I think it’s a mistake to keep focusing so much on Trump. You can’t go at this head-strong and scorched earth. That won’t work because it has the appearance of partisanship.
No, the better way to do this is to go all-in on ethics. Regulate the ever-loving-bajeezus out of ethics. Adopt the “Drain The Swamp” rhetoric. The Biden administration should be all about restoring faith in our government. We all agree the government as it is now is broken. So let’s fix the damn thing, not destroy it. Invest in the future.
To do that we’re going to need independent investigations and a false-wall between the White House and DOJ. Republicans like law and order, right? Fine. You want to play? Let’s play law and order. We aren’t going after anyone because of politics, we’re restoring the American voter’s confidence in the propriety of our government. You know, actually making America great again.
And I’m pretty sure that’s what BLM wants too, right? We should all be treated the same, regardless of race, creed, color, financial affluence, or political affiliation for that matter. Everyone plays by the same rules, no exceptions. I’m sure that sounds bad to some people and good to other people, but hey, fair is fair and all we’re asking for is to play fair.
Extend this basic policy to all departments, all bureaus, all offices, all branches of the Executive. But you can’t stop there. Congresspeople must be subject to the same ethical standards as everyone else. Likewise in the Judicial branch. Judges appointed to federal benches must adhere to ethical regulations, not just norms and standards. Because as we have seen, norms are just a promise to color within the lines, not a binding agreement. And standards are just recommendations unless they have the bite of statutory regulation. There need to be consequences.
Because that’s the only way to clean this damn mess up. Implement consequences. Regulations need to have teeth to be effective. And, at least in my humble opinion, we’re reaching a critical mass of fuckedupitude in this country and there are precious few distractions from it. The common American is getting their nose rubbed in it thanks to everything 2020 has thrown at us. So, oddly enough, it sounds like time something could actually be done.
But that would require two things. First, it would take Biden to not already be bought-and-paid-for by the oligarch billionaire class. And second, it would take the average American to have an attention span longer than an incontinent gnat. So I’m not holding my breath.