By Harold Kane
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The media has been inundated recently with comments made by two relics from the 1970s, Bob Woodward (75) and Carl Bernstein (74).
Woodward and Bernstein were the two Washington Post reporters who chronicled the Watertgate events of 1972-1974 which led to the ultimate resignation of President Richard Nixon. In 1974, they published a narrative of the events surrounding Watergate including theirn, and others, contributions. Their book is called All the President’s Men.
Woodward and Bernstein were both new to journalism which meant that they didn’t do this alone. They had great support from the then editor of the Post, Ben Bradlee and a second party which was only known as DEEP THROAT. Deep Throat provided insight that only a government insider could provide. Deep Throat gave leads and directions to Woodward and Bernstein but expected them to do the leg work themselves. The most valuable piece of guidance that Deep Throat gave was to “follow the money.”
By following the money, Woodward and Bernstein were able to unravel major parts of the entire Watergate affair.
The Woodward and Bernstein resurrection is partially based upon President Donald Trump’s following the money and their abhorrence of anything outside of the Beltway.
Trump is not a D.C. insider nor a public sector lifer. His views are based upon a lifetime in the New York business world, something Woodward, Bernstein and most others, know nothing about. They can’t comprehend Trump’s desire to actually cut, yes cut, federal spending. Previous Republican presidents have tried to slow the growth of federal spending, usually without much success. Trump, and his OMB staff have proposals to cut spending by $45B from current levels. Some of the cuts are program reductions, and some are outright program eliminations. This includes the Department of Defense.
Below the federal level, many in the federal money chain are also against him. Many state, county, and local governments, including Boards of Education, rely on federal funding to operate. If federal funding is abolished, what happens to the public employees in these agencies and districts? They either get laid off or the local officials raise taxes to make up the shortfall.
The Democrats in Congress rely upon public expenditures for a substantial portion of their contributions as tax money is used to pay public employees; these employees are unionized with automatic dues deduction from their paychecks, which the public employee unions (AFSCME, NJEA) give to the Democrats. If public jobs are abolished, then the amount of money available to the unions and thence to the Democrats is reduced. Without money to buy votes the Democrats don’t exist.
Trump followed the directive of Woodward and Bernstein to “follow the money.”
Now you know why the invective against President Trump is so strong.
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