First-time readers, the dialogue in this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1. List and general description of entries to date. Annual assessment if Revolution plausible.
Note: most characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations. Profile of characters. You’ll catch on quickly. Thanks for your time and interest…and comments.
Scene: Jordan’s office in Washington a few days after the dinner meeting with Gelly, JC and Greenie. (Lead-n. Last comment in conversation, Entry #252, JC said, “Follow the money.”) (Series “Who Took Out the Donald?’ begins Entry #244.)
Greenie: “JC, I agree that a lot of people in Congress have been influenced by money. Trump certainly was, too. But…”
JC: “…but you think there’s more, right?”
Greenie: “I don’t want to sound as if I’m beating a dead horse but I want to come back to Jordan’s theory about the FBI.”
JC: “When you said dead horse, what popped into my head was the classic bedroom scene from the ‘Godfather.’”
Greenie: “Probably a good scenario. Think about the relationship between the movie director, aka Trump, and the mob boss, in this case the FBI. Not suggesting James Comey was a mob boss…well, you get the idea.”
Jordan: “We get the idea. The movie director sticks his finger in the eye of the mafia don, thinking he can intimidate him.”
Greenie: “The movie director’s problem? He was either too stupid to realize the potential consequences or had too much hubris. And look what happened to the director’s prized possession.”
Matt: “I’d never thought about Trump’s behavior that way. The comparison to the movie guy in the ‘Godfather’ is an interesting one.”
Greenie: “Think about it. Trump insults Comey publically. He also tries to convince Comey to drop any investigation into Trump’s cronies.”
JC: “Then Comey testifies in Congress about Trump’s behavior. How does Trump react? Trump and his lawyer claim Comey lied and Trump was completely exonerated by ‘Comey-the-Liar’s’ testimony. Apparently Trump and his high-priced real-estate lawyer didn’t listen very well.”
Matt: “In fairness to the Donald, there was no smoking gun in Comey’s testimony…at least his public testimony.”
Greenie: “Matt, c’mon. I know you’re a reporter and want to be fair, but you sound like you work for Fox News.”
Matt: “Since when did Fox News become a real news organization? Anyway, Comey’s testimony did not provide clear-cut evidence of obstruction of justice. Questionable behavior by Trump? Definitely, but no clear-cut evidence of obstruction.”
JC: “There was clear-cut evidence Trump did not understand how government works. You know the stuff we were taught in 8th grade civics class. Donald, were you asleep the entire semester?”
Matt: “What I think Trump failed to realize and certainly didn’t appreciate was the out Comey gave him.”
Greenie: “You mean the out that women use all the time? All Trump had to do was keep the Twitter account in silent mode and, then if he had any brains, say he was sorry that he stepped over the line that separates the responsibilities of different branches of government. I mean, how hard was it to make an apology?”
Jordan: “I hadn’t thought about that. An apology could have sucked most of the air out of the investigation. It certainly couldn’t have hurt.”
JC: “But, no, the Donald thought he was doing another episode of the ‘Apprentice.’ Scowl and look mean. For some reason he couldn’t apologize and took the opposite approach by ratcheting up the negative rhetoric.”
Jordan: “He also set up a no-win situation for himself – claiming yet again there were recordings of the conversation with Comey that exonerated him but never showing the evidence.”
Matt: “And then offered to testify under oath about Comey and other issues. Trump made some really stupid comments but still not enough of a reason for the FBI to take him out.”
JC: “Jordan, the FBI is your theory. What about Matt’s question?”
Jordan: “We’ve talked about this before. The FBI, in my opinion, considered Trump to be mentally spiraling more and more out of control. We’ll probably never know the entire story but according to credible reports, when Trump would watch TV in the living quarters of the White House, he would scream at reports he didn’t like.”
Matt: “Sounds like Nixon but how about some more examples, please.”
Jordan: “Reacting to Comey’s testimony was the most obvious at the time. But two other critical areas were out of control.”
Greenie: “I’m guessing diplomatic relations was one. And for #2, I’ll go with defense.”
Jordan: “Greenie, you’re two for two. Take diplomacy. In short order, Trump managed…in the most polite terms…to give the finger to our strongest allies – Germany, England, France and Israel. Then he chastised Qatar for supporting terrorists. Did he realize the US had a major military base in Qatar?”
JC: “Probably not. Did he even know Qatar was a country…let alone where it was? And the country he supported instead of Qatar? Saudi Arabia. Mmm, the Donald must have forgotten about where the 9/11 terrorists came from.”
Jordan: “I think worse than the public chastising of Qatar was Trump publicly ignoring efforts and statements by the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State.”
Matt: “He did make Tillerson and Mattis each look like a fool. Each had worked hard to convince NATO allies that the US was committed. Then during the meeting at NATO, Trump claims…incorrectly I might add…claims that US taxpayers were footing the bill for other NATO countries. Worse still, at the NATO meeting he refused to support Article 5…the key to NATO.”
JC: “Article 5 is the one where each country commits to defend other members, right?”
Jordan: “Yes and Article 5 is the cornerstone of NATO. Within a few days of insulting secretaries of Defense and State…and NATO allies…he throws the Attorney General under the bus. Why? Because in Trump-world the AG displayed ‘weakness’ by recusing himself from the Russia investigation.”
Greenie: “Can’t have the Attorney General following the law. Have to be tough.”
Matt: “I think it was the next week…maybe two weeks later…he started trashing the Robert Mueller, special counsel leading the investigation, and Rod Rosenstein, the second in command at Justice who was managing Mueller. Trashing those guys was not smart.”
Jordan: “This had Watergate written all over. In fact, and I hadn’t really thought about it until now, but as I recall, most of the Trump outrages against the special counsel and Justice occurred mid-June. I remember it was after Memorial Day and before the 4th of July. And when was the Watergate break-in?”
Greenie: “Mid-June. I remember because we’d just moved to Alexandria…Virginia, not Egypt.”
JC: “So the guys at the FBI, who have extensive experience analyzing bizarre behavior, look at Trump and concluded he was too dangerous to stay in the job.”
Greenie: “Then one of the FBI reps went to meet the reality TV star and make him and offer he couldn’t refuse.”
Jordan: “You mean ‘Donald, do yourself a favor. Resign and go play golf.’ And, oh, by the way, if you do resign we’ll also quietly drop all but the most egregious illegal money transactions with the Russians.”
JC: “But like the movie director in the ‘Godfather,’ Trump refused, which left the FBI no choice but to take him out and save the country.”
(Continued)
Greenie: “Think about Trump’s meeting with the Russians in the Oval Office. No reporters except for a Russian photographer. Only when the photographs were published by the Russians did the US public know who really attended the meeting.”
Greenie: “So Trump slobbers all over the Russian’s the Saudi’s and then a few days later trashes our allies in NATO. Trump was clearly not working for the best interests of the United States. His argument at NATO about the extra burden on US taxpayers was wrong. A week or so later his argument to drop out of the Paris climate accord was completely false. That’s why I believe there was lots of money funneled to the Trump family.”
Matt: “And you think Pence and Sessions were in on the deal, too?”
Jordan: “Let me jump in. Yes, the tax returns would have helped. Highly likely that most, if not all the foreign payments were never reported. Releasing the returns would have subjected Trump, and probably Kushner and other family members, to income tax evasion. In addition to tax evasion acknowledging payments from foreign governments would have violated the emoluments clause of the Constitution.”
JC: “Supporters claimed the events were left-wing hyperbole and the actions by Trump were meaningless or innocent. I don’t buy in. There was a pattern. Too many so-called “odd” events in such a short period of time not only doesn’t smell right…but it defies logic.”
Jordan: “I’d say the odds were well beyond 1,000,000:1 and likely well above 100,000,000:1.”
JC: “Let me guess. #1 is supporters didn’t really understand the issues. Recall Trump saying something like, ‘Who knew healthcare was so complicated?”
Matt: “I agree with one exception. People with a college degree who continued to support Trump after the first few months in office. It’s impossible…or at least I think it is…to go through college and not develop some understanding of how events are linked.”
JC: “Yes, Fox News. I’m not certain that was the intent of Fox News, at least when it was started.”
Jordan: “I agree the other channels could be a bit biased at times, but not like Fox. You know as well as I that Fox should have been called the ‘pants-on-fire’ network.”
JC: “That’s my point. Fox routinely made up stuff and presented as hard facts. Trump supporters actually considered Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity as serious journalists.”
Matt: “Let me go back and ask again. What about certain members of Congress…McConnell, for example. Was he brainwashed? Is that why he stonewalled any investigation of Trump? What about Pence and Sessions? Were they brainwashed?
Sandy:
JC:
JC:
Greenie:
JC:
Greenie:
JC:
Greenie:
Gelly:
Sandy:
Greenie:
JC:
Greenie:
JC: “Maybe heads should have rolled at the White House sooner. Sorry, that was too easy.”
Sandy:
JC: “Yes, we would…right Jordan?”
Gelly: “I guess that’s what’s confusing me. I agree Trump was like a water bug when it came to international policies – he’d head off in one direction one second and then quickly shift to another direction. But other than some blustery talk about bombing North Korea and the infamous wrong-way destroyer claim, he never caused any turbulence below the surface. The diplomats and the professionals somehow handled the foreign-policy issues.”
Gelly: “Seems to me that some of the Trump proposals, if implemented as drafted, would have completely split the country. Even though some of the crazier the ideas were eventually watered down, we still had the Revenge Revolution. Just how much carnage would there have been if had not been taken out?”
Gelly: “Ya’ know, it’s probably not fair, but when I think of Trump as president I think of Howdy Doody.”
Greenie: “Thanks for the compliment…but it’s been a while since I was an insider. Anyway, I want to hear your take.”
JC: “Maybe first in not studying and first in narcissism. But he’s no one’s academic. And I’m sure Wharton would rather not admit he’s an alum.”
JC: “More like, if you don’t disappear voluntarily, then you, too, will disappear.”
Waiter delivers a round of drinks.
Gelly:
JC:
Greenie:
Greenie:
Gelly:
Jordan:
Jordan:
Greenie: “Jordan, if you don’t mind, I’d like to continue the conversation we began at the office. You know lots of the ins and outs of Washington…so why did the Donald get taken out?”
Jordan: “Simple. Well, maybe not so simple…but easy to understand. It’s the old adage of ‘Just follow the money.’”
JC: “I hear you Jordan. How much do you think he owed on those properties…and to whom?”
Gelly: “So you guys think he was heavily in debt. If so, like JC said, money owed to whom?”
JC: “What was that guy on the transition team who had been some high-level dude at Bank of Cyprus?”
Gelly: “Then are you saying then that the Russians took out Trump?”
Jordan: “Good point, Greenie. I’ve always been suspicious about the sudden change in attitude. And, then, within a day or so of the change in attitude, Secretary of State Tillerson is at the Kremlin and has a private, unscheduled, undocumented two-hour meeting with Putin. That meeting doesn’t smell right. How much of a bad-ass could Tillerson have been? Just a couple of years before, Putin gave Tillerson a Russian Order of Friendship medal.”
Jordan: “Good one Gelly.”
Jordan: “I agree he might have thought he could give the proverbial finger to the Russians and walk away…but that’s not how it works.”
Gelly: “Jordan, the dynamic duo is here to see you – JC and Greenie.”
Greenie: “I’m visiting JC for a few days. She offered to edit some of my articles on the cause of the Revenge Revolution.”
JC: “So…Jordan, does Captain Queeg’s behavior in Caine Mutiny remind you of anybody who used to be in Washington…you know, like…”
JC: “I’d forgotten how wacko those guys in the White House really were…starting with the Donald.”
Greenie: “When there was no evidence of a wiretap, he claimed the former Attorney General broke the law by doing her job and should be put in jail.”
Greenie: “Finally, Queeg appoints his wet-behind-the-ears son-in-law as executive officer in charge of the ship…and also appoints the pretty-face, but ‘not-the-brightest bulb’ daughter, as key advisor.”
Greenie: “Queeg….I mean Trump was really dangerous. What I think was even worse – a lot of supposedly responsible people, including Republican leadership in the House and Senate….didn’t want to admit how much Queeg and staff really were out of control.”
Jordan: “Well, I really hate to say this…I mean I’d better think about it.”
JC: “Let me guess. One is the Russians, which seems like an obvious choice. From what I can tell, they have him by the short hairs.”
JC: “You thinking an inside job…like someone from one of the intelligence agencies or the special ops guys in the military? Yikes, the thought of that makes me squirm.”
JC: “It was. But now all that’s over. To end on a more positive note, the country survived after president Queeg. Lots of turmoil and the Revenge Revolution but we survived.”
Gelly: “Jordan, you’ve done it again?”
Gelly: “You mean the executives of the company that’s relocating. But I never though about the cost of these relocations to the people where the company left and even…”
Senior executives and sha
Many 
Taxpayers 
Gelly: “Actually, I liked the analogy. It helped me understand how wealth is created for a society rather than just an individual.” 
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of steps, the raw 
turning the corn into ce
Medical care
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The reallocation is particularly true 
technology has replaced much of the labor content in manufacturing. And the use of technology to replace workers will only continue. 