Trump and the Republican War on the Civil Service
Historian Lindsay Chervinsky leads the Washington Monthly website this weekend with a topic near and dear to us: the federal civil service.
In Trump and the Republican War on the Civil Service, Chervinsky tells the fascinating history of how the assassination of James Garfield spurred the federal government to move away from the corrupt "spoils system" form of bureaucratic administration to the professional civil service we rely upon today.
And she flags how Trump, his kitchen cabinet, and his conservative allies in the Heritage Foundation are prepared to gut the civil service and effectively bring back the discredited spoils system.
We at the Monthly, from Contributing Editor Jonathan Alter to Contributing Writer David Atkins to your humble newsletter author, have been diligently calling attention to the grave threat posed by the Trump plan known as "Schedule F" and the related Heritage operation "Project 2025." Moreover, the Monthly has been covering how privatization undermines the civil service.
Chervinsky's historical perspective is essential to understanding the importance of protecting what we have. Click here for the full story.
THE REST OF THE WEEK AT THE WASHINGTON MONTHLY...
Will Netanyahu Survive the Fallout?: Jonathan Alter sees trouble ahead for the Israeli prime minister after presiding over a massive military and intelligence failure. Click here to read the full story.
Why is Trump Trashing Netanyahu?: My look at the fraught relationship between the former American president and the current Israeli prime minister, and what it says about Trump's egocentric approach to foreign policy. Click here to read the full story.
The Smart Corporate Tax Idea That Might Have Prevented the UAW Strike: Jessica Church of Americans for Financial Reform argues if Congress cracked down on excessive executive compensation packages, we would have labor peace today. Click here for the full story.
When You Know How Polls Work, You Realize That the Early Polls Don’t Matter: Robert J. Shapiro, Washington Monthly contributing writer, looks at the long history of presidential polling whiffs. Click here for the full story.
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Have a great weekend,
Bill Scher, Politics Editor, Washington Monthly