The 2016 campaign promise to “drain the swamp” struck a chord among many who were fed up with mediocrity and undesirables. We were promised it would be replaced with the best America has to offer. If only.
Four years later, if the swamp has indeed been drained, it has been replaced with a more toxic ecosystem. If it hasn’t been drained, why not? The drain refill started early with perjuring campaign officials who colluded with national enemies and eventually became convicted felons as a result. It then proceeded to shady inauguration finance favoritism. And that was even before the transition. Soon thereafter, the newly appointed Secretary of Defense was indicted and convicted for perjury. But no worries, eventually Trump’s donkey (a cross between a political lackey and an ass), Bill Barr, got him off. Swamp refills must deserve vindication even if they are liars. Then came the mixed swamp messages – Jeff Sessions’ Russia probe recusal earning public character assassination for what would appear to be an act of integrity befitting a drained swamp.
And then there’s the string of generals, who might have cleaned the swamp but weren’t allowed to remain long enough due to their lack of blind loyalty. Even America’s foreign intelligence community and the FBI must have been part of the swamp because they quickly became drain targets – fired, denounced in favor of Putin, and belittled by a man who won’t even read their briefings. Maybe the swamp was draining, but it was beginning to stink in town.
And then there’s the White House swamp refillers. Betsy Devos recently showed her true colors while visiting New Hampshire schools to campaign for in-person schooling, but cancelled her visit to a Bedford school when it was learned that a teacher had tested positive for the virus. Although Betsy thinks school is safe for kids and teachers, she doesn’t think it’s safe for her. Donkey Barr sees his job more as personal- than national lawyer. Speaking of lawyers, maybe Rudi was drinking swamp water when he told us that “truth is not truth.” And maybe some swamp water got on the White House lawn where we learned about “alternative facts.” Meanwhile, HHS does its best to confuse pandemic responses while parroting the party line of a great job done. In fact, the White House has a whole special Pandemic Task Force to confuse us while the world snickers. Injectable chlorox, indeed. Commerce fosters trade wars. Homeland Security attempts to create a new institution – immigration cruelty. (Aren’t they supposed to be focusing on 9/11 type things?). State pursues our new foreign policy – punishment. And about a quarter of senate-approvable federal management positions remain unfilled. A vacuum is not a good substitute for a swamp. Maybe that’s what all the special advisors are about, but they don’t seem to last unless they are relatives. Is all this really America’s best?
As our institutions circle the drain there has been a string of press secretaries who bring lying and denial to new levels. Remember when press conferences were useful? How can the entire free press except for Fox News be fake? Is the Pandemic Task Force with its moot press conferences an example of a drained swamp? Are the government’s directors “acting” because they’re being first tested for swampness or because “America’s best” just don’t want the job?
So have we drained the swamp? If so, has it revealed a new species of bottom dweller?