The Administrative State

declares independence.

The federal government seems to have accumulated a lot of parasites who are indifferent, or hostile to the Constitution. It may be necessary to hire some outside people to properly prosecute the criminals from the previous administration. It’s time to clean house in general, but if Trump was the man to do it, he would have started a long time ago. He’s too busy getting involved in Twitter wars to care, apparently.

[Update a few minutes later]

Speaking of the Constitution, no Mr. President, the Senate doesn’t report to you, and neither do Republicans. I had this crazy idea last year that the Republicans should have nominated someone who’s read the Constitution, but they had different ideas, apparently. But it will be nice if one effect of Trump is to restore Congress’s will to enforce its own prerogatives.

I do like this idea, though: “On my short-list for potential constitutional amendments is a ban on Senators becoming President. It would probably improve the presidency, and it would definitely improve the Senate.”

It would have saved us from Barack Obama, John McCain, John Kerry, and Bob Dole, among others.

18 thoughts on “The Administrative State”

  1. Hey Rand, how about this. No member of congress can run for president, or vice president during his, or her term. Anybody in congress that wants to run for president, has to step down 2 years before the election. No presidential candidate can select a sitting member of congress for his, or her running mate.

    This rule would not extend to governors, state, county, or city elected officials. Only to members of congress, vice president, supreme court judges, or the head of any government agency.
    If a vice president wants to run, then he would have to step down 2 years before the election, or wait 4 years after the election.

  2. Would you prefer if all candidates were people without prior political experience instead like The Donald?

      1. For executive offices you want people with relevant experience. But for a legislative body, 1000 names picked at random from the telephone directory wouldn’t be that bad. Knowing that they’ll be going back to their private lives after the legislative term should be an incentive to do the job right.

  3. Rand, I wonder how many senators you approve(d) of wouldn’t have ran for the Senate because they didn’t want to rule out becoming President.

    Regardless of whether you approved of him, I wonder whether Barry Goldwater wouldn’t have ran for Senator.

    1. I think the idea is less to disqualify senators per se, but rather sitting ones. If they want to quit the Senate and go be a governor, or even go out and run a business before running for president, that would be fine with me.

  4. the time-honored independence of the Justice Department

    This is so rich coming from a democrat!

    It’s time to clean house in general, but if Trump was the man to do it, he would have started a long time ago.

    You just told me something I already knew about the budget process. Now for something you already know. With people talking about impeaching the president before he even took office, any firing he does at DOJ or FBI carries a considerable political risk. The best he can do is hire an AG and FBI head to do the job. But he then still has to trust them to do it. Trusting others hasn’t worked out for him so far and claiming it can be done better by someone else flies in the face of the fact that they are all liars. We have been moving in the wrong direction with every president since FDR. Yes, even with Reagan who did well but didn’t change the net direction at all.

    A democrat can direct their every action and collude on how to accomplish it (a “matter”) but Trump catches holy hell if he even suggests what they might do to support this admin.

    He has started, but people can continue to ignore that and blame Trump. It is absolutely despicable how the party is actively undermining the president. This chance to clean house may not come again in our lifetime, but the asshats don’t care. Go ahead and blame Trump for not single-handedly fixing what’s been broke for over a generation. The political bastards like it broke. This could be the end of America unless it’s already happened.

    The right wing media has been suggesting he use an oval office speech to get his supporters to push congress. But congress at this point would simply ignore the people because of how far things have gone.

    If things can’t be changed peacefully what option is left?

  5. This general topic of the “Deep State” came up again on the news heard on the radio on the ride into work this morning. Apparently there is a NY Times story about a leaked internal memo at the JD, stating it will be a priority to investigate and possibly prosecute reverse discrimination cases against institutions of higher learning that practice this in order to achieve racial diversity goals. But I thought that baby (racial quotas) when out with the Bakke Ruling bathwater? Whatever. Supposedly a priority with Sessions. But the REAL backstory, is it also appears that the JD is going to have to hire lawyers OUTSIDE the JD as independent contractors, to implement the plan, because all the careerists inside the JD are refusing to go along with the new policy! Gee, in every other endeavor I can think of (business world) that’s a quick ticket out the door. You may not like the new policy, but you don’t get to say no to the boss and keep your job. Or you can quit… Elections have are supposed to have consequences….

    1. Trump should just fire everybody with the slightest taint, but we know the outcome. Bill Clinton fired every lawyer when he came into office and not a peep.

      By every lawyer, I mean those he fired (don’t be pendantic.)

      1. It’s almost impossible to “fire everyone” due to civil-service rules, and we can’t really shut down the government overnight. But Trump should have spent a little less time on the golf course and a little more time learning how the American government actually works. That’s how someone intelligent would to that. But he didn’t because he’s Trump.

        1. You may not be able to fire them, but a dept. head loyal to the admin could certainly assign them work that both keeps them out of trouble and makes them want to quit. …or causes them to break rules that allows them to be fired.

          As for golf, that’s where executives get a lot of work done. Even Obama probably got some of his evil plans accomplished there.

          Trump has enough people around him that do know how government works. If they aren’t properly advising him (as they screwed up the second immigration ban. Trump was right about how they should have handled this and his advisers wrong) that makes them the problem.

          Mostly the people that could support Trump are more interested in keeping their own gravy train because they don’t really give a damn about the country.

          Meanwhile Trump has got a faster rate of new conservative judges confirmed than past presidents That’s a major accomplishment. The left is trying to win in the media, but Trump will eventually win in the courts if we stick with the constitution.

          1. As for golf, that’s where executives get a lot of work done. Even Obama probably got some of his evil plans accomplished there.

            If that’s what you want to believe about why Trump wants to play golf, I’ll leave you to your delusions. I have no comments on your other continuing delusions.

          2. I was just suggesting a reasonable possibility based on the culture that surrounds golf. You are certain of his motivation without any evidence which is unlike you on most other matters.

            So you claim my assertion that people around Trump and in his party are not supporting him is a delusion? That’s some reality filter ya got there.

    2. I’d hope that refusal to cooperate with lawful policy coming from lawfully appointed department heads would be sufficient cause to receive certain words Donald Trump made famous in his show biz period. You know it would be if a democrat occupied the White House.

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