Would you work for a Trump administration?

[amberlyrose]

PDQ!!

Even before the election, DH and I have spoken about what a President Trump would mean for his military career. He goes back and forth, but his ultimate stance is that the good guys need to be there so it is not an echo chamber or full of yes men, but he also realizes that saying no to a commander in chief comes with serious repercussions, especially under an administration like this. 

Now with reports coming out that some positions in his field are becoming hard to fill at the national level (because no one wants them!), he really needs to decide. Does he actively volunteer to work for him as a part of the administration, knowing it would mean a major step in his career and allows him to have the voice of reason closer to the top, or does he save himself, keep his head down, and hope he is only subjected to this commander for 4 years?

Of course, this would all be hypothetical because who knows if he'd even get a spot with how outspoken he was about voting Hillary, but it's been weighing on him. I know we also have a few vets and military spouses around here, so it would be nice to hear what you guys think. 

Again, please don't quote! 

[aspentosh]

Well, my H is working for him as a federal employee with no plans to leave. So I guess he would?

Could I work directly for him- no. I would never be able to look at him without punching him. But in a capacity where I never see him and interact with him or advance his policies (just enforce current ones), I probably would. Especially if it advanced my career.

ETA: And when asked about my H finding a new job, his response was that he's there for the military and those that need him, not drumpf.

[smock]

It would really depend on the position. For very visible, directly Trump-connected positions, no way. But if you're talking more mid-level type stuff, where political appointments are the avenue for promotion . . . Eh, now I'm not sure. I wouldn't want my resume to be linked with him in any way.

[noeliav]

NEWP.
I will not have any part of advancing the Trump policies.
I do feel for those who are in the Federal government as employees. I imagine I would feel conflicted about supporting the administration, even tangentially, as a result of my career.

[cookies]

Yes, but only in a super secret Snape-like capacity. To take them down from within.

[sushi]

We've had pretty much that exact conversation. With no conclusion

[ESF]

If we are just talking cogs in some agency like Education or HHS or Labor, I would understand someone choosing to stay on or even try to move up.  There's less of a chance that low and mid level civl servants are going to get caught up in some career killing corruption dragnet. These are pretty transparent agencies, and they are harder to corrupt. That's not to say they are completely corruption-proof, but the nature of their work and the fact that they can't hide behind highly classified walls just means that any corruption there is going to be pretty limited in scope. It's also unlikely to cause significant harm either to our democracy or to our national security.

I'd be far more wary of DOJ, State, DHS, Defense, and anything relating to the military, national security, and law enforcement. Ugly shit can flourish in places like them, places where they can classify stuff and more easily evade FOIA requests.  While wanting to be a voice of reason is a noble goal, go into it eyes wide open. Realize you may see things you wish you did not see, and be unable to report them or do anything about them for fear of prosecution or being thrown under the bus and destroyed.   Know your limits. Know whether you think you can live with awful secrets. Know how far you are willing to go to stop something, or what it would take for you to resign. Ask yourself if you are OK being Edward Snowden. 

[ESF]

Nov 17, 2016 14:58:32 GMT -5 chilerellanos said:

I wouldn't.

And I'd be worried that it would damage my career. Especially if I became a scapegoat.

This too.

They love to blame "anonymous staffers."  If shit hits the fan and they have to name names, they ain't going to be copping to their shit. They will point fingers.

[WanderingWinoZ]

On a general, philosophical level, I hope that most people choose to remain in their positions & fight the good fight. Try to minimize the damage, speak out against things that are wrong, and monitor the situation should it get out of control. I think it's the old "Keep your friends close & your enemies closer" type of mentality that it's better to put up some subtle, internal resistance while keeping an eye on things that are happening. If at some point, things become so bad you feel like you are compromising your integrity or future career, I'd gather enough evidence of shadiness & then quit or threaten to turn whistle blower.

Either way- it's a suck ass situation. I'm sorry you & others are dealing with the uncertainty and stress. good luck!

[isabel]

My response after reading is the same as it was at the title: fuck no.

And as his wife, I would not want him sacrificing himself for that. Any other republican administration? Sure. But Trump is so unpredictable. We have no idea what he is going to do. I would not want my H involved in that if he could help it.

[amberlyrose]

Nov 17, 2016 15:11:16 GMT -5 sushi said:

We've had pretty much that exact conversation. With no conclusion

I know you and I have had convos about being military spouses before, so if you guys figure it out, send your response our way

[cville]

Career position? Sure. They need sane people.

Anything appointed/high level admin? FUCK NO. There's no way to get through that with your ethics intact, unless you become a whistleblower.

[cookies]

Nov 17, 2016 15:09:27 GMT -5 chilerellanos said:

Nov 17, 2016 15:07:27 GMT -5 cookies said:

Yes, but only in a super secret Snape-like capacity. To take them down from within.

We had a spy on the inside!

LOL! I had to google this.
Save

[cmeon]

No way, I mean it would truly be impossible for me. I'm glad I'm not a fed anymore.

[mrshandy]

I'm a fed with no plans to leave. But I wouldn't be a political appointee. I would like to be promoted in the next 4-8 years. I'm not going to let trump hold me back from that. Our agency doesn't set immigration policy we just enact it.

[fuckyourcouch]

An appointed position? No.
my current job? Yes. I don't have too much choice and I love my job.
Plus, a lot of my job is protecting public lands and Indian reservations. That's going to be needed pretty heavily under this administration.

[underwaterrhymes]

If I were already a federal employee who would not have contact with him directly, I would be hunting for a job right now, but wouldn't feel any sort of immediate desperation. Feeding my family would take priority, but I wouldn't want to work under his administration and so would be looking for something new.

If my job involved any sort of direct interaction with him or the upper levels of his administration, the urgency gets much greater. I would quit before I would work a day with him.

I have a dream of working in the foreign service or as a Peace Corps director. It's more of a long term dream anyway, but as long as Trump is in the White House, those plans are pushed to the farthest reaches of my mind. Nope.

[eclaires]

MH is not a fed but his research/job is funded by DOE.

He says we're staying. But his job really isn't too tied to whatever Dorito wants.

[W.T.Faulkner]

[Deleted]

My H is a fed but not at the national level so he will stay. I do have a friend who has his resume ready to go out now. He worked for HRC and Kerry and when Giuliani got floated he was done. He has 25 years in so he wanted to stick it out for 30 but won't work for an idiot. If the Romney rumor turns out to be true and he becomes SOS I think he may stay for the time being.

[stato]

I'm a career Fed and I'm staying. I wouldn't take a political appointment under this administration nor would I work in a position in which I was forced to carry out policy that I believe is morally wrong. But the federal government needs good employees and sane people to keep this country on course. It's also easier for me because my (fairly obscure, small) agency has a mission that I believe in and I do work that I believe in; that mission and how we do work is very unlikely to change. If I worked for State or DoD or similar, it might be a more difficult thing for me to do.

[andwhat]

H and I are both Feds and we are staying. Its not even an option. I plan on moving up over the next 4 years. But I don't think I could take a position where I had to convince people beneath me to enact his policies when I don't believe them myself. Like how do you convince people to go round up Muslims when just writing that makes your stomach churn. (That is not related to my job just an example) So I guess no to an appointed position. No to a level where I have to directly enact his policies.

[nsl]

My H is military and has spent the last week researching how to get out of his contract without seriously hurting our family. So, no. He wouldn't pursue a higher-level position under Trump for the sake of potential future career advancement. Neither of us have any faith that voices of reason will be listened to under this administration.

[sushi]

Nov 17, 2016 16:08:28 GMT -5 amberlyrose said:

Nov 17, 2016 15:11:16 GMT -5 sushi said:

We've had pretty much that exact conversation. With no conclusion

I know you and I have had convos about being military spouses before, so if you guys figure it out, send your response our way

FTR I'm pretty much against it. I try to respect his position that he wants to do what he can from the inside to mitigate disaster. I just don't believe it's possible, or if it is, possible without selling his soul. But his intentions are really good.

[fuckyourcouch]

Nov 17, 2016 19:42:33 GMT -5 andwhat said:

H and I are both Feds and we are staying. Its not even an option. I plan on moving up over the next 4 years. But I don't think I could take a position where I had to convince people beneath me to enact his policies when I don't believe them myself. Like how do you convince people to go round up Muslims when just writing that makes your stomach churn. (That is not related to my job just an example) So I guess no to an appointed position. No to a level where I have to directly enact his policies.

This was my h's suggestion. There was an article saying he wants to put a hiring freeze in place. So my h said, "move up where you can so you're in a place to resist anything you can."

I'm not sure it is logistically possible in my agency but that's my goal. 

[sillygoosegirl]

Absolutely, though I'm thinking he probably wouldn't like the work that I would be willing to actually do for him.

But I'm also not military. That would be more questionable to me. In the civilian world, I imagine the worst thing that might happen would be getting fired and leaving in disgrace, but worse things can happen in the military.

On the other hand, the idea of a military where all the top positions are held by people who actually support Trump and feel comfortable about the idea of him being their commander in chief definitely scares the shit out of me. I definitely support the idea of people who are not BSC or racist getting those roles. Just saying.

[cinderbella]

I'm a fed with no intention of leaving. I like my job and make good money.

But I will be secretly flipping the bird every single time I go in to our conference room and his ugly piece of shit 8x10 face is staring back at me.