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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTruth from Slate "John Kelly Was Always Just Donald Trump With Better Manners"
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/12/john-kelly-departure-cruelty-trump.htmlThe outgoing chief of staffs record of casual cruelty and tolerance of bigotry should remind us that moderation means nothing when paired with such toxic ideology.
By JAMELLE BOUIE
DEC 10, 20187:07 PM
For nearly two years, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly has served as chief of staff to President Donald Trump.* On Saturday, he announced that hell end that tenure by the end of this year. Hell leave the White House as chaotic and disordered as it was when he took the job. But the ins and outs of Kellys performance are less interesting than what he stood for in the larger context of the Trump era. If Trumpism has any meaning or ideological content separate from Donald Trump himself, it had a representativeif not an embodimentin Kelly. What the outgoing chief of staff lacks in Trumps intemperate attitude and undisciplined behavior, he makes up for in his commitment to basic elements of the presidents ideologyincluding his casual cruelty and tolerance for bigotry and bad behavior.
We saw these traits during Kellys spat with Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson, which started after Wilson criticized the president for his insensitivity toward the widow of a slain soldier, who was black. Kelly accused Wilson of taking false credit for the construction of an FBI field office in Miami, calling her an empty barrel more concerned with herself than the FBI agents. Kelly supposedly made this accusation on the premise of Wilsons speech at the building dedication ceremony, but video of the event shows the oppositeshe had not, in fact, taken credit for the buildings funding. Kelly refused to apologize, signaling his disdain for Wilson, part of a pattern of open disrespect for black female critics of the administration.
We saw these traits in an interview with Fox News where he blamed the Civil War on the lack of the ability to compromise, and praised Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as an honorable man along with the men and women of good faith on both sides of the conflict. (The Civil War broke out after more than a decade of conflict over the expansion of slavery.) Compounding the problem of these remarks was the context: They came just a few months after Unite the Right, a rally of white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia, that ended in violenceone counterdemonstrator was killed and dozens more were injured. In the wake of that tragedy, President Trump used the same both sides language to defend the actions of the racist protesters.
Kelly might value normalcy and temperance over chaos and impulse, but he shares the presidents basic worldview.
We saw them again following allegations of domestic abuse against Rob Porter, a senior aide to the president who had previously served as chief of staff for Kelly himself. Porter resigned his position after two ex-wives came forward with accusations and evidence of verbal and physical abuse, including kicking, throwing, and choking. But in the lead-up to that resignation, Porter was defiant, calling the allegations outrageous. Kelly knew that Porter had been subject to a protective order obtained by his second wife. Still, he backed him, calling Porter a man of true integrity and honor. Kelly was practically indifferent to the charges, an attitude that might have made this the most consequential scandal of his tenure, if not for what followed.
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Truth from Slate "John Kelly Was Always Just Donald Trump With Better Manners" (Original Post)
NRaleighLiberal
Dec 2018
OP
Solly Mack
(90,763 posts)1. K&R
babylonsister
(171,059 posts)2. Yep. He hid behind his military background. nt
lunasun
(21,646 posts)4. Not really -his history at south command should have been a big clue to everyone IMO
Takket
(21,563 posts)3. He is a grade A scumbag
lunasun
(21,646 posts)5. He had bad juju in the military before coming to the WH
Those who worked alongside him in Latin America knew his worldview already aligned more closely with Trump's than many may have realized, those who thought he was going to change the president
I was surprised at the welcoming salutations of his WH arrival here @ du considering his background
Maybe people see stars and bars and filter out
BigmanPigman
(51,590 posts)6. He always was a world class racist and misogynist.
He was behind separating immigrants and deporting them too. My dad told me not to be fooled and that he is another old, white dude who thinks that being in the military garnishes respect. My dad was right.
ffr
(22,669 posts)7. Dishonorable to longstanding U.S. traditions.
May he be caught up in his complicitness as well.
Hassler
(3,377 posts)8. Bigot, misogynist, liar. How is he better mannered than Smocking Gun?
Answer: he is smart enough not to use Twitter. That is all.
oasis
(49,379 posts)9. Kelly ain't worth shit on a stick.