It’s Chicken or Fish

.. are there a few good elected men or women in the Republican Party who will stand up to the president’s abuse of power as their predecessors did during Watergate?

.. But we already know the answer: No.

The G.O.P. never would have embraced someone like Trump in the first place — an indecent man with a record of multiple bankruptcies, unpaid bills and alleged sexual harassments who lies as he breathes — for the answer to ever be yes.

.. Virtually all the good men and women in this party’s leadership have been purged or silenced; those who are left have either been bought off by lobbies or have cynically decided to take a ride on Trump’s Good Ship Lollipop to exploit it for any number of different agendas.

.. Are there tens of millions of good men and women in America ready to run and vote as Democrats or independents in the 2018 congressional elections and replace the current G.O.P. majority in the House and maybe the Senate?

Nothing else matters — this is now a raw contest of power.

.. they enjoy, exercising raw power against their opponents.

.. Democrats and independents should not be deluded or distracted by marches on Washington, clever tweets or “Saturday Night Live” skits lampooning Trump. They need power.

.. they have power and are not afraid to use it, no matter what the polls say.

.. they will use that power to cut taxes for wealthy people, strip health care from poor people and turn climate policy over to the fossil fuel industry until someone else checks that power

.. The party has lost its moral compass.

.. Just think about that picture of Trump laughing it up with Russia’s foreign minister in the Oval Office, a foreign minister who covered up Syria’s use of poison gas. Trump reportedly shared with him sensitive intelligence on ISIS, and Trump refused to allow any U.S. press in the room. The picture came from Russia’s official photographer. In our White House!

.. it is a threat to the rule of law,

freedom of the press,

ethics in government,

the integrity of our institutions,

the values our kids need to learn from their president and

America’s longstanding role as the respected leader of the free world.

How a CEO With Dyslexia and ADHD Runs His Company

Selim Bassoul of Middleby Corp. tries to focus on the big picture

WSJ: What are some ways that having dyslexia and ADHD affects your leadership style?

MR. BASSOUL: Dyslexia has forced me to be quite conceptual, because I’m not good with detail. I think in general rather than in specific [terms]. That allows me to step back and take in the big picture rather than get bogged down in details. Because of my weaknesses and handicaps, I’ve learned other ways to accomplish the same goal at faster speed.

As a dyslexic you have no choice but to rely on others for help with detail and tactical tasks. You become a great judge of character. You have to select the best team around you.

Then you have ADHD, which makes you restless but it can also be a huge motivator for action. It prompts you to go out of the office and into the field. You find yourself constantly on the front line. I don’t like to be confined to the office. I hate meetings. I am constantly visiting customers, our field offices, our manufacturing plants. I know the operations of my customers better than them, which helps create solutions for them prior to them knowing what they need.
.. If people know that you’re not an email guy, people don’t send you email anymore. It’s that simple. From time to time I use the phone. The phone is a good thing. But it is almost always one-on-one.
..WSJ: Have you ever faced any problems in the workplace because of your disabilities?MR. BASSOUL: I am restless and tend to be impatient. That could sometimes create friction with some of my subordinates, colleagues or peers when I was rising as a manager.

I always attracted specific people who liked the speed I was working at, and the fact that it basically had no paperwork. Just “let’s go get it done.”

.. It is hard to say no to things. It is sometimes better not to jump into action. Email forces people to respond to an email sent. People sometimes feel overwhelmed. You don’t need to respond to everything.

Leaders Say They Want Nonconformist Employees. They Sure Don’t Act Like It.

A few simple strategies can ensure that your employees know their voices are valued

Ask most corporate leaders what kind of employees they want, and the answers will be nearly uniform: They crave creative workers who think outside the box, who speak truth to power, and who are always looking for better ways to get the job done.

That’s what they say, anyway. What they do, however, tells a whole different story

.. perhaps the most basic strategy is for executives to wear their nonconformity on their sleeve, and encourage others to follow their lead. For starters, they should act in ways that seem to defy common expectations for the role they have.

.. Similarly, in brainstorming meetings, a leader might say, “This may be a crazy idea” as a way to invite other people to share their own “crazy” ideas, without fear of judgment. In meetings where a leader is the only voice on an issue, he or she might highlight it explicitly by saying, “It’s a bit lonely dangling on this branch alone, but I feel strongly about this issue.” This way, leaders make it clear they know they’re taking a risk, and are willing to stand out, giving others permission to do the same.

Cornyn as FBI director would cause big Senate shakeup

It would trigger a new round of leadership elections and a nasty confirmation fight — in the midst of Obamacare negotiations.

.. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the No. 3 Republican, would be the early favorite to succeed Cornyn as whip. A source close to Thune said he is likely to run for the whip position if Cornyn leaves the Senate.

.. Cornyn’s elevation could also disrupt fragile negotiations to repeal Obamacare. Cornyn has been in nearly every meeting regarding the Senate’s attempt to pass a new health care bill.

.. If he’s offered the job and accepts, Cornyn’s confirmation could turn into a brutal partisan affair that would grip the Senate for weeks.

.. But Cornyn is also an intensely partisan Republican and would surely face attacks over his recent defense of Trump even as the Republican previously called for special prosecutors during Barack Obama’s presidency.

.. Democrats are already suggesting that they will make their votes contingent on a special prosecutor being appointed to investigate Trump associates’ ties with Russia.

.. The Texas Republican has deep relationships with his GOP Senate colleagues from two terms running the party’s campaign arm and said in a recent interview that he wants to be Senate leader someday.

.. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is showing no signs of giving up the top leadership job. The Kentucky senator is plotting a run for reelection in 2020, which could keep him as leader until 2026.

.. the firing of Comey has raised the question of whether future presidents will summarily fire directors chosen by the other party.