The New York Times published an anonymous opinion article on Sept. 5 titled “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration.” The writer detailed that along with colleagues, they have been working to derail much of the Trump Administration’s plans for this country.
What’s written
The Op-Ed begins discussing how Trump and his administration are facing hardships never before seen by a sitting president: a large special counsel, a divided country and his party might lose the House majority. Adding in that senior officials are conspiring against most of Trump’s agenda seems bleak until the writer adds, that, unlike the left, [those working together] “want the administration to succeed” but ultimately believe their “first duty is to this country.”
Some of the government’s achievements include deregulation of the economy, tax reform and increased military spending. These achievements are believed to be made “despite–not because of– the president’s leadership style.”
The anonymous source goes on to say that Trump is “impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective.” The author talks about how although elected as a Republican, Trump actually attacks Republican ideals more than he promotes them. The author describes an example of this as Trump’s constant attack on the press, calling it the “enemy of the people” while conservatives actually are for “free minds, free markets and free people.”
John McCain is brought up more than once– from his farewell letter to the example he set for the American people. The author calls him a lodestar, (which is commonly used by Vice President Mike Pence.) They agree with McCain and his advocacy of unity to not allow Trump to take advantage of the American people any further.
They briefly mention invoking the 25th Amendment, but say it’s decided to “steer the administration” until Trump’s presidency is over.
The 25th Amendment
For those unaware of the 25th Amendment, it is the impeachment of the sitting president of the United States. For Trump to be impeached, the House of Representatives would have to present substantial evidence to convince the US Senate that the President has partaken in treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors. If Trump was convicted then Pence would be sworn in as President.
Lodestar
By definition: a star that is used to guide the course of a ship, especially Polaris. Many have noted this is one of Pence’s “terms,” but it can’t prove much.
The New York Times “explanation”
In an interesting read published Sunday, The New York Times collected questions and answers they received post-editorial. James Dao, the Op-Ed editor at The Times responds with a few overarching themes: the first-person, personal aspect of the piece; how the vetting process worked/if the source can be trusted; and the effects of the article, from “deep state” theories to the Kavanaugh hearings, and the question of whether this piece serves as a “coup” or a “heroic attempt to save democracy.”