I’ve written a lot about the way people’s negative attitude toward government has made them vulnerable to Trump’s contempt for the rule of law. Whether it’s the conservatives’ belief that government service is a haven for unambitious laggards or the liberals’ attack on “the establishment” as oppressor of the underdog, our government has become the scapegoat for our failures, the chains depriving us of our freedom, a sewer that needs cleaning up. The shock and outcry at Trump’s and Musk’s destruction, therefore, comes as a surprise—a very welcome one in the midst of the onslaught.
The initial response of most conservatives and many liberals was to cheer Musk on. “Go at it, fella!” “Finally someone’s got the guts to get it done!” But now they watch policies—from clean water to medical research to birthright citizenship—killed. They watched the indiscriminate mass-firing and massive deportations, as though people were dust to be swept into the bin. They have watched the Vice President scold Ukraine’s Zelensky for refusing Putin’s terms for peace. They have heard the government refuse to return Kilmer Arbrego Garcia, taken by mistake in an illegal immigrant sweep. They have witnessed Musk closing the doors of Social Security offices in the face of those who need in-person service. They have listened to Trump brag about our coming wealth from tariffs as stocks drop and prices rise.
The contents of the signs have changed. “I’m Kilmer Arbrego!” “No more Kings” “No Oligarchy” “Deport Musk” “Hands Off USA!” “Due Process is not a Joke!” Over and over, GOP voters tell the press this is not what they wanted. It’s as though the public is rediscovering what this government is about–norms that run deep in the nation’s psyche–as it’s being decimated—and Trump shrugs. Many will argue that the protesters are Democrats, but Trump’s poll numbers are shrinking. Others will say it’s too late, and I’d be the last to deny the damage done. But universities have banded together against the tyrant’s demands, and the courts have held their ground—issuing a midnight order that an on-going deportation of immigrants stop. The vote was seven to two with all three Trump appointees voting against him; only Alito and Thomas remained loyal to the new order.
As Trump turns his guns on lawyers who’ve opposed him, it becomes clearer and clearer that this purge had nothing to do with efficiency and fraud—it is the purging of dissent. Respectable newspapers like The Wall Street Journal sound tinnier and tinnier as they try to piece together a policy that will explain the President’s actions, though Trump himself has made his purpose perfectly clear: “I am your retribution.” Department leadership has been given to Trump loyalists, and the personnel must follow suit. But solidity-by-intimidation is cracking, and, thanks to Musk, the focus is shifting to the mega-rich.
The sun is out, the tulips and “rhodies” in bloom, the bay is full of sails. It’s spring.
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