[tweezy]

I think the issue is that this is not "dismantling the wheels of established power", so much as it is centralizing and increasing the power of the executive branch.

It's not getting rid of all these bureaucrats in DC and giving power back to the people. It's getting rid any sort of independence and removing the barriers to centralizing power under Trump so that he can grab even more power and control.

And just to be pedantic, Trump received 49% of the vote and Kamala receive 48%. And that's of people who voted. He received 77 million out 244 million of the voting-eligible population, or around 31%.

There may be a plurality of people who want the Executive branch under Trump to consolidate power, but it's not the majority.

https://election.lab.ufl.edu/2024-general-election-turnout/

[normalaccess]

I can see that, on the one hand he is removing what he thinks is bureaucratic fat while at the same time giving himself (or the position) powers to do so.

I personally believe the government of the USA is probably 10x the size it needs to be so i like seeing the cuts but I am well aware of the dangers you speak of.

Either way, we live in interesting times.

[scarface_74]

The cuts in the federal government aren’t going to come from getting rid of the civilian workforce. It’s going to have to come from decreasing the military and cutting social security and Medicare. Do you think he would be willing to do either?

[tweezy]

I wish I could find a link, but I remember a study that argued that large bureaucracies can actually impede authoritarian governments concentrating power.

The idea being that when there are so many levers to pull and a disjointed system managing them, it makes it effectively impossible for a small group to effectively wield power. It’s like a buffer against concentrating power into a single individual.

Not that I’m arguing for endless bloat to the US government, that comes with its own problems. I agree we need to rein it in.

But I think there is a freedom-centric argument for a slightly larger government bureaucracy than is strictly necessary.

Or thinking about it in reverse, the bureaucracy is currently preventing the executive branch from just doing whatever it wants. I know Congress and the Supreme Court should act as blocks, but to paraphrase Stalin how much infantry do they have?

A slow moving bureaucratic executive can act as a buffer against ineffective other branches.

Or for those that may support the current administration consolidating power, what if the tides turn? What if in 4 years whoever the liberal villain du jour is takes power? Are we making it so that AOC is the most powerful president in history?