The
Washington Establishment has a visceral hatred for Trump because he promises to
put them out of business.
Why
does the Washington Establishment hate Donald Trump? It is not because of his
positions on immigration or trade. Pat
Buchanan and Ross Perot advocated similar stands in 1992 and they did not
generate the obsessive hatred being displayed in 2016.
Trump has
declared war on the Establishment itself.
In his June 16, 2015 Presidential announcement Trump asserted:
“So I’ve watched the
politicians. I’ve dealt with them all my life…They will never make America
great again. They don’t even have a chance. They’re controlled fully by the
lobbyists, by the donors, and by the special interests…it’s destroying our
country. We have to stop, and it has to stop now.”
The Washington Establishment sees Trump as serious about
them being the primary impediment to making America “great again”. Trump sees the Establishment as lining their
pockets, and their friends’ pockets, as beneficiaries of the status quo. As long as nothing changes, the Establishment
will have their mansions, limousines, VIP tables, and ego trips.
There is much at stake.
Think of Washington, DC as a mass of “cookie jars” each
containing delicious treats. There are
those who control the cookie jars, those who want the cookie jars, and those
who can get the cookie jars. Officially,
these treats are distributed based on legislative mandates, open competition,
and documented needs. In fact, the
treats are almost always handed out to friends, and friends of friends. Friends can be purchased. It is Washington, D.C.’s “golden rule” –
those with the gold rule.
Welcome to “crony capitalism”. Someone knowing someone who can hand out favors
has been around since the first tribes shared the first harvest. The term “lobbyist” came from favor seekers
hanging out in the lobby of Washington, DC’s Willard Hotel during the Grant
Administration in the 1870s. In 1905,
George Washington Plunkett, a ward boss in the Tammany Hall political machine,
coined what could be the motto of Washington, D.C. – “What is the Constitution
among friends?”
Today, things have gotten way out of hand. Spending for Washington lobbyists has tripled
since 1998 to over $3.22 billion a year.
$24 million is spent for lobbyists each day Congress is in session.
Campaign fundraising is another dimension of how the
Establishment stays in power. Over $750
million has been raised for House races and $520 million for Senate races this
election cycle. Leaders of Political Action Committees (PACs), and individual
bundlers who raise funds, dominate this ultimate game of “pay for play”.
Those brokering power become gatekeepers for funding and
favors throughout the Federal Government. This power comes from a truism
overlooked by everyone in the media – all discretionary federal money is
earmarked. The popular myth is that
earmarks vanished once the Republicans banned them when they returned to power
in 2011. They only banned legislative
earmarks, and there are still ways to work around that system. The President, and his appointees, earmark
funds as standard operating procedure.
Even career bureaucrats play favorites.
Favorites can be based on institutional, Administration,
and ideological biases. Favoritism can
also go to the highest bidder. This is
federal money flowing out the door as grants, programs, contracts, buildings,
leases, and employment. Other “treats”
to be dispensed include regulatory relief, tax waivers, and subsidies. Favoritism
is rarely purchased with money directly changing hands, that kind of corruption
occurs more in state and local government.
Washington level corruption is true “quid pro quo”.
The Washington Establishment swaps favors more
insidiously. How many times does a
military officer get a major position with a defense contractor years after he
favored them with a multi-million dollar contract? A Reagan aide granted a building height
waiver near the White House and quadrupled his salary when hired by the
developer. Grant and contract officers
obtain slots at prestigious colleges and prep schools for their children for
making the “right” choices or being a little lax on oversight. Bush era National Park officials refused to
prosecute the destruction of park land in exchange for Redskins tickets. Everyone has their price, save for those true
public servants.
Trump promises to smash the cookie jars and end the reign
of the Establishment.
Normal Americans are rallying around Trump. They are enraged at the lies and duplicity of
those in power. Many see a reason to
vote for the first time since Reagan. They want November 8, 2016 to be
America’s “Bastille Day” marking the end of Washington, DC’s arrogant and
unaccountable ruling class.
Billions of dollars are at stake. Perks, prestige, and power are at stake. The future of representative government is at
stake. Is it any wonder that the Establishment is doing everything and anything
to stop Trump?
[Scot Faulkner served as
the first Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S, House of Representatives and
on Reagan’s White House Staff. He
advises global corporations and governments on strategic change and
leadership.]
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