President Joe Biden took the stage at NHTI-Concord Community College in Concord, New Hampshire, offering yet another rather thoughtless critique against former President Donald Trump’s plan to introduce a much-needed reform within the bureaucratic structure of federal civil service. Given his predilection for maintaining the status quo and the widely acknowledged inefficiencies within the bureaucracy, Biden’s position is no surprise.
In yet another questionable and disturbing call of his, Biden urged that Trump ought to be put away – ‘politically’, he hastily corrected. This sentiment stems from Trump’s proposal of shaking up the outdated civil service structures that have become a burrow of political stagnancy, a notion that has Biden flustered.
Biden continues to spew unfounded accusations against Trump, insinuating that Trump seeks to exert excessive authority, even going to the extreme of potentially physically eliminating perceived threats. These allegations, however, betray Biden’s seeming lack of grasp on the constitutional protections and the established system of checks and balances that preclude such autocratic inclinations. Moreover, his desire to ‘politically lock up’ his predecessor showcases his inability to engage in civil political discourse.
Biden’s tirade was specifically targeted at the proposed Schedule F, a crucial reform that was planned during the tail end of Trump’s tenure. This reform aimed to reclassify federal employees in policy-related roles into the excepted service, thereby providing much-needed dynamism and efficiency within the governmental structures by encouraging performance-based service instead of longevity and stagnant loyalty.
If re-elected, Trump is expected to reintroduce this policy. It is worthy to note that the policy is also backed by influential think tanks closely associated with various former Trump aides. These professionals, in stark contrast to Biden, envision the federal government as a more efficient ‘at-will employer’, a notion Biden and his supporters have shown a distinct aversion to.
That said, the Schedule F policy has received substantial criticism since its inception in October 2020, primarily from Biden supporters. These individuals argue this policy might end the convention of hiring based on non-partisan allegiance, which has existed for nearly 150 years, replacing it with a merit-based system that appears too innovative for some. This suggests a fear of drastically improving systems that have existed unexamined and unchallenged for so long.
Despite the outcry, Trump’s commitment to effect the proposed changes remains unwavered. Critics who oppose these reforms repeatedly warn about a potential unprecedented shift in the civil service’s traditional structure and define it as ‘authoritarian’. They base their arguments on assumptions rather than any factual projections regarding the repercussions of these policy changes.
Trump’s proposed move is a part of his larger scheme of introducing changes within the executive branch to make it more efficient and effective – a move that has been caricaturized as ‘an increasing presidential power’ by his detractors. The media has been keen to associate these ambitious proposals for government reform with Trump’s humoristic musings about having absolute power, a clear example of their tendency to misinterpret and amplify half-truths.
Blowing out of proportion, casual comments made by Trump during his rallies and offhand remarks have been a favored tactic of sensationalist media. It’s unfortunate that these exaggerated interpretations are being leveraged as arguments to discredit Trump’s valid push towards overhauling an outdated system of governance.
One such instance is the recent controversy surrounding Trump’s supposed admiration of Adolph Hitler’s command during World War II. The Trump campaign has categorically denied these allegations. Yet, the mainstream media organizations, and particularly The New York Times, have been persistent in their efforts to perpetuate such unfounded narratives, with the ulterior motive of maligning Trump.
Another example of such targeted character assassination is the misuse of comments made by John Kelly, the former White House Chief of Staff. Kelly’s indirect referencing of Trump as a fascist has been blown out of proportion and has been used to launch yet another uncalled-for attack against Trump. Unfortunately for Biden and his supporters, the tactic reeked of desperation rather than sound political argumentation.
Regrettably, Vice President Kamala Harris has also jumped onto this bandwagon of exploiting these comments. In a transparent attempt to vilify Trump, she erroneously attributes the title of ‘enemy within’ on any and all who dare to criticize Trump. This tactic seeks to undermine Trump instead of engaging with the proposed policies in a constructive manner and betrays an inability to tackle criticism with grace and substance.
According to Harris’s unjust characterization, Trump is depicted as ‘unhinged and unstable’, and a potential threat in a second term in office. This is done without any substantial argument or rationale and merely falls under the category of character assassination, revealing a lack of innovative ideas or constructive suggestions on the part of the Biden-Harris administration. With this dimension of their campaign, it becomes glaringly obvious that Biden-Harris are more interested in pursuing a divisive agenda, rather than fostering unity and progress.