CLOWN CAR

Who doesn’t love a circus!

Dozens of clowns jumping out of a single tiny car always got to me. How did they do it? The Trump clown car is something else. And we know how he did it. What do his picks portend?

How will Trump harm this nation short and long term in the next four years? With his impressive election victory, he has moved from aggrieved victor to day-one vengeful dictator-in-waiting. His Cabinet picks to date are loyalists. Only a few are qualified for the positions they will assume if confirmed by the Senate.

His choice of Senator Marco Rubio for Secretary of State tags a reliably conservative Republican, yes, but he is as qualified for the post as past choices by both Democrats and Republicans. He and Susie Wiles, to be chief of staff, are Trump’s best picks so far. She ran a strong election campaign and won. She is very smart, obviously tough and we hope will be a brake on some of Trump’s worst instincts and behavior. I wish she was a Democrat!

The others he has named so far (not all are included here) are either unqualified or barely credible.

Robert F. Kennedy for Health & Human Services: in his time at National Resources Defense Council, he did commendable work as an environmental lawyer. He is mainly correct in his sharp assessment of the food industry. Unhappily, his stance as an anti-vaxxer is just nutty and flies in the face of established medical opinion and is terrifying and potentially lethal. He is not a medical doctor; his position on vaccines disqualifies him. Period.

On the fluoridation of water, he may have a better case; fluoridation has decreased in many states - but the water is still fluoridated everywhere as far as I know. Scientists do disagree on how much fluoride is safe? But none advocate removing all fluoride. His obstinacy could be enough to cut him out when he comes before the Senate for confirmation. We can but hope.

The rest of the herd is uneven to downright risky. On my risk scale of 1-10 (highest), here’s my take:

• Attorney general: Matt Gaetz                    unqualified bomb-thrower; high risk, 9

• White House chief of staff Susie Wiles   capable, competent:  low risk, 1

• Secretary of state: Marco Rubio      capable; low risk 1-2

• Deputy attorney general: Todd Blanche  qualified; low risk, 3

• HHS secretary: Robert F. Kennedy Jr     unqualified, off the rails, high risk 8-9

• U.N. ambassador: Elise Stefanik             smart sycophant; moderate to high 6-8

• Border czar: Tom Homan:                       experienced border guy; 3-4              

• Defense secretary: Pete Hegseth           unqualified; naughty boy problem, 8

• Interior secretary: Doug Burgum            qualified, low risk 1-2

• Kristi Noem homeland security              unqualified, very risky, 8-9

• John Ratliffe, CIA director                      intelligence experience, med. risk 4-5

• Dir.nat.l intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard       zero intel background; high risk 7-9

• EPA administrator: Lee Zeldin              needs the work; defeated in L.I.; 4-6

• Amb. to Israel: Mike Huckabee             evangelist; loves Bibi ; 3-4

• Govt. Efficiency: Musk, Ramaswamy   hide the kids; 8-10

•  Homeland security: Stephen Miller      hates migrants, expel ‘em all.; 8-9

So eight are or near high risk. Trump is giving the middle finger to Washington, to national institutions and to the US constitution. There is no respect, no reflection, just typical Trump.

The next Trump presidency: Shakespearean? Operatic? How does it end? Comedy or tragedy?

Who doesn’t love a circus!