Shrinkage

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A columnist recently commented on the fact that Trump is almost literally shrinking before our eyes.  Bluster and size have always been his meat and potatoes.  From looming over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 debates to pushing aside diplomats to be in the front row at a NATO meeting, Trump has always used physical bullying to get his way.  But he is being diminished by the newly joyful atmosphere surrounding Kamala Harris and (now) Tim Walz.  This honeymoon for Democrats won’t last forever, but it’s sweet.

But just because Trump is diminishing before our eyes doesn’t mean that Trumpism is also shrinking.  It is gaining an institutional foothold at the Heritage Foundation, in Congress, and state legislatures and other institutions across the country.

In an article in today’s Virginia Political Newsletter from Virginia Scope (a Substack newsletter I read regularly for $5 a month), Delegate Don Scott (the Democratic Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates) recently wrote a letter to Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, requesting the removal of Dr. Lindsey Burke from the George Mason University Board of Visitors.  Why?  Because Dr. Burke authored Chapter 11 of Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation plan for fundamentally altering the federal government.  And although Trump has distanced himself publicly from this document – saying that he both doesn’t know anything about it and likes parts of it – VP wannabe J.D. Vance wrote the forward to the soon-to-be-released book on the project and most of the people identified as contributors to the project are alumni of the first Trump campaign or of the Trump White House.

Dr. Burke wrote the chapter on the Department of Education in Project 2025.  In the first sentence of the chapter, she states that “federal education policy should be limited, and ultimately, the federal Department of Education should be eliminated.” She also call for the abolishment of student loan forgiveness programs and wants to roll back Title IV, Title VI, and Title IX protection, including those for sexual assault survivors and LBGTQ+ students.

• Title IV refers to the financial aid programs for postsecondary students authorized authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.

• Title VI is a provision of the Civil Rights Act of 195 that prohibitrs discriminatin based on race, color, or national origin in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.

• Title IX, part of the Education Amendments of 1972, prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government.

Youngkin refused to remove her from the Board, citing her background in preschool, K-12, and higher education policy – and noting that she was confirmed unanimously by the General Assembly.

The fact that someone was reasonable before they became crazy is not adequate justification for maintaining them in positions of power.  Dr. Burke previously cloaked her beliefs, but she has now revealed them.  We need to be aware of all of the places where these ideas have burrowed in under the cloak of rationality.  They’ll emerge just like the cicadas did earlier this summer – but, unlike the cicadas, they are deadly to democracy and human rights.