Broken US Institutions
The Toll of MAGA’s Hare-Brained Schemes
The Romans had to import Vandals. The US has home-grown its own. It remains to be seen which of the two proves more successful at subverting an empire.
Before fate befalls us, we at least owe Chump a personal pair of handcuffs. However long it takes. Having the FBI rough up and handcuff a US Senator for asking a question is political violence that must be repaid judicially.
Now that we have rightwing assassinations in Minnesota to go with the disreputably usual school massacres, the violence level that Chump has invoked is looming larger. Together with trying to provoke the National Guard into attacking peaceful demonstrations, the GOP strategy of stolen elections and misgovernment reeks of desperation. Meaning that the worst of the horrors is not over.
The incompetence level of the Vengeful Administration is sufficiently enormous that the economic cost of Dear Leader’s fever dreams is already assisting the coming worldwide slowdown. Bloomberg News (paywall warning) reports that Preznut Tantrum’s tariffs will cost $1 trillion in losses and 700k more unemployed worldwide.
However, it is in blunt force trauma to American institutions that the heart of MAGA intentions lies. Even the centrist-adjacent Jonathan Alter has noticed that “Trump is looking for any excuse to establish a police state here, and much of the rest of the world is giving up on this country. Already, the DOGE cuts to USAID have led to the deaths of 300,000 people, mostly children, from diarrhea, malnutrition, dehydration, and AIDS, according to a mathematical model at Boston University. And by slashing funding for scientific research, we’re en route to killing many more.”
Medicaid cuts devastate rural health, Reuters notes, in another instance where our disreputable, broken Preznut’s destructive whim is wielded against his most faithful voters. As a side-effect, this case also gives the Supremes a doubtless irresistible opportunity to cut Chump even more slack, while whittling away at the Constitution.
The institutional blocks of initials that Murk and Chump’s incel coders have knocked over still aren’t enough to make the perpetrators literate. USAID, NPR, CPB, PBS, NIH, CFPB, VA, SSA, NWS, CDC, FEMA, IRS, Department of State, and the Department of Education, have all endured layoffs so severe as to imperil the missions of these Congressionally-funded institutions.
Many of the Supreme Court cases that will either ratify or refute these previous hasty and slapdash decisions will be decided between now and the middle of July. The next iteration of the demonstrations after those appeals most certainly would be even larger than No Kings Day in June, if the Supremes follow their allegedly-conservative biases.
Twice now, when we had the opportunity, the US has chosen the worst guy over the best woman. A known financial chiseler, liar, and serially unfaithful husband, chosen instead of a normal, competent American who happened to be a politician. We have to acknowledge that electing her either time — no matter if she failed as President — would have done much to advance the US‘s place in the roll of civilized nations; but we just weren’t ready for it. That’s a pretty deep self-inflicted wound.
It’s worth pondering mindfully as we contemplate the newest rash of bloody-mindedness from the Great Manipulator. How do we, the people, help sell competence as a desirable component of government again?
Better minds than this one are working on that, and trust in the spirit of the US is sufficient to believe a better answer will emerge. But only if we continue to join, support, and act together with the 5 million people who turned out on No Kings Day. Contrary to the beliefs of the other guy, nobody can do this alone.