OPINION: Mr. President-Elect, eat your veggies

The holiday season is here, and so are all the delicious treats. From Christmas cookies and candies to festive drinks and more, it's a season full of joy — and plenty of extra calories.

In moderation, sweets make life better. In nonstop, year-round gluttony, they rot us from the inside out. 

Republicans are embarking on a year when they get to have their cake and eat it too. With Trump as president and Republicans in control of Congress, crucial cabinet-level government jobs are being filled with controversial people who spike America’s blood sugar, and blood pressure. 

Although people like RFK Jr. and Linda McMahon might sound appealing to far-right conservatives, America wasn’t built to handle such reeking partisan ineptitude. They are not good for our nation’s health.

The day-to-day work of keeping America running smoothly relies on knowledgeable cabinet secretaries and millions of dedicated civil servants at lower levels of government who understand their jobs and know how to do those jobs well. 

The people working in government institutions — and the institutions themselves — are the ballast that keeps our ship of state steady and balanced through all kinds of weather. Nonpartisan officials showing up each day to do their jobs ensure the government operates smoothly and within the law, regardless of who holds the presidency.

Unfortunately, in the Trump era a civil servant’s political loyalty is more important than talent or knowledge. 

McMahon, the nominee for Secretary of Education, has never led any institution of higher learning. She was a pro wrestling executive. Her partisanship is her one shining qualification, and yet she has been asked to run (or probably dismantle) the department she is nominated to lead.

The definition of a modern Republican has become someone who is long on ideas and loyalty, but short on skills and short-sighted when it comes to their practical application. 

Another example of this deficiency is Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary — Pete Hegseth. Hegseth is a Fox News commentator loyal to Trump. His nomination is a slap in the face to everyone in the military, active duty and veterans who have spent a lifetime working their way up the ranks. Hegseth was not hired for his sweeping knowledge of how the military operates. He was hired because he is (in Trump’s words) “a true believer in America First.”

This nominee to lead the world’s largest military has real character problems. He questioned whether women should serve in combat roles. His own mother called Hegseth “an abuser of women.” As if that were not enough to disqualify him, Hegseth is also under investigation for his affiliation with white supremacist groups. 

Cabinet hires that ooze subservience regardless of their qualifications may be fun for a while, if all you want to do is “get the libs.” But sooner or later you see the results of their ineptitude. 

To forecast these results, we don’t need to look any further than our local community college. 

For years, trustees who were subservient to the KCRCC were long on rhetoric and short on institutional knowledge. Their own dysfunction drove North Idaho College to the brink of collapse. By pushing pet projects and cronyism ahead of the needs of everyday students, these trustees endangered not only the college’s accreditation but also its financial standing. Moody’s Investor Service downgraded North Idaho College’s bond ratings twice while these inept trustees had board control. 

Thankfully, the talented and long-suffering NIC faculty and staff did their work in the face of all the board dysfunction. Many talented and long-suffering federal government employees will have to be equally heroic as their new department leaders prioritize partisanship over progress. 

We can only hope that our civil servants hold on until the next election, when voters can start a course correction at the national level.

Today, newly elected trustees bring educational knowledge to the table and a willingness to prioritize the needs of the college above their own political partisanship.

There is a good reason that public offices are designed to be nonpartisan. When partisanship is paramount, infighting abounds and productivity collapses. 

Although Trump’s picks might be flashy and appealing, their legacy will test the strength of American democracy and leave it with a political hangover. 

Truly talented civil servants aren’t showmen — they are the steady, low-profile people who keep the gears of government moving. 

A diet of political sweets and treats might be appealing for a season. But Republicans are about to learn that it won’t age well. 

America needs and deserves a balanced and steady diet. Mr. President-Elect, when filling your cabinet, please include some boring, but talented veggies. 

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Evan Koch is chairman of the Kootenai County Democrats.