Some last thoughts on a day of many elite signals (Esper press conference, Mattis letter, Milley, etc.) and now this from Senate Republicans, which may not seem like much but is more than meets the eye. 1/
Here are my earlier thoughts on why Esper's press conference mattered (and notably, I saw a clip on local news tonight, still an important source for many Americans): 2/ washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/…
His action to reverse order to send troops back to base after meeting at White House does weaken the effect of his remarks but does not fully undercut them -- and the @politico report suggests they did influence Senate R's. 3/
Mattis' letter adds to the general climate of military and DoD civilians speaking out, but it is notable that Esper, while certainly no hero (see last night's interview), is doing this in office. 4/
And Senate R's speaking out raise the political costs to Trump of firing Esper. In sum, elites don't just send cues to the public, they also send them to other elites, and that can generate constraints. 5/5
tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…
tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…
