Like many of you, I suspect, a great weariness came over me after the events of Nov. 5. I sought nothing but distraction from a crushing defeat. Seeking refuge in books, sporting events, and somewhat mindless television, I was able to rest from the great disappointment of the election. No TV news was a great help. Reading only the local news in the Times-Picayune kept my mind focused on the usual mayhem close to home. It was a peaceful, if melancholy, month. 

 

I finally broke my fast last week. I picked up the New York Times and found my way to the op-ed page, where I was treated to an absolutely delicious new word courtesy of Paul Krugman. A Nobel Prize winner in economics and columnist for the Times for 24 years, Krugman used the word in his farewell essay. It’s such a jewel that I considered sprinkling it into everyday conversation as if I’d been using it for years, but I feared being exposed for word poaching. Better to come clean: I had never heard the word kakistocracy before reading Krugman’s piece. Never ran across it in my reading, never heard anyone else use it.  

 

But now that I’ve welcomed kakistocracy into my vocabulary, I foresee opportunities aplenty to use it. Why? Because our country is about to become a kakistocracy, and a spectacular one at that. 

 

For those of you who, like me, were unacquainted with this noble noun, a kakistocracy is a government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens. That pretty much sums up the executive branch of the US government that Donald Trump plans to install after Jan. 20, 2025. The group of discredited, venal, indicted, disgraced, ass-kissing charlatans who comprise Trump’s cabinet are not only an embarrassment of rich people but a superfluity of tawdriness. But what the hell, most of them are billionaires, so they must be eminently qualified for their jobs. 

 

If you don’t remember the people Trump picked for his first term, here’s a refresher. There were some bad apples, sure, but compared to the nominees this go ’round they were distinguished and socratic.  A few actually seemed serious about serving the country even if they were right-wingers: Kelly, Mattis, Pompeo, Haley. But they were the exceptions. The others were unqualified dolts with their own agendas: Betsy “Abolish Public Schools” DeVos, Secretary of Education; Rick “Drill, Baby, Drill” Perry, Energy; Ben “Leave it to the Lord” Carson, HUD; Rex “Drill, Baby, Drill” Tillerson, State; Ryan “Sell Public Lands So We Can Drill, Baby, Drill” Zinke, Interior; etc. 

 

The revolving door of cabinet members during Trump’s first term exceeded turnover during the administrations of Reagan, Obama, and the two Bushes combined. When Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta resigned in 2019, he was the ninth Trump-appointed cabinet member to bolt. Acosta, remember, had previously been the Florida prosecutor who granted Jeffrey Epstein a cushy house arrest after Epstein was convicted of sex-trafficking.

 

Don’t count on any of Trump’s cabinet nominees to stand up to him when he steps outside the bounds of the Constitution. Gone are the Mattises and Kellys and McMasters. Replacing them are toadies guaranteed to tow the MAGA line. Qualifications be damned. Past ethical and moral lapses be damned. Overt bias be damned. So long as Trump’s nominees worship at his altar, nothing else will matter. And God help any Republican member of Congress with spine enough to oppose a nominee. If they dare to speak up, they will quickly find themselves on the outside looking in. Opposing Trump would require some actual political courage; so don’t hold your breath.

 

For generations America has been run as a plutocracy that favors the investor class. We saw periods of moderation under FDR and in the immediate post-World War II years when working men and women could hope to thrive. But those days are long gone, replaced by long periods of corporate welfare and worsening inequality. Trump promises a retribution agenda and a laser focus on policies that benefit his wealthy supporters. He will do it legally with legislation that favors the rich or illegally through sweetheart deals. I fear that nothing will stop him.

 

So what are we? A kakistocracy or a plutocracy? I kind of hope it’s the former and here’s why. The election proved that voters are OK with a plutocracy. Policies that benefit only the rich are regularly enacted with no real push-back except from a few who are regarded as eccentrics or worse, as idealistic whack jobs. (Hello Bernie.) I don’t see this changing for  generations to come. But maybe a kakistocracy will sow the seeds of its own demise. Maybe the venality of the president and his clown car cabinet will kindle enough outrage to unite the country forever against MAGA rule. Maybe another four years of scandal and ineptitude will be enough to knock some sense into us. Let’s hope so.

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