There was a time in this fair land (apologies to Gordon Lightfoot) when we actually expected our leaders to know what they were doing. You know, they should know what the nuclear triad is, for example, considering that they might be called upon to use it. Also, when we put someone in charge of a government, we expect them to know how it works. One reason Biden has been so effective in getting legislation passed (even in this overheated political world) is because of all his years in the Senate (and as VP). Former President Obama had had only 4 years in the Senate before he became president, though in his case I think his problem was more that he genuinely believed the Republicans would work him for the good of the country at large. Trump had no idea at all how things work — which was partly a blessing, since it made him less effective at taking the government over, but also less effective at governing (to the extent he was even interested). Now he says he understands government better after that experience — though what he means is he understands better how to undermine it. He still doesn’t understand tariffs, disaster relief, our strategic alliances, world trade, multilateral agreements, diplomatic negotiations, or the legislative process (and probably still isn’t clear on what the nuclear triad is). Though he does know how to grift.
Republicans haven’t been doing too well with Congressional leadership, either. When they got control of the House, it took them 15 rounds to pick McCarthy, who at least had some experience in how the House works. When his experience got to be too much for the rebel rabble — he COMPROMISED, for God’s sake! — he got replaced by Mike Johnson, a backbencher who has since fumbled and bumbled his way around the gavel. But he’s a true believer, which is all that matters.
Now the Oleaginous Pile of Orange Offal has found someone to match his inexperience: J. D. Vance, a man whose entire government experience consists of TWO years in the Senate.
How J.D. Vance’s Shocking Inexperience Turned Into an Asset : At one time, Vance’s lack of governing experience would have been disqualifying. In 2024, Republicans saw it as a badge of honor.
[E]ven the vice presidential nominees expected to do the campaign bladework were typically required to have some semblance of governing experience.
By historic standards, Vance has shockingly little. No experience balancing a state budget, overseeing disaster response, or wrestling with the legal and moral dimensions of the death penalty. He hasn’t commanded a state National Guard or managed a federal agency or Cabinet office. He’s less than a third into his first six-year Senate term. . . .
Vance has less experience in elected office than other vice presidential nominees who were pilloried over their qualifications — most notably Geraldine Ferraro in 1984, Dan Quayle in 1988 and Sarah Palin, twenty years later. Not that long ago, it would have been a handicap that would have been a consistent and all-consuming topic of debate.
Now having experience is a disqualification in MAGA circles. (As in circles of Hell.)
Experience, however, is no longer viewed as a badge of seriousness in either party, but especially among Republicans. Trump’s own 2016 victory came against an unusually deep and accomplished field of GOP governors and senators. He mercilessly turned their years of service in government against them all, painting them as denizens of the Washington swamp that he promised to drain.
Experience, among other things, means knowing what will and what won’t work, and knowing that wishing won’t make it so. Exactly what Trump doesn’t want — his experience last time taught him mainly that experienced people, experts in their fields, got in his way because they dealt with reality instead of his wishes.
Trump’s point in picking Vance, as in his plans to replace the civil service with toadies, isn’t just about surrounding himself with worshipers. It’s about insulating himself from any reality that might intrude upon his fantasies that he is the stable genius, the greatest general, the consummate diplomat, the perfect physician, the only man who can fix it.
He can con those around him. He may even (angels and ministers of grace defend us!) con the country. But he can’t con reality. Reality bites. Hard.