Paul Krugman thread on the personal desperation of Trump officials if he loses

[highplainsdem]

Eight tweets, starting here --

Link to tweet

ThreadReader page:


https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1322519653793599488.html

Next week is going to be horrible, for multiple reasons. One reason I haven't seen mentioned much in the media has come up a lot in my discussions with Wall Street types: the personal desperation of the Trumpies if he loses 1/

Trump himself, of course, faces likely financial ruin from his unpayable debts and perhaps criminal charges if he loses the shield of office. Quite a few officials will probably also face criminal charges for abuse of office, both political and financial 2/

But there's another, more mundane issue facing many lower-level Trump minions: they may not get the traditional soft landing available to former officials, in which you move into a cushy lobbying or industry job 3/

Normally service in government is a plus on your resume; serving this government, not so much. For one thing, everyone knows that the Trumpies aren't the A team, or even the B team; they're people who had nothing better to do 4/

What about K Street? The usual connections won't count for much: Democrats control the House. If they take the Senate too, they will play hardball, giving McConnell very little chance to shape legislation — and anyway, it's obvious that MM personally despises Trump and co 5/

So if you are, say, Trump's Deputy Assistant Secretary for small endangered mammals, who's going to offer you a job? You pretty much burned your bridges by joining this administration, and that has jammed the revolving door. 6/

And if you're tempted to mock my mixed metaphor, all I can say is that if Biden wins, the upper hand will be on the other foot 7/

What all this means is that we're going to be looking at some very desperate people, many willing to do extreme things to pull this out 8/

[MissB]

1. Upper hand...other foot

[chriscan64]

12. I know.

He is channeling Yogi Berra.

[Wednesdays]

17. Airplane!

"Looks like the hand's on the other foot now, Barry!"

[klook]

50. It ain't over til you've buttered your bread!

Also, with the time change, this one from Yogi is apropos: “It gets late early.”

[secondwind]

2. oy vey.

[Blue Owl]

3. K&R

[cyndensco]

4. ZERO sympathy for the Asshole's staff.

[Cha]

5. Yeah, we know.. but Much We Deal

with trump LOSING than the Unthinkable.

[Miigwech]

6. Seems that only the drug addicts are willing to work for trump anymore

and rest working in the West Wing are fresh batches of young repub interns running around trying to hold day operation shit together.

[underpants]

9. Yeah from the few who initially applied to turnover were at best dealing with the third team

more like the JV team.

[Iggo]

44. Frosh/Soph, at best.

[empedocles]

7. People like DeJoy/Pompeo, et al should face SERIOUS criminal charges.

If treason becomes operative . . . as it should . . .

[Lot of recorded trump talk implying overthrow of . . . ]

[BComplex]

14. I really really hope they do face prison time. And Bill Barr, for DESTROYING justice

in our country.

[empedocles]

15. Some may already be exploring 'opportunities' abroad

[calimary]

25. Maybe there'll be a new "colony" springing up - in Crimea?

Moscow winters are so cold...

[empedocles]

36. Fortunes to be made if someone can provide a reasonably guaranteed safe haven

Look how much the Cabinet appointees paid to get those posts - and what sleazey things they did at those posts.

[Eyeball_Kid]

31. Barr is lying low. For perhaps three reasons:

1. Barr has COVID and is sick.

2. Barr is keeping a low profile because he wants to distance himself from his crimes in advance of a new AG during Biden's administration. IOW, Barr knows that Trump is going down and doesn't want to get in the way.

3. Barr is getting ready to pounce on the election machinery by contesting election results everywhere. He may be managing the writing of briefs and appeals that will eventually get to the Supreme Court.


Barr is now seeing, IMO, that the end of his career is fast approaching. Trump's loss will force Barr to seek a lot of legal advice on how to stay out of jail. A new AG can run up the score on Barr. He'll have an army of defense attorneys. ETTD. And Barr will be the showcase example of how people who stick with Trump get his curse. At a minimum, Barr will lose his license. And if that's all, he'll have dodged not a bullet, but a cannon shot.

[getagrip_already]

33. it's too late for barr..... only a pardon will help him

He has already committed crimes ranging from obstruction of justice to lying under oath to who knows what in gutting the fbi and doj.

He may just be trying to finally get his pardon. I either get it now, or I sit here with my hands in my pocket and cut a deal when the time comes.......

He know trumps still wants stuff. And will even after the election. And he wants that piece of paper. And trump won't give them out of spite because he lost.

[FelineOverlord]

48. Barr is lying low. For perhaps three reasons

Barr is running around the country doing his Operation Legend tour because he is apparently very concerned about violent crime

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100214385417

[BComplex]

16. Trump himself needs to face charges of treason.

He's been doing everything in his power to help Putin, Erdogon, Ibin Saud, Kim Jong Un, and any oligarch or billionaire that would "do him a favor, though". He sold our country out. Period. And for his own gain.

[empedocles]

34. traitortrump is the key to treason. If we can get that, the dominos will fall

[uponit7771]

32. +1,

[moonscape]

51. I think 45 will have a very large binder of pardons

for all of them.

[DinahMoeHum]

8. The "A' team and "B" team people. . .for that mattter. . .ANY

. . .prospective government official with an ounce of self-respect avoided this Trump mis-administration like the plague at the get-go.

They knew it would be a black spot on their resumes.

[underpants]

10. I see a break in your employment history. Care to explain?

I was in prison.
Are you sure you weren’t working in the Trump administration?
Nope. Prison. Definitely prison.

[eppur_se_muova]

27. That's called "emphasizing your strengths". nt

[not_the_one]

38. Bwahahahahahaha...

[jmowreader]

43. Quite a few of them won't have to lie about that

The secret with the Trump Administration is to find crimes that show up in both federal and state criminal codes, and pay the states to prosecute them. Trump can’t pardon state crimes, and there’s no double jeopardy involved because of the separate sovereigns doctrine.

[lame54]

46. They're putting on their...

Tear drop tattoos as we speak

[tavernier]

11. People are now trying to figure out how to

post deeply concerned and worried thoughts blasting rump, and just how they can backdate them to look believable.

[UpInArms]

13. I hope they all end up cleaning bedpans for the rest of their lives

That may be a challenge, seeing as a drug test is required before hiring.

[SergeStorms]

24. Not only cleaning bed pans....

but doing so in the coronavirus wards of hospitals throughout the U.S. without any PPE available. There's nothing to this virus thing anyway, right?

[dalton99a]

18. Normal people don't work for Donald Trump.

[Kitchari]

20. That about sums it up

No one who is normal, decent, mentally healthy would work for him, that's a fact

[CTyankee]

19. Hell will open p and swallow those Trump folk whole...all the better to roast them on the Devil's

rotisserie...but not too tasty...

[NBachers]

21. A life of regret, shame, and ostracism is too little to hope for.

[keithbvadu2]

22. Whenever/however Trump is gone, there will be many GOP/evangelical retroactive epiphanies.

[mahannah]

23. "...the upper hand will be on the other foot"

[catrose]

28. Isn't that the greatest? So stealing it.

[BobTheSubgenius]

26. How did any of these people heading for financial or personal ruin - or

even criminal charges - not see this day coming? Even if this election goes their way, the march of time doesn't stop. One day, they will be out of a job, and with a questionable CV, no matter what.

[cp]

29. Karma

[Hotler]

30. Good! nt

[getagrip_already]

35. In politics, there is a seat for every ass that comes along.....

They won't fare that badly. Their will be some wing nut welfare company that will gladly pick them up. The my pillow guy, hobby lobby, wal mart, they will all hire ex admin officials in lofty jobs. As will the rest of the trump economy ecosystem.

Some will actually be hero's for enduring the pain. Some will be stars of industry. Some will be rubber chicken speakers making yuge sums.

Look, if Roger Stone could rise from Nixon, and Bill Barr from bush, there will always be a paycheck for these losers and bottom feeder.

I have no doubt we will be hearing their swill and vomit for decades to come. Some may actually get elected to national office.

And someday, one may become POTUS.

Sorry folks, they will not suffer defeat poorly. The world just doesn't work that way anymore.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

37. Republicans are the F team

For failure,foolish,feckless,
Fetid,flawed,fiendish,
Falsifying, farce freakish,fanatical, fascists..
and they're all fucked!

[empedocles]

39. Fine thread

[paleotn]

40. And by doing extreme things....

they make their plight that much worse. Best to go quietly and hope no one notices that big hole on their CV's. Maybe they'll avoid prosecution or at least public ridicule if they stay under the radar. Then again, these aren't the brightest folks as Krugman points out.

[BarbD]

41. Nazis fled Germany taking their wealth with them landing in Latin America and other places.

Not too sure where this group can go. It's every man for himself. They for sure aren't into the empathy thing.

[ALBliberal]

42. Ironically the pandemic they mismanaged limits their travel plans.

[HuskyOffset]

47. Maybe they volunteer on those test cruises? (nt)

[crickets]

52. That's the sweetest punchline in this whole mess, innit? nt

[dchill]

45. K & R.

[redstatebluegirl]

49. Fox can't hire them all.