The latest rumors are that Donald Trump may be bringing Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie onto his White House staff. This is … a dramatically poor misreading of what he needs in the White House.
To be fair, both Lewandowski and Bossie do at least have government experience as former Hill staffers — Bossie as an investigator for Dan Burton’s House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight (before he was fired for abuses while investigating Bill Clinton) and Lewandowski as a staffer for two U.S. House members and an intern for one Massachusetts state legislator (only one of whom was ever convicted of anything). Granted, all of that was brief and also before the turn of the century, but it is true that both of them have more government experience than Reince Priebus, Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner combined before January 20 of this year. Not to mention the president.
Which is sort of the point: Trump still desperately needs people who know how to govern, and specifically know how to run a White House. Yes, I keep repeating myself on this point, but the effects of a staff that is very obviously in over their collective heads continue to be painful and obvious. And, yes, the biggest problem is the president’s inability or indifference to doing the hard work required in the presidency. But, yes, I’m as certain as ever that a heavyweight White House chief of staff would make an enormous difference no matter what limitations Trump has.
Of course, when a president treats the people who work for him like dirt, he tends to have fewer options when it comes to hiring.
1. Henry Farrell at the Monkey Cage explains the diminished influence in the world the U.S. will have after Trump’s disastrous European trip.
2. AnÃbal Pérez-Liñán, also at the Monkey Cage, has a comparative look at impeachment and removal.
3. Happy birthday to Mischiefs of Faction. Seth Masket and Jennifer Victor each look at where political science blogging is going.
4. Perry Bacon Jr. at FiveThirtyEight maps out groups of Republican party actors and how likely they are to support Trump going forward.
5. Adam Serwer on bravery and Greg Gianforte.
6. Heather Hulburt grades Trump’s foreign trip. I think she’s too generous on “appearances.”
7. And Philip Bump on all of Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke’s “medals.”
By Jonathan Bernstein: Bloomberg
