Draining The Swamp

President Elect Donald Trump broke from a pattern of choosing early supports for cabinet positions this past week by making two picks of individuals that did not support his candidacy to become Republican nominee during the primary campaign.  On the surface this could indicate that Trump is putting in place an administration that may offer some diversity in ideological philosophy.  In accepting those nominations, the individuals selected may be signaling Republicans are willing to set differences aside and work together for the betterment of the country.  Sadly, neither scenario is likely the case.  These picks are not the beginning of a Lincoln-like team of rivals.  They are selections rooted in political reward and personal gain.

Trump chose Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina to become Ambassador to the United Nations.  Haley was instrumental in removing the Confederate flag from the South Carolina state capitol grounds in the aftermath of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church shooting in Charleston and one of the Republican notables that called out Trump for not denouncing white supremacists during the campaign.  At first glance, Haley looks like a good pick.  In reality, her nomination is a net loss.  Trump's distain for globalization, his desire to undo international accords such as the Iran nuclear deal, and his penchant for policy promoting nationalism likely means he has little use for the UN or the US Ambassador.  Trump's real victory here is to solidify his base in South Carolina and reward lieutenant governor Henry McMaster, a staunch supporter early in the campaign, with governorship of the state.  For her part, Haley could have maintained the high ground she held during the campaign by remaining in South Carolina and continuing to cultivate herself as a GOP front runner of the future based on credibility and track record.  Instead, she chose to compromise her integrity and hedge her bets on a political future by being a seat warmer for Trump.  She also bolsters her own resume with some tacit foreign policy experience.  It's a win-win proposition if the goal was solely to advance her own political ambitions.

Betsy DeVos is Trump's nominee to become Secretary of Education.  DeVos is a billionaire philanthropist and big time GOP contributor that, like Haley, did not support Trump during the primaries.  However, the two do have common ground when it comes to allowing the private sector to make money on the backs of students.  DeVos has for decades promoted the use of vouchers to attend private and parochial schools.  She is a strong advocate of privately run, for-profit, charter schools in her home state of Michigan where the implementation has been expensive and lacking in accountability.   DeVos has also praised the work Vice President Elect Mike Pence did to expand schools of choice in his home state of Indiana.  Trump's own experience with for-profit education in the form of Trump University speaks for itself with the recent $25 million settlement of pending fraud cases by former students.  DeVos has never been a teacher but Michigan's Republican Governor Rick Snyder complimented DeVos' selection in a statement that indicates "she'll put kids first."  High praise from a man whose emergency managers helped ruin Detroit Public Schools and whose attorneys just this past week decried "There is no fundamental right to literacy" in response to a lawsuit filed on behalf of seven Detroit schoolchildren.  DeVos likely gets the job of Secretary due to her support of Pence and as a nod to the republican establishment that have relied on her soft money assistance for years.

The President Elect said he would "drain the swamp" by removing all corrupt politicians and outside interests from Washington, D.C., during his tenure.  His methodology so far has been to reward early supporters of his candidacy like Reince Priebus, Michael Flynn and Jeff Sessions with high profile positions.  Names of other cronies such as Rudy Giuliani continue to surface as additional contenders.  Dissenters such as Haley and DeVoss have made the cut yet none seem to have any reason for being there other than for political reward or personal gain.  Soon it may be hard to tell the swamp water being drained from the sewage pouring in.