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David Rothkopf Profile picture
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11 Nov, 4 tweets, 2 min read
Guessing at cabinet picks is DC's great mug's game. Everyone has an opinion and most have less knowledge than they need. That said, this NYT list of contenders looks pretty darn good to me in terms of the quality of the choices.
nytimes.com/2020/11/11/us/…
That said, as a national security & foreign policy guy, a few thoughts:
--@ABlinken is an ideal choice for National Security Advisor.
--No one is better qualified than Bill Burns to be SecState...and with rebuilding the dept. a key priority, a career guy like him is best.
--@micheleflournoy is the right choice for DoD. She has trained her whole life for the job and is universally respected.
--@AmbassadorRice deserves a top job. Given the job of work in the IC, I would make her DNI.
--Tom Donilon also should have a top job. He'd be great for USUN.
--@RepValDemings would be an excellent pick at DHS and deserves a leadership role.
--Mike Morell would be a natural as DCI.
--My choice for AG would be @SallyQYates

More thoughts at another time. And no disrespect to the great folks not mentioned above.

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More from @djrothkopf

David Rothkopf Profile picture
13 Nov
Thought experiment: What if the majority of Americans got to pick the president, the Senate majority and the House majority? What if there were no gerrymandering and no Citizens United? We would not have had a GOP president since Bush. We'd have 8 Dem nominated SCOTUS justices.
Everyone in the country would have health care coverage. The US would lead the global fight against the climate crisis. We would have reasonable gun control laws, better education, lower taxes for the middle class, a fairer tax system, and balanced budgets.
We would have had no Iraq War, no Guatanamo, no torture. We would have fought COVID with science and common sense. Hundreds of thousands at home and abroad would be alive today who are not now. Our system would be stronger. Our people would be more prosperous.
Read 6 tweets
David Rothkopf Profile picture
11 Nov
Great as it is to be rid of Trump, this election has left Trumpism and the right in a strong position within the federal government and in statehouses. The work of defeating the very real threat they pose to our country is just beginning.
To contain McConnnell, ultimately win a solid majority in the Senate and build the majority in the House, to start taking back key statehouses, the Democratic Party needs to be stronger, smarter, better, more motivated, more creative than ever. That requires two things...
We must be unified, drawing strength from our diversity and the range of points of view we represent. And we must be capable of critical self-appraisal so we can grow and evolve. That does not mean factional sniping. It means, constructive honesty.
Read 4 tweets
David Rothkopf Profile picture
11 Nov
Yesterday was Kristallnacht. Today is Veteran's Day. On Kristallnacht, my grandfather was arrested & my Dad snuck around Vienna seeking information about him. Six years later, an artillery officer in the US Army he went back to Europe to fight (with the 88th Infantry Division.)
Contrary to what our president might think, my Dad was always very clear about what he was fighting for. He was not a sucker or a loser. He was a hero like all those he fought alongside & everyone who has sacrificed in any way to preserve our freedoms & the promise of our system.
In his last years, my Dad would send a postcard on the anniversary of Kristallnacht saying "Never forget." Nowadays, each year, I try to remember to share the same message.
Read 5 tweets
David Rothkopf Profile picture
10 Nov
"Don't worry, the GOP will never pick Trump..."
"Don't worry, Trump will never become president..."
"Don't worry, the American people will never embrace a candidate who is collaborating with our worst enemy..."
"Don't worry, he will become more presidential..."
"Don't worry, the grown ups will guide him and keep him from going off the rails..."
"Don't worry, he'll never openly steal from the US government..."
"Don't worry, he will divest from all his family businesses..."
"Don't worry, he won't reveal US secrets to our enemies..."
"Don't worry, he won't empower his children, they'd never get security clearances..."
"Don't worry, we have checks and balances that will stop his abuses..."
"Don't worry, Mueller will reveal the truth..."
"Don't worry, Barr wouldn't lie about Mueller..."
Read 8 tweets
David Rothkopf Profile picture
9 Nov
This might be a good time for folks to take a deep breath before interpreting election results. We don't know how much of victory was due to Biden's campaign message, Biden's record, Kamala's boost to the ticket, hatred for Trump, Trump errors on the campaign trail...
...the enduring appeal of Trumpism, the effectiveness of GOP campaigns for the Senate or the House, the mistakes made in Dem campaigns for the House, vice versa on both the preceding counts, the role of the GOP disinformation echosystem, COVID, the economy...
...mobilizing progressives, mobilizing centrists, racism, anti-racism, the movement to defund the police, the use of the word socialism, media blunders, voter ignorance, the impeachment process, corruption in DC, campaign finance abuse, the power of the establishment...
Read 9 tweets
David Rothkopf Profile picture
6 Nov
Just spent a moment wondering why I had such an emotional reaction to Biden taking the lead in Pa. I realized I have spent the better part of the past five years focusing on warning about Trump, calling out his abuses and doing what I could to help defeat him.
I've never spent so much time focused on a single goal for such a protracted period in my life (except trying to ensure my kids were happy and healthy). I'm not sure what I have done has made any difference at all. But the threat posed by Trump has always been so clear to me.
He has always seemed to me a national security threat which is why when I was at Foreign Policy we broke tradition and endorsed Hillary Clinton while warning of that threat. He has emerged not only as a traitor but as an existential threat to American democracy.
Read 15 tweets

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