Trump Should Embrace, Not Abolish the NEH
- patricklewisbaker
- Apr 15
- 1 min read
Updated: Aug 21
The Trump administration has been conducting a shock-and-awe campaign on official Washington that has astonished everyone. Every Republican candidate since Richard Nixon has run against the Beltway establishment and promised, like George W. Bush, to “make Washington accountable.” Trump’s team seems not to realize that campaign promises are meant to be quietly shelved once elections are over. They are attacking the Washington establishment with a determination and speed that has surprised even some supporters.
As with all shock-and-awe campaigns, there is collateral damage. Bureaucrats are having to explain how their work benefits the American people, and to seek other employment if they cannot. Some parents in official Washington are faced with the heartbreaking realization that their children might have to attend less expensive universities. The summer trip to Europe might have to be curtailed.
Conservatives like myself have observed the suffering with a certain sang froid. Shock-and-awe campaigns cannot be conducted without collateral damage, and we are inclined to reach for that heartless Voltaire quote about omelets and eggs. What does cause us distress, however, is the unusual number of what the military sometimes calls friendly fire incidents…