Geostrategic Media Political Commentary, Analysis, Security, Defense
Ryan O’Connell
Tributes to Donald Trump’s presumed greatness adorn government buildings and parks in the heart of the U.S. capital.
Big Donald is looking at you
Like other autocrats, Trump has had huge banners of himself hung on government buildings. The U.S. Department of Justice on Pennsylvania Avenue displays one of a scowling Trump—no benevolent dictator here—with the slogan, “Making America Safe Again”.
That’s an Orwellian twist: Trump is the first President since Richard Nixon to use the DOJ to persecute his political opponents. By politicizing the department, Trump and his minions are of course making America less safe.
Just consider that about one-third of the DOJ’s seasoned attorneys have resigned or been pushed out. Meanwhile, at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a key part of the Justice Department, the National Security Division has lost about 40% of its staff.
That is not an accident, that is by design. It reduces the U.S.’s ability to defuse real threats, while the FBI is frivolously focused on fighting an imaginary crime wave caused by illegal immigrants.
Labor’s best friend?
The grim picture of Donald Trump also appears on the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Labor, along with the slogan, “American Workers First”.
In fact, the Trump administration has pursued extremely anti-labor policies. For example, it has stripped one million federal employees of union protections and terminated collective bargaining agreements for various government departments.
Thank you, Mr. President!
In the Trump era, any project, any space, no matter how small, is turned into an opportunity for grateful federal employees to celebrate their President. The National Park Service is renovating a modest area near the U.S. Departments of Justice and Labor.
While this appears to be a routine renovation project, the Department of the Interior’s banners include a picture of Trump wearing a hard hat and employees saying, “Thank you, President Trump”. I assume this is what North Korea looks like.
Draining the…Reflecting Pool
On to the Lincoln Monument, globally of Martin Luther King and Tom Hanks fame (the latter in the Forrest Gump movie). It, too, has been turned a powerful branding opportunity for the President, with lots of foot traffic.
The National Park Service has erected another 100-foot-long banner right in front of the monument—great placement! —to thank the President for the opportunity to drain and clean the Reflecting Pool on the Mall. The banner says, “Making DC Safe & Beautiful”.
It is not clear why draining the Reflecting Pool is making the city safer. The Pool is so shallow that it’s hard to imagine drowning in it…
But Trump Is Always Right
By the way, the Trump administration has cut the Park Service’s staff by about 25%, mostly by firing people. It will also drastically downsize the National Forest Service, closing 55 of its 77 research centers.
About the Author:
Ryan O’Connell spent his career on Wall Street as a lawyer, banker and for 25 years as a bond analyst for firms including Moody’s, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Bloomberg. He specialized in banks and other financial institutions, both in the United States and abroad.His professional background has given him an unusual perspective on the interplay between politics, economics and the markets.Mr. O’Connell served as a senior vice president at Moody’s Investors Service, covering large international banks. During the global financial crisis, Mr. O’Connell had a ringside seat covering banks as an analyst for the institutional research unit (sell-side) of Citigroup, when the bank almost failed. Mr. O’Connell also worked as a buy-side analyst at Morgan Stanley Investment Management and at Bloomberg LLP, as a research analyst.A lifelong Democrat, Mr. O’Connell believes strongly in free capital markets but also the need for effective government regulation to tame the markets’ occasional excesses. He has been writing a blog on politics, The Wall Street Democrat, for several years.Mr. O’Connell is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
