This Franklin Foer piece is useful in a few ways:

  • it makes clear that the destruction of the administrative state currently in-progress is a longstanding GOP goal (not a new invention of Trump’s)
  • it correctly laments the human toll of the psychological warfare being waged on longtime civil servants
  • it makes clear that what we will lose is not just their knowledge, but the trust of the world when it comes to their investments

Foer’s piece ultimately fails in critical ways which mirror what I expect we’ll continue to see from mainstream commentators.

One of the abject failures of Joe Biden’s presidency was that he did not proselytize for his own faith in institutions, which he considered the essential bulwarks against autocracy.

To write this about a man who allowed his own son to be prosecuted by an appointee of his predecessor’s choosing is absurd. His entire political career—presidency included—is a testament to his faith in institutions, even to his own personal detriment. His resorting to the use of pardons only in the waning days of his presidency is the one acknowledgment that the institutions of government have actually failed.

Foer’s choice of target for blame is emblematic of what I expect we’ll continue to see from the chattering class: blame for what Biden supposedly did not do. Nevermind the fact that many elected Democrats are failing to meet this moment. Amy Klobuchar is still talking about finding common ground with a party that campaigned and won on mass deportation, racism, and anti-trans rhetoric. Other Senate Democrats are taking social media lessons from Cory Booker while cutting deals with the GOP on Trump’s cabinet choices to avoid staying in Washington, D.C. over the weekend.

When it comes to what I read about the continuation of the government coup that began on January 6, 2021, I will be searching for the words “Biden” and “Harris” in advance before I invest any additional time in a piece. If they aren’t writing in detail about the nature and scale of misrule by Trump/Musk and their minions, and those trying to stop them, the words aren’t worth it.