Sunday, March 12, 2017

The Best and Brightest?

Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt last week made an about face statement on carbon dioxide saying, "...no, I would not agree that it's a primary contributor to the global warming that we see."  Not only does this statement dispute the research, NASA, the EPA itself, and 31 major American scientific societies affirm, it also flies in the face of what Pruitt himself told congress at his confirmation hearings.  To senators, Pruitt said of the EPA's own findings on the significant impact greenhouse gas has on climate change, "there is nothing that I know that would cause a review at this point." Perhaps Pruitt's position evolved over the last 8 weeks or perhaps he's just a liar.  Either way, during a week where the midwest experienced a damaging weather event with sustained wind speeds typically measured during tropical storms, Pruitt's denial of science is another troubling reminder of how far away Trump administration officials are from the best and brightest.

Betsy DeVos cannot spell, Ben Carson called slaves immigrants, Stephen Miller dared anyone to question the President as if he were a king, Jeff Sessions likely lied under oath, and Trump himself slandered President Obama over alleged wire tapping.  The list of egregious falsehoods and incompetence gets longer each day. Government service today is not attractive to many and Trump's lowbrow team demonstrates the worst of what is attracted to public service today.  The scrutiny, hostility, and personal cost of service have made it such that the best and brightest are not willing to endure the campaign.  Altruism has lost out to opportunism and compromise to partisanship.

The political environment is not entirely the fault of politicians themselves.  Voters have been unwilling to put in the work it takes to understand the issues and seek candidates to tackle them responsibly.  Instead, voter hope has turned to apathy and due diligence in understanding facts has lost out to fake news delivered in 140 characters or less.  Persona has won out over credibility and the result is that America is now led by a TV reality star.

On Trump, Vanity Fair contributing editor Fran Leibowitz commented during the campaign, "He's a poor person's idea of a rich person."  That statement was extended to an internet meme reading: Trump is a poor man's idea of a rich man, a dumb man's idea of a smart man, and a weak man's idea of a strong man.  Fundamentally, the statement explains how the idea of Trump as president became reality.  His surface perceptions of wealth, easily understood ideas, and strength played well to many voters that simply were looking for someone that could change a status quo they didn't fully understand and felt powerless to affect.  Trump represented everything they are not, everything they want to be, and often expresses himself through bravado.

In reality, Trump has money but is not self made, his ideas are easily understood because they are simplistic not solutions, and he wears his insecurities on his sleeve such that any adversary can easily undermine his strength of position.  He will never help the people that elected him, not necessarily because he doesn't want to, but rather because he is incapable of doing it.

The administration is today mired down in allegations over colluding with the Russians to sway the outcome of the election.  Moves on immigration, regulation reform, and transgender rights reek of authoritarianism rather than democracy.  The GOP healthcare plan is - to use a Trumpism - a disaster. Nearly half way through the first 100 days of his presidency, Trump has executed on some idealogical promises yet none will materially or positively impact the day to day lives of those that embraced the rich, smart, strong idea of the meme.

As the Trump agenda fails them, those disenfranchised risk turning to more radical demagogues to solve their problems for them.  The rest, busy fighting Trump, risk losing sight of the fact they've not delivered an alternative candidate to demonstrate a different way forward.  Now is the time to start putting forward new leaders in the opposition.  The current Democratic party leadership has a demonstrable record of failure in reaching all Americans culminating in the disastrous outcome of the 2016 election.

The recent Democratic National Committee leadership change did little to advance the cause for change.  New faces, new ideas, and a new message are paramount to the long term defeat of the sentiments that caused Americans to turn to Trump. It's also the only way to attract the best and brightest join in the cause.

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