In an anonymous op-ed published at The Daily Caller, a self-proclaimed unpaid-but-high-ranking administration official writes that they see the government shutdown as an opportunity to drown government in a bathtub.
"As one of the senior officials working without a paycheck, a few words of advice for the president’s next move at shuttered government agencies: lock the doors, sell the furniture, and cut them down," Anonymous Unpaid Official (AUO) writes.
More specifically, AUO lays out the goal: "The lapse in appropriations is more than a battle over a wall. It is an opportunity to strip wasteful government agencies for good."
As you read further, it becomes pretty obvious that the writer of this op-ed is consumed with hatred for their fellow workers and indeed, for government itself. You can read some laced racism in, too, given how many people of color are employed by the federal government.
"Saboteurs peddling opinion as research, tasking their staff on pet projects or pitching wasteful grants to their friends," the writer states in a tone laced with bitterness and scorn. "Most of my career colleagues actively work against the president’s agenda. This means I typically spend about 15 percent of my time on the president’s agenda and 85 percent of my time trying to stop sabotage, and we have no power to get rid of them. Until the shutdown."
Oh, so another goal would appear to be to purge the government of anyone not in lockstep with Donald Trump and conservative agendas, then. I suppose Donald Trump fancies himself the Ronald Reagan of the 21st century, laying waste to government agencies to break them, the way Reagan did to the air traffic controllers.
There's a lot more in there, all bitter and angry, and it concludes with this:
The president’s instincts are right. Most Americans will not miss non-essential government functions. A referendum to end government plunder must happen. Wasteful government agencies are fighting for relevance but they will lose. Now is the time to deliver historic change by cutting them down forever.
It's almost like Grover Norquist wrote that, isn't it? I'm not sure which "senior administration officials" are going without pay, given that even Trump himself is still getting a paycheck, but apparently this person doesn't have to worry about losing the roof over their head, like Maria Sarto, an elderly resident of affordable housing, does.
It's great that The Daily Caller is pushing out an op-ed shoving Trump closer to the abyss, though. The longer this goes on, the more his approval ratings tank, even with his favorite pollster, Rasmussen.
It turns out most people don't want government drowned in a bathtub. Who could've guessed?
(h/t TPM)
