I love reading David Brooks. His editorials and books give a reasoned perspective on character, ethics, and morality. He has Republican leanings yet is a severe critic of the new administration. I was surprised to read his most recent and very popular op-ed piece in the NYT entitled The Coming Incompetence Crisis.
It starts off as follows: “I just read that the Trump administration has filled only 22 of the 553 key positions that require Senate confirmation. This makes me worry that the administration will not have enough manpower to produce the same volume and standard of incompetence that we’ve come to expect so far.
Granted, in its first few months the administration has produced an impressive amount of ineptitude with very few people.”
This article digs deeply into a sarcastic place where Brooks hasn’t seemed to venture in the past. I get it. He’s very frustrated, as are many of us. And I admit, that I personally have a tendency to stoop to sarcasm when faced with incompetence. Although zingers might feel good and do release some bitter humor, is such writing by a renowned pundit useful or constructive? My own hope is that we can focus in front of us finding something that we can realistically act on. Let’s not become Don Quixote tilting windmills with sarcastic commentary. Brooks can do better. Continue to point out the dismal facts of the administration – minus the sarcasm however tempting.