Robert Charles

Washington, D.C., United States

Fmr. Assistant Sect. of State for @StateINL, Current President of The Charles Group LLC, @FoxNews contributor, Former Attorney and Naval Intel Officer (USNR)

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Articles

Fixing Learned Helplessness in Government with Real Leadership

1 week ago | amac.us | Robert Charles

As Democrats protest to save the “helpless bureaucrats,” those sure they are victims of Trump’s demand for accountability, a few stories shine light on how bureaucrats actually think – often defaulting to helplessness over can-do.
A Disaster for Workers and Businesses

1 week ago | amac.us | Robert Charles

There is no polite way to say this…Democrat income tax increases, passed last week in Maine, are madness. They are criminal. FIVE FACTS say it all –for Maine and Blue States. Stay with me. FACT ONE: What happened? To pay for crazy spending – what no one wants or can afford, Democrats cursed the high tax state with higher income taxes. Their bill, LD229, did two profoundly stupid things.
Whip Cracking – Corralling Government Contractors | @AmacforAmerica

1 week ago | amac.us | Robert Charles

Federal and state governments make almost nothing. They push paper, contract with the private sector for what needs making, doing, and delivering. This is appropriate, but leads to two bad habits: ever more paper pushers, and contractors getting very cozy with them. Sometimes, a government leader has to break glass, crack the whip, break the party, and corral the contractors.
Rock Flipping – Reagan, Gingrich, Trump, and Maine | @AmacforAmerica

1 week ago | amac.us | Robert Charles

Years ago, my job was “rock flipping” – for Speaker Gingrich. Over five years, my job was to investigate, dig out, shine light on, and do criminal referrals for bad actors – bureaucrats, politicians, contractors. Starting with the Waco investigation, we ripped up the floorboards. Never slept better. So, how do you do it, get at rot? Ronald Reagan, for whom I also worked, practiced strong leadership, good government, and oversight.
Thanks to the National Guard | @AmacforAmerica

2 weeks ago | amac.us | Robert Charles

Newsline , Society | | 22 Comments | This is not over. President Trump has, it appears, exercised authority under Title 10 to deploy the California National Guard to end violent riots against ICE agents in California.
Cracking Down on Bureaucracy | @AmacforAmerica

2 weeks ago | amac.us | Robert Charles

Some years ago, confirmed as Assistant Secretary of State to Colin Powell, I had three charges: Go after drug traffickers and terrorist groups; set up law enforcement training globally, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia, and Kosovo; and find every dollar of waste in a two-billion-dollar operation.
Short Story – About Oversight | @AmacforAmerica

2 weeks ago | amac.us | Robert Charles

Vision, belief, and effort. In 1994, Republicans – led by Newt Gingrich – won the U.S. House, flipping 54 seats, stunning the Democrats. They were in shock, the first loss of majority power since 1952. That year, Maine Republicans also saw big legislative gains. Why – and to what end? The reasons behind the 1994 victory – arguably – are three.
No, We Are Never Alone | @AmacforAmerica

2 weeks ago | amac.us | Robert Charles

Alone? No. We are never alone, and we do not need another federal or state program, another Harvard study, or a government solution for the so-called “epidemic of loneliness.” We need something more basic: Each other, greater faith, restored values, closeness to family and friends, higher purpose. “Let’s start at the beginning, a very good place to start,” to quote Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, courage in the darkness. Some things we know. We have a loving God.
Education, Truth, and Accountability | @AmacforAmerica

2 weeks ago | amac.us | Robert Charles

Real educators want the truth. Political actors, masquerading as educators, do not. If something is seriously off, unfocused, not working, or undermines learning in math, reading, writing, science, history, or the trades – real educators stop it. Real administrators support them. Politically absorbed actors just push themselves.
Forgiveness – Imperative | @AmacforAmerica

3 weeks ago | amac.us | Robert Charles

Now and again, it is wise to forget the ebb and flow of political inanities, and think hard – about philosophical underpinnings, who we are, why we are what we are, whether we are true to who we think we are. Today is that day. Judgment is easy, reflection hard. We are at an edgy moment. There have been others. Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and their peers faced a big one. Lincoln and his “band of rivals” faced another. Ours is almost as consequential, but quieter.