Editorial Independence: Op-eds represent the personal opinions of the writers and are independent from our newsroom’s reporting. We welcome diverse viewpoints.
The side-show has returned, and it’s deadlier than the first go-round. Donald Trump’s cabinet picks are no better than what you would get from a two-bit show in some podunk town. Instead of the bearded lady and wolf boy, we have Pete Hegseth acting like Billy Badass and RFK Jr. thinking he knows what’s best for your children.
Then there’s my personal favorite, Linda McMahon as head of the Department of Education. Yes, she’s back for Round Two. In Trump’s first reign, she was administrator of the Small Business Administration (say that five times fast). And what did she accomplish?
I guess that answer will have to wait for the history books to decide. Apparently, her big success was resigning “in March 2019 to assume new responsibilities” within Trump’s failed re-election campaign in that maligned year of our Lord, 2020.
It doesn’t take a political science strategist to figure out that her tenure then, and her reassignment now, is nothing more than another money grab. Her estranged husband, Vince McMahon – the former CCO of WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) – was practically bosom buddies with Trump, donating upwards of $5 million to his “charities” between 2007 and 2009, and gracing his campaigns with a couple cool million.
Mrs. McMahon didn’t hesitate to buy her way into the inner circle, “donating” upwards of $10 million to gain a spot on Trump’s roster. And what did that get her? A chance to make an ass of herself in front of the cameras.
Hey, Linda, I don’t think artificial intelligence has a steak seasoning preference. We know the Don prefers ketchup on his well-done travesty, and Vince will pay top dollar to keep his preference hush hush.
Brass tacks won’t allow us to sideswipe how Linda McMahon has scurried her way into a high-profile and more dangerous position than before. She’s carried the banner for dismantling the Department of Education in favor of sending “education back to the states and empower all parents to choose education for their children,” as stated in her speech on March 3 – posted on the Department’s website.
The argument that the GOP has made in favor of taking chisel to the government’s rusty infrastructure is to put the power back in the hands of the people. That sounds spectacular, doesn’t it? Until you realize that the Department of Education, for instance, gives low-income students a chance at higher education in the form of government-assisted financial aid.
I was one of those students. Without Pell Grants, for example, I wouldn’t have made it out of my hometown of Lima, Ohio. Yes, was this 2007, when they told every outgoing high-school graduate, “Go to college or suffer the fate of your parents.”
This was the last gasp of the No Child Left Behind idea that each student could do that. Let’s be honest: Did George W. Bush have any clue how a child learned?
At least in 2007, we had a clue. Now? It’s being dissolved under the red herrings of DEI, “trans-genderism” and “Pro-Hamas sentiment.” Make no mistake, these are the crutches which the hard-right lean on. God forbid you say anything which rests within gray areas.
Until you reach the money status of a Linda McMahon – a DEI hire herself – then you’ll never know her vapid perspective. That is the act of Trump’s minions, especially this time around. He rewards his minions, at least for a little while.
It’s a strange kind of love. And we’ll wait for the rage.
