A Kakistocracy: A government run by the worst, least qualified or most unscrupulous (Wikipedia)
Trump’s administration is rapidly creating a hostile government led by the biggest collection of crackpots, misfits, Looney Tunes and determined oligarchs since the days of the murderous Third Reich. Frighteningly, it could become just as depraved, destabilizing and cruel.
It didn’t have to be this way.
Before the election, we examined in granular detail elements of Project 2025, the blueprint for Trump’s administration and its implications. Our opponents said, “Oh no, Trump disavowed Project 2025; he will never follow it.” The joke is on them, but nobody is laughing.
My three “favorite” debacles
Signalgate
Trump’s top national security people, including the Vice President, Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State, and the Director of National Intelligence and the Central Intelligence Agency’s director–all using unsecured devices–discussed military plans on Signal, a commercial messaging system. Appallingly, at least some of them continue to do so.
Certain information is “born classified.” Plans for military action at that level are classified TOP SECRET with additional codeword protections. To anyone who has or had a security clearance, it is inconceivable that information of that sensitivity would be treated in such an insecure manner. This is what happens when you hire unqualified clowns whose only attribute is loyalty to Trump.
Tariffs
Even Republicans are calling tariffs boneheaded, as are their constantly shifting rationales. First, they said they were in place to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. Then they said, no the tariffs will give the U.S. leverage in negotiations. We pointed out that those two goals were completely contradictory. If we want manufacturing to move back to the U.S., the tariffs need to be permanent, not negotiable.
Then they said, no, we want to completely re-make the international economic system to benefit the U.S. To be clear, tariffs make everyone poorer. They are an import tax that raises the price of goods to domestic consumers. The result is that consumers pay more for inferior goods. How long will it be before Trump’s ignorance of basic economic principles filters down to the local level?
Health and Human Services
With Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in charge, need we say more? Kennedy is doing his best to undermine vaccines, and when we see an outbreak of measles–a highly contagious disease which had been eliminated from the U.S.–Kennedy’s response is to recommend cod liver oil and Vitamin A. And now he proposes accessing private medical records to track people diagnosed with autism? Again, how long before this nonsense filters down to Republicans at the local level?
Amidst (because of?) the debacles, there is good news.
First, I am hearing more and more reports of disgusted Ridgefield Republicans turning on the Trump regime and the Republican Town Committee. I have no doubt that this will happen elsewhere, as Trump’s policies take effect. Even before Trump was sworn in, we knew that his coalition had severe internal contradictions. The incompetents with whom he has surrounded himself have made it worse. Many of the people who voted for Trump thinking the leopard would not eat their faces are very concerned to discover the leopard is eating their faces.
Second, though we lack majorities in Congress, we have credible defenses at the state level and in the courts. We must make sure our legislators, our Constitutional officers and especially our Attorney General know we have their backs. Find their contact information here.
Third, we must amplify and exploit the contradictions in the opponent’s coalition.
To those people who voted for Trump because inflation was too high, we need to point out that the consequences of Trump’s tariffs will likely be the mother of all stagflation—both rising prices and higher rates of unemployment. Really, will folks be better off?
Looking to make government more “efficient,” the administration has fired Social Security employees, closed offices and flip-flopped on services by phone. Now anyone who wants to file for Social Security benefits or change something will face long wait times and stressed service providers deprived of the basic tools and resources to do their jobs. This is “efficient”?
Finally, supported by Republicans in Congress, Trump is going full-bore on extending his tax cuts for corporations and the rich. This will increase the deficit dramatically unless it is off set with spending cuts. The only thing that would make a dent in the deficit is severe cuts to Medicaid, which funds health insurance for families in every state. (Even if Medicaid were cut to zero, the deficit would still expand, due to the proposed tax cuts.) The key point is that the middle class and the working class will sacrifice and suffer so the rich get even bigger tax cuts. This makes America “great again”?
There are so many issues—but we focus on these because they will help split Trump’s coalition.
We see evidence of this already. Republican Congressmen are refusing to hold town halls in Republican-dominated districts, for fear of encountering their own constituents. Republicans in the Senate are already supporting action to rein in Trump’s tariffs. They won’t succeed, but the fact they are willing to vote shows that the structure is starting to crumble. Our job is to make it crumble sooner rather than later, using civic engagement tools and outlets like those we offer in our Action Center.
Most important, get involved at the local level. And when, later this year, Ridgefield holds elections for municipal office, ask hard questions of Republican candidates. Because the kakistocracy is hurting all Americans—including Ridgefielders.