Tuesday, June 13, 2017

SUNSTEIN: In Praise of the 'Deep State'

Deep State cheerleader Neomi Rao
Why am I not surprised that praise for a Deep State supporter is coming from the evil Cass Sunstein?

He writes at Bloomberg:
Amid the controversies dominating the news last week, hardly any attention was paid to the confirmation hearing for Neomi Rao, who was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

If confirmed, Rao, a law professor at George Mason University, will play a key role in overseeing federal regulation in areas such as environmental protection, food safety, health care, occupational safety and transportation policy. (I was privileged to head OIRA from 2009 to 2012.)

A paragraph in Rao’s opening statements deserves sustained applause:

Reading through OIRA’s statutory authorities as well as Executive Orders and OMB Guidance, I have been struck by the consistency of the principles guiding the work of the office across administrations. Perhaps this is one reason so many talented professionals work at OIRA and often stay for many years serving presidents of different parties.

The paragraph says two things that are in real tension with numerous comments from the Trump administration. First, it emphasizes continuity across administrations -- and pointedly rejects the idea that there have been radical breaks as the presidency changes hands. Second, it praises the “deep state” -- the talented professionals who serve both Democratic and Republican administrations, and who are civil servants rather than political appointees.

With respect to principles, Rao is entirely right...

Instead of demonizing those who choose to work in the federal bureaucracy, we should be immensely grateful for their service. Neomi Rao appears to appreciate that point.
Yes, keep the government bureaucratic monster unaccountable to any outsiders running and growing.

What a horror!

-RW

2 comments:

  1. "...grateful for their service."

    Salary and benefits for a Government Affairs Representative is about $115K per year. For a Government Affairs Director it is about $200K per year. That's pretty good compensation for their service. Maybe they should be grateful that the tax payers paying their salaries have not revolted due to these government servants be overpaid and under worked. Maybe they should be grateful that they are not working in the private sector being held back by the likes of themselves.

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  2. Just a bunch of over-achieving little dorklings on their way to becoming little Eichmanns. Give em all swirlies!

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