Has Political Indifference Become a Byproduct of Our K Shaped Economy?
Donald Trump signed executive orders in January 2025 to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the federal government. He aimed to replace them with hiring based solely on individual merit, skill, and aptitude.
Then he proceeds to have people in his cabinet and to head U.S. executive agencies who have sniffed coke off toilets, a founder of WWE, a MTV reality star, and a Fox News host. It seems like merit, apparently, now has a subjective interpretation.
RFK Jr: I'm not scared of a germ. I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats.
— FactPost (@factpostnews.bsky.social) February 12, 2026 at 1:29 PM
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This week, during a podcast appearance with Theo Von, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. added new details about his past. “I said, I’m not scared of a germ. I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats.” Kennedy said.
Have We Lost All Sense of Decency?
It is not a secret that Health and Human Services Secretary has struggled with substance abuse issues. Rehabilitation is real and possible. But context matters, especially when the argument used to dismantle diversity programs– programs to help the already in place “merit-based” hiring- was that standards would be “restored” and “excellence” would return to government.
Steve Benen, producer of The Rachel Maddow Show, pointed to the example of Douglas Ginsburg. In 1987, Ronald Reagan nominated Ginsburg, then a federal appeals court judge, to the U.S. Supreme Court. Two weeks later, he withdrew, not because he was not qualified, but because he admitted to having smoked marijuana in the past.
Benen also mentioned that as recently as the 1990s, two attorney general nominees were rejected after it was revealed they hired undocumented immigrants as nannies. In 2008, Barack Obama nominated former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle for health secretary. He withdrew after it was discovered he had not paid income taxes on the use of a car and driver provided by a consulting firm.
Now, a health secretary saying he “used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats” barely generates sustained outrage or news coverage.
Socioeconomics: K-Shaped America
With behavior that would have been politically fatal not too long ago, hopefully we will see some sort of consequence for this president’s administration and party during the upcoming midterm elections.
Conservatives and moderates continue to condone this administration in hopes of saving a few dollars or getting richer. The Dow and Nasdaq may flirt with record highs, and in those political affinities and circles, that signals everything is fine. But the data tells a different story.
We are in a growing K-shaped economy. In simple terms, the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer. In early 2026, high income households are thriving on asset gains while lower and middle income families struggle with inflation and debt. Wealth concentration has reached a sixty year peak, with the top 1 percent holding nearly 32 percent of national net worth. Some analysts note that wealth inequality in the United States mirrors levels seen in pre revolutionary France.
To add to that, there is ongoing scrutiny around the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files, and the political fallout continues to tighten the social reins.
Political standards have reached an unrecognizable level. Integrity now comes at an all-time premium, and Trump and his billionaire allies appear determined to cash in on every red cent.
If merit was truly the goal, the bar would be higher, not lower. If any other employer had RFK Jr. as an employee, he would be fired. If standards mattered, they would apply to everyone, like they did when DEI was around.
Until then, good night and good luck.
