, wrote for Slate, March 15, 2017, on the subject “The Grown-Ups Are Locked Out: Trump is depriving Tillerson, Mattis, and McMaster of any real influence or support.” Phillip Carter spoke with Politico on all these issues and also has written extensively on a variety of military issues at the Center for a New American Security website: www.cnas.org.

  The “Mad Dog”: I have been writing for several decades now about civilian control of the military, in books and magazine articles. For some background, consider “Will Civilians Control the Military?” a piece I wrote for the Nation, May 9, 2006, on President Bush’s nomination of air force general Michael V. Hayden to direct the Central Intelligence Agency. Richard Kohn’s “An Essay on Civilian Control of the Military” was published in 1997 by the American Diplomacy project, which works in cooperation with the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill’s College of Arts and Sciences and its Curriculum in Peace, War and Defense, and with the Triangle Institute for Security Studies. Phyllis Bennis’s essay “Civilian Control Is Fundamental” appeared in USA Today on December 6, 2016. Richard Fontaine and others commented on the Mattis nomination in the Associated Press’s “Trump to nominate retired Gen. James Mattis to lead Pentagon,” published December 2, 2016. The Atlantic published the “16 Most Hair-Raising General Mattis Quotes” on July 9, 2010, while Politico produced “9 unforgettable quotes by James Mattis” on December 1, 2016. Mattis quotes are a favorite meme on Twitter and Facebook. London’s Daily Telegraph produced a fine profile, “General James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis, Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defence,” on December 2, 2016. The Mattis Senate roll-call vote, and those for other nominees, can be found at www.congress.gov. You’ll find details of the U.S. House wrangling over the Mattis nomination in the article “Thornberry charges Trump team with ‘short-sightedness’ for pulling Mattis from hearing” from Inside Defense, January 12, 2017. Senator Gillibrand issued a number of statements on the Mattis nomination; they’re archived at www.gillibrand.senate.gov. She spoke about the nomination with the Hill in “Gillibrand doubles down on opposing waiver for Mattis after meeting,” January 4, 2017.

  The Deputy Secretary for Boeing: CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr reported extensively on the Flournoy prospect, in pieces such as “Mattis, Trump team clashed over Pentagon appointment.” Politico magazine featured Flournoy in its February 27, 2017, forum: “Trump’s Alpha Male Foreign Policy.” There was extensive coverage of the Shanahan pick in the Seattle Times, where Boeing maintains a major manufacturing presence; “Trump taps Boeing executive Pat Shanahan for deputy secretary of defense” was published March 17, 2017. The Chicago Tribune’s detailed piece on Shanahan was headlined “Trump selects rising star at Boeing for No. 2 at Pentagon” and was published March 16, 2017. The Trump budget blueprint, “America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again,” can be found at www.whitehouse.gov. The Washington Post piece “Trump nominates Boeing executive for Pentagon’s second-in-command” appeared March 16, 2017. Stars and Stripes has also reported extensively on Trump’s Pentagon picks, with articles such as “Trump nominates Boeing executive to be Pentagon’s second-in-command,” March 16, 2017.

  The Director of the Office of the Military-Industrial Complex: Trump’s address to the joint session of Congress was delivered February 28, 2017. For background on the budget and Mulvaney’s statements about it, see www.whitehouse.gov. Politico profiled Mulvaney, with charts and lots of background, in the piece “Meet Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s pick to run OMB,” December 19, 2016. For more on the “Shutdown Caucus,” see “Trump Picks Mick Mulvaney, South Carolina Congressman, as Budget Director,” December 16, 2016. For more on McCain and Mulvaney, see “John McCain to oppose Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s budget director pick,” Washington Post, February 15, 2017. The Rock Hill, South Carolina, Herald reported extensively on Mulvaney’s land deal and the controversy surrounding it; a good deal of background can be found in the piece “Republican hopeful Mulvaney defends past land deal,” published October 8, 2010. Stanley Smith’s letter “Councilman tells Edenmoor story” appeared October 27, 2010, in the Florence, South Carolina, Morning News. Vox reported on Mulvaney’s “research” line in the piece “Trump’s budget director pick: ‘Do we really need government-funded research at all’: Mick Mulvaney suggested Zika science is uncertain, so we shouldn’t bother to fund it,” January 24, 2017. ThinkProgress writer Aaron Rupar examined the conflicts between Trump’s and Mulvaney’s statements in “Trump promised to save entitlements. His budget director pick wants him to break his vow: If President Trump goes along, it’ll break a promise candidate Trump made repeatedly,” January 24, 2017. CNN’s “Here’s what Trump’s budget proposes to cut” appeared March 16, 2017. A Politico magazine assessment, “Trump’s Cuts: The Good, the Bad and the Bizarre,” published March 17, 2017, was also very well done. Associated Press reported on Mulvaney’s climate-change remarks on March 16, 2017, in the article “White House calls climate change efforts ‘a waste of your money.’” Democrac
y Now!’s report on the Meals on Wheels mess appeared March 17, 2017. For background on Meals on Wheels and statements about it, visit www.meals

  onwheelsamerica.org. Jeff Merkley emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of the values behind the Trump budget, as did Barbara Lee, who says: “As a social worker and a senior member of the House Budget and House Appropriations Committees, I know that the federal budget is a moral document. Sadly, President Trump’s budget outline once again confirms that his priorities and values are deeply out of step with the American people.” Examples of the contradictory messages from Trump on Pentagon spending can be found in the transcript of his October 4, 2015, interview on NBC’s Meet the Press. A review of Mulvaney’s over-the-top statements regarding Trump’s Pentagon promises can be found in a February 28, 2017, piece I wrote for the Nation: “Donald Trump Goes All In for the Military-Industrial Complex: The president’s address signaled his plans for domestic austerity and military bloat.” Eisenhower’s “The Chance for Peace” address was delivered to the American Society of Newspaper Editors on April 16, 1953. The National Priorities Project assesses U.S. military spending as compared with spending by other countries; its “U.S. Military Spending vs. the World” review can be found at https://www.nationalpriorities.org/campaigns/us-military-spending-vs-world/.

  The Absolutist: The Michael Flynn fiasco was well detailed by the New York Times in its piece “Flynn’s Downfall Sprang From ‘Eroding Level of Trust,” which appeared February 14, 2017. General McMaster’s groundbreaking book, Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam, was published by HarperCollins in 1997 and remains available in a Harper Perennial edition; McMaster has written commentary pieces for major newspapers and magazines and lectured a good deal on military issues. Vox highlighted General McMaster’s record and the enthusiastic response to his selection in “H.R. McMaster, Trump’s pick for national security adviser: a brief guide,” February 20, 2017. As an example of the warm response the McMaster pick received, check out Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin’s “Why McMaster is ideally suited to head the National Security Council,” February 20, 2017. Dr. Steven Metz’s thought-­provoking review of Dereliction of Duty appeared in the autumn 1997 edition of the journal Parameters. General McMasters’s rejection of the term “radical Islamic terrorism” was examined in a February 25, 2017, piece by Chas Danner for New York magazine: “In Break With Trump, National Security Adviser Pans the Use of ‘Radical Islamic Terrorism.’” Dr. Steven Metz’s much discussed February 24, 2017, World Politics Review article was headlined “Does McMaster Pick Mean Trump Will ‘Go Big or Stay Home’ in Using Military Force?” Peter Baker asked in a February 25, 2017, piece: “Will Trump Take ‘Brutally Forthright’ Advice From McMaster?” George Packer asked on February 22, 2017, in a New Yorker piece: “Can a Free Mind Survive in Trump’s White House?” Andrew Bacevich wrote on February 21, 2017, for the American Conservative about “The Duty of General McMaster: As he takes charge of U.S. grand strategy, he must be a blunt, candid truth-teller.”

  The Koch Brother: I have been writing about the Koch brothers and groups they have created and funded, such as the American Legislative Exchange Council, for the better part of two decades. For background on the Kochs, I recommend visiting the Center for Media and Democracy’s www.alecexposed.org website. Also, I recommend Jane Mayers’s writing on the Kochs for the New Yorker and her fine book Dark Money: The Hidden History of Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right (Doubleday, 2016). My interview on the Kochs and ALEC with Fresh Air’s Terry Gross can be found at http://www.npr.org/2011/07/21/138537515/how-alec-shapes

  -state-politics-behind-the-scenes. The Washington Monthly identified Pompeo as “The congressman from Koch Industries” in a March 21, 2011, article. The Washington Post’s “Pompeo draws liberal groups’ ire,” published March 20, 2011, also detailed the Koch connection. Lisa Graves of the Center for Media and Democracy wrote “Koch Candidates? Where Is the Koch Machine Spending in 2016 So Far,” published June 14, 2016, at www.prwatch.org. Many media outlets detailed Pompeo’s tough stands on a host of issues, including the U.S. response to Edward Snowden; one of the best was “America’s next spy chief, Mike Pompeo, would be Trump’s ‘tough on terrorism’ man” by the McClatchy Washington Bureau, November 18, 2016. The Human Rights Watch response to the nomination, “Reject Pompeo for CIA Director,” was issued January 21, 2017. The Center for Food Safety report “Koch Industries and Monsanto Team Up to End Your Right to Know” was issued April 3, 2014. A useful report on Pompeo’s campaigns and the Kochs, “In Wichita, Pompeo and Tiahrt Vie for Koch Backing,” was published June 23, 2014, by the Center for Responsive Politics. The Politico report “Koch Industries Backs Pompeo” was published July 7, 2014.

  The U.S. Ambassador to the American Anti-Choice Movement: Former U.S. ambassador to the UN Samantha Power delivered her speech to the Atlantic Council on January 17, 2017. The Vox report of the speech, published January 18, 2017, declared: “Samantha Power’s diagnosis of the threat from Russia is brilliant. Her solutions aren’t.” Senator Chris Coons posted the video of his questioning of Haley on his official website, www.coons.senate.gov, and on January 18, 2017, circulated the transcript as “Senator Coons questions Gov. Nikki Haley, nominee for U.N. Ambassador: Senator Coons asks Gov. Haley about her views on Russia, the Iran deal, human rights, and NATO.” The January 5, 2017, “Cabinet Exit Memo” by Samantha Power is archived at https://2009-2017-usun.state.gov/remarks/7643. The Republican Party platform was approved July 18, 2016, by delegates to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. The International Women’s Coalition report on Haley’s nomination, “Nikki Haley: Trump’s Choice for US Ambassador to the UN Is a Poor Choice for a Bold Women’s Agenda,” was published January 18, 2017. The October 26, 2016, WIS-TV report on Haley’s sort-of endorsement of Trump was titled “Gov. Nikki Haley voting for Donald Trump only for policy reasons.” A July 10, 2015, Politico report on the South Carolina flag controversy was headlined “Nikki Haley’s star rises as rebel flag comes down: The experience of the past three weeks can only help the South Carolina governor break through into national politics.” The LifeNews.com report “President-Elect Donald Trump Names Pro-Life Gov. Nikki Haley as UN Ambassador” appeared November 23, 2016. The LifeSiteNews.com report on January 26, 2017, was headlined “Pro-life Nikki Haley’s confirmation as ambassador could lead to UN reining in abortion promotion.” Senator Shaheen’s questioning of Haley during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, as well as Senator Booker’s, is archived by CSPAN and can be viewed at www.https://www.c-span.org/video/?421753-1/un

  -ambassador-nominee-governor-nikki-haley-testifies-confirmation-hearing. Slate’s assessment of Haley as an “odd choice” for the UN post was published November 23, 2016, in the article “Trump Picks Nikki Haley, Who Called Him ‘Everything a Governor Doesn’t Want in a President,’ for U.N. Ambassador.” Charles Tiefer’s November 23, 2016, piece for Forbes was titled “Trump’s Choice of Nikki Haley Is a Slap to the U.N. and Pandering to Asian-Americans.”

  “Part and Parcel of an Organized Army of Hatred”: The Trump rally in Jerusalem received quite a bit of attention from Israeli outlets, including the Times of Israel in “Trump tells Jerusalem rally he’ll ‘make Israel, US safe again’” (October 26, 2016), as well as in American publications such as the Forward, which headlined its piece by Naomi Zeveloff “Down to the Dog Whistles, Donald Trump’s Jerusalem Rally Could Have Happened in Idaho” (October 26, 2016). Once David Friedman was nominated for ambassador, many more outlets reviewed the rally speech, including Haaretz, which headlined its December 16, 2016, piece “Trump’s Envoy to Israel: We’ll Break With ‘anti-Semitic’ State Dept., Move Embassy to Jerusalem.” There have been many fine profiles of Huma Abedin, including Vanity Fair’s big February 2016 article, “Is Huma Abedin Hillary Clinton’s Secret Weapon or Her Next Big Problem: The loyal aide has spent decades at the presidential co
ntender’s side with unparalleled access. But with a powerful Republican senator raising questions about her role in the Clinton-era State Department, Abedin finds herself the latest victim of the Stop Hillary movement.” The Washington Post Fact Checker reviewed the false statements about Abedin on August 25, 2016. PolitiFact Wisconsin reviewed Duffy’s statement on September 14, 2016, headlining its conclusions “No evidence to back claim that top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin has ties to Muslim Brotherhood.” J Street set up a special section on its website to highlight opposition to the nomination and ran a “Stop Friedman” campaign that featured the “American Jewish Clergy Reject David Friedman” letter and a letter from former U.S. ambassadors to Israel: “Holocaust Survivors Raise Concerns About Trump’s Choice for US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman” was sent February 14, 2017. The Haaretz analysis by Chemi Shalev, “David Friedman, Trump’s Radical-right Ambassador, Makes Netanyahu Look Like a J Street Lefty: It’s a good thing ambassador-designate David Friedman will have diplomatic immunity; otherwise he might get arrested for incitement,” was published December 18, 2016. Haaretz published the Judy Maltz article “Fund Headed by Trump’s Israel Ambassador Pumped Tens of Millions Into West Bank Settlement: Rabbi heading yeshiva supported by David Friedman’s organization called on soldiers to resist orders to evacuate settlements” on December 16, 2016. A statement from American Muslims for Palestine, “AMP staffers arrested protesting David Friedman’s hearing at Senate Foreign Relations Committee,” was released February 17, 2017. The February 17, 2017, Jewish Telegraphic Agency report on Friedman’s hearing was headlined “J Street Israel boss rejects David Friedman’s remorse for ‘kapos’ remark.” Haaretz reported on February 18, 2017, that “In Unprecedented Step, Reform Jewish Movement Opposes Trump’s Pick for Israel Envoy: David Friedman lacks both the ‘basic qualifications’ and ‘temperament’ required by the position of Israel envoy, the largest Jewish movement in North America says.” The Union of Reform Judaism statement “Reform Jewish Movement Opposes David Friedman’s Nomination for U.S. Ambassador to Israel” was released the day before. CNN’s Fareed Zakaria spoke of Trump’s “surreal” lack of preparation in a February 15, 2017, interview with network colleague Don Lemon.