Many years ago while living in Texas there was a mayor’s race between one candidate who called the other candidate a crook. The “crook” claimed that the other candidate was totally incompetent, unskilled, and uninformed. Since it is well known that political campaigns know all the inside dirt on each other, the public had to make up its mind whether it wanted a “crook” as mayor (a competent crook) or an incompetent nice person. Which of them would do the most harm to the city? The voters decided to elect the crook.
This story came back to my mind in light of the current situation in Washington. After the election of Trump as President and he began appointing all his billionaire buddies to cabinet positions, the evidence seemed to be moving in the direction of a competent crook who was going to milk the country for millions. The trips to his properties, the tax breaks he is proposing, the pull back of regulations that his buddies do not like. There was evidence that he would be a wealthy crook.
But now the pendulum seems to be swinging in the opposition direction. More and more it appears that he is an incompetent administrator. A leader who can not remember what he said one day after another. That he is not to be trusted with classified information. That he does not accept the opinions of the agencies of national security and FBI as to who are the good guys and good are the bad guys. He treats allies as enemies. Insults the leader of the EU. He continues to give evidence that his staff is in great conflict and disarray.
In Texas we had a choice. In Washington it looks like we get both for the same “dollar.” It is not a bargain.