The Swamp Monster Is Filling The Swamp With Corporate Lobbyists

During his election campaign Donald Trump pretended to be a populist.  He told his devoted followers that he would "drain the swamp" in Washington.  The campaign is over and Donald Trump the plutocrat has emerged from Trump's populist shadow.  The US Chamber Of Commerce is the largest lobby in the US.  It represents the interests of the business community.  It was actively involved in determining the most business unfriendly government regulations to eliminate.  Washington is filled with lobbyists that represent the interests of industry groups they represent.  The Trump administration has hired industry lobbyists to fill important positions in government agencies.  They have been actively involved in writing the bills that the Trump Administration is pushing forward.

In addition to filling the Washington Swamp with corporate lobbyists and business executives, Trump has ended the practice of releasing the names of individuals who have been granted access to the White House.  He defended that decision by using an excuse that is typical of autocrats.  He argued that it was done to protect national security.  Apparently, the president's who preceded the Swamp Monster had been exposing the US to security risks by making visitor lists public.  The more likely explanation is that the Swamp Monster, who sold himself as a populist,  does not want the public to know that he has filled the swamp with the corporate lobbyists that he promised to remove from the swamp.  Trump the plutocrat is the kind of demagogue that our founding fathers regarded as the greatest threat to the democracy that they struggled to create.  They realized that popular concerns could be exploited by demagogues who had no regard for the national interest.  We will have to see whether the checks and balances that they built into our democratic system protects ordinary citizens from the invasion of the plutocrat disguised as a populist.