Jared Kushner's spine-chilling new role - Frida Ghitis CNN
(CNN) President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, seldom speaks to the public. Now we know why. When he stood at the White House podium on Thursday, what Americans heard was a spine-chilling performance from a believer in small government, delivered at a time when only big government can save the day.
Of all the times to have a global pandemic, did it have to happen during the reign of an administration that wants to shrink the government to a fraction of its ability? Did it have to come under a president who has no respect for crucially relevant expertise or qualifications, who has surrounded himself with people whose principal talent is their ability to pay him public homage?
If ever there were a time for big government, for ambitious programs, for a central role for federal authorities, it is right now. If ever there were a time for qualified people in government, it is now.
Kushner's translucent presence -- his affect, bereft of even the slightest hint of empathy, in perfect synchrony with his callous words -- was a spectacle suitable for our nightmarish times. Now we know why Trump has put him in charge of so many intractable problems. Kushner is afflicted by a superabundance of unwarranted self-confidence. He is an introverted Trump; arrogance without flamboyance.
Kushner chastised governors, with citizens literally gasping for air, for asking the federal government to help find life-saving ventilators. "Don't ask us for things when you don't know what you have in your own state. Just because you're scared, you ask your medical professionals and they don't know," he reprimanded. At one point, he suggested that the federal stockpile of emergency medical supplies is not meant for the states, "It's supposed to be our stockpile," he said. It's unclear who he meant by "our."
It is a well-documented fact that Trump populated countless government positions with people utterly unqualified for their jobs. It comes as no surprise, then, that the rollout of emergency programs is proving less than impressive. Millions of Americans have already lost their jobs just a few weeks into the pandemic, so Congress moved fast to enact trillions of dollars in relief legislation.
Many government professionals are doing their best in an unprecedented emergency, but the early days of the rescue plan are not encouraging. Suddenly-unemployed restaurant workers with families to feed may not get the promised $1,200 check for months. Despite vows to get money in people's pockets within two weeks, it looks like it could take up to 20 weeks -- that's about four months -- to mail out all the checks.
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https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/03/opinions/jared-kushners-spine-chilling-new-role-ghitis/index.html
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