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16 Nov, 4 tweets, 2 min read
I have no special knowledge of where things are going, but some of the names I am hearing for the Biden cabinet & team (starting w/@RonaldKlain but including @micheleflournoy Janet Yellen, Bill Burns, @ABlinken, etc.)suggest a team of consummate professionals, the un-Trumpists.
Because of the massive damage Trump & Co. have done & are doing to each of the agencies of the USG, often destroying & demoralizing them from within, what is needed are experienced pros, people who know their "buildings," people who bring institutional knowledge to the game.
After four corrosive years, we need the A Team. So less emphasis on playing politics and more on hiring the best folks for the job is warranted. (That said, that approach will can and should produce a diverse group that can include proven next generation leaders.)
Based on the buzz, I have a good feeling on where this cabinet may be headed (many more great names than just those cited above)--offsetting the defects of the last mob and learning the lessons of what worked & what didn't under Obama.

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More from @djrothkopf

David Rothkopf Profile picture
17 Nov
Hope this is not true. Fear that it is. Biden said he would let his DoJ do its job. Sending a message that he is reluctant to investigate is not doing that. Further, not investigating and prosecuting where appropriate sends clear message: President and his men are above the law.
It sets as precedent...or rather continues the terrible precedents of letting Nixon, the Iran-Contra guys, and Bush era torturers off the hook. I want Biden to succeed, but if he is complicit in ensuring Trump's pattern of law breaking and obstruction worked...
...then he deserves to be actively opposed. He needs to understand that the Trump abuses were threats to our democracy, involved active betrayal of the country, undermined the rule of law, and that if there are no penalties for that behavior, it will return and soon.
Read 4 tweets
David Rothkopf Profile picture
15 Nov
Imagine if 250,000 people had died in a war over the past 7 months & there were predictions another 200,000 would die in the next four months. And the Commander-in-Chief had abandoned his post, just walked away. (After greatly contributing to the losses we'd already incurred.)
Hard to fathom, right? In part that's because we have never lost that many people in a war. (We've already lost more people than the 218K total combat deaths in the Civil War, we'll pass the 291K lost in four years of World War II in a month or two.)
In part, it's hard to fathom because we have never had a leader so craven, so incompetent, so uncaring about the America people, so irresponsible in his dereliction of duty, as Donald Trump.
Read 4 tweets
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
11 Nov
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.
Read 4 tweets

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