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The Plot Against the President — 6 Comments

1. There have been several books along the same lines as Lee Smith’s. Greg Jarret, Dan Bongino, and Jeanine Pirro have written similar books. I understand that Smith’s book pulls together some threads that the others missed. Especially the work of Devin Nunes.

   Yes, we are outraged by what has gone down. But a complete restart of the DOJ and FBI, while it sounds good, is probably an impossible task. How, exactly, to reform theses agencies without mass resignation and rehiring is the problem. Strong, non-partisan, reform minded leaders at both agencies is probably the most practical path. Obama managed to change these agencies and more (the military) by filling them with his acolytes. Getting rid of them would be difficult, but not impossible.

   The Federal agencies are a mess, that’s for sure.

2. I’ve heard it said that maybe the longest lasting most impactful legacy of Obama is the total politicization of the DOJ and intelligence agencies.

3. J.J.,
   Bookworm Rom had a piece the other day about the number to people Obama had replaced in the military too.

4. Book sounds great, and well researched.
   Will Neo get it? Or Powerline folk? Then I don’t have to!

   I’m already Mad as Hell, and looking for a realistic way to Not Take It Anymore.

   Getting most of the DC swamp critters re-assigned to be OUT of DC would be a good first step.

   Not politically plausible (0.001% likely) until there is a strong pro-Trump, anti-DC Rep majority. Unlikely even after a 2020 close Rep takeover of the House, altho rules for hiring might change.

   Trump needs more attention to the hiring decisions, too many departments include political hires who are Rep quiet NeverTrumpers. Hired as “Trump Reps”, they’re not actually his inside allies, and he doesn’t know who is.

   It’s really hard to tell the sincere from the insincere boot-lickers from the cleanliness of the boots.

5. By interesting coincidence, I just read a lengthy article recently in the Smithsonian about William O’Dwyer – a perfect example of the Democrat party being the party of corruption, attempting to defend its own by any means necessary to keep itself in power.

   I am not delusional enough to think the Republican party is driven-snow pure, but throughout the last century or more, nothing has institutionalized corruption, built itself on perpetuation of corruption, and wedded corruption and the government, like the Democrat party.

6. It was a very good read, thanks KyndyllG.
   A comment led me to this review of a 1954 book written about o’Dwyer, which has a certain poignant irony in the context of this thread.

   https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/mayor-william-odwyer-new-york-city-mob-180973078/

   There is a great book on this, called The Big Fix. It came out shortly after the trials, and witten by two journalists who covered the story. It’s out of print, but you can find copies through Alibris.

   https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/paul-h-landis-2/the-big-fix-2/

   Two newspaper reporters exhume and examine disreputable affiliations between city politics and crime which formed the twelve million dollar a year bookmaking combine which Harry Gross operated on a direct pipeline to City Hall. And while Gross’ career, from a delinquent boyhood in Brooklyn to the vast enterprise he built, is the shabby product of city corruption and protection, O’Dwyer, in his offices as D.A. and Mayor, is perhaps the real criminal and “”a melancholy essay on political morality””. While Miles McDonald, the new D.A., who pushed the investigation without fear or favor is the only man of distinction in this story which ends with the arrest of Gross, the cleanup of the police force, and O’Dwyer’s forced exodus to Mexico … An aggressive, and in a sense, exhaustive review of an old news beat with doubtful current interest.

   Another story about O’Dwyer.
   https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/fugitive-mayor-william-o-dwyer-abrupt-exit-city-hall-article-1.807859

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