OPINION: The entire federal government harnessed in service of a whim

The 2024 presidential election has come and gone, and roughly half of all Americans are peeking out from behind the curtains, warily expecting more disturbing news from Washington, D.C.

Sexual predators nominated for major Cabinet positions. A vaccine denier tabbed to lead America’s biggest health agency. A TV doctor — with nine Daytime Emmy awards! — to run Medicare and Medicaid. And a Russia apologist as director of national intelligence.

These nominations have gone to loyal cronies and/or TV talking heads. Either way, it’s clear our next president wants to deliver on his campaign promise to shake things up in Washington, D.C. Instead of simply re-arranging the furniture, he is intent on scrambling the entire diagram of federal government.

It’s possible that Senate Republicans will take their duties seriously and actually scrutinize these nominees. But it’s more likely they will approve the nominations with little fuss because they want to get reelected, and you can’t win reelection if you’re on Dear Leader’s naughty list. If the Senate doesn’t give its consent, the incoming president says he’ll wait for it to adjourn and then make recess appointments — effectively wiping his backside with the U.S. Constitution.

In fairness, some of the new president’s nominees and priorities align with the wishes of voters who returned him to office. This means mandatory vaccine requirements for public school students are likely to be rescinded, as are vaccine requirements to hold down a job.

Elections have consequences, and it’s a sad inevitability that America will experience a resurgence in diseases that have largely been eradicated. Measles, polio, chickenpox and other infectious nasties are probably coming to an elementary school near you. This, apparently, is what voters wanted.

Eliminating vaccine requirements is the visible part of the iceberg, the explicitly stated part. Left unsaid — hence undefended — are a host of consumer protection and federal aid programs whose fate will be decided by, ahem, “government efficiency” experts Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Musk’s stated ambition is to slash $2 trillion in federal spending; yes, that’s “trillion” with a “t.”

Huge reductions in government spending won’t affect Musk or Ramaswamy, both of whom are extremely wealthy. But it will affect those at the other end of the economic spectrum. Child care credits? Take care of your own damn kids! Price supports for small farmers? Don’t expect Uncle Sam to bail you out!

The GOP likes to call itself the party of personal responsibility, but it has morphed into a vehicle to advance the interests of America’s wealthiest caste at the expense of its many vulnerable citizens. What’s that you say? There’s lead in your drinking water? That’s too bad, because public money is no longer available to solve your problem. Elon and Vivek will see to that, so access to safe drinking water is on its way to becoming a personal responsibility.

The same argument applies to consumer protections against unscrupulous business practices. As Uncle Sam backs away, food producers will be free to add harmful preservatives that guarantee a longer shelf life for their products. So do your own research on whether that Thanksgiving turkey is safe to eat. It’s your responsibility.

These are down-in-the-weeds glimpses of what’s in store over the next four years, but the view from 40,000 feet is just as discouraging. Rather than a statesman, the office of president of the United States will be occupied by a showman with no regard for the truth. Entertainment, not expertise, is the new North Star for American leadership.

Meanwhile, time is running out for the dedicated, thoughtful public servants who oversee many facets of the federal government. Maybe they’ll jump, or maybe they’ll be pushed, but they’ll be gone either way. The new leadership team primarily consists of overbearing, under-qualified men who’ve got the answers before they even know the questions. Science, logic and reason are being pushed aside as bombast and narcissism take center stage.

If the past is any guide to the future, it’s clear that our foreign and domestic policies will shift with the wind and entire sectors of the economy will be thrown into turmoil on a whim. Longstanding alliances will be broken, and new alliances — with questionable partners — will blossom.

So buckle up, America. We’ve got a challenging few years ahead.

Brock has been a Daily News columnist for more than 22 years. He has lived on the Palouse even longer.