I almost want to divide the question into two sub-categories: Cabinet member who is doing the most damage, and Cabinet member who is the most laughably unqualified. And for those two categories I would pick William Barr as doing the most damage, and Betsy DeVos for being incompetent and unqualified. Barr is turning the Justice Department into a horrible sham, starting with his dishonest "summary" of the Mueller report. DeVos, like so many trump Cabinet officials, is actively working to undermine the Department she "runs." Also, as a teacher friend told me: "She's my boss's boss's boss's boss's boss and she has less education than I do." Not to mention less experience, never having worked a day inside a school.
1
The Worst is yet to come. No joke intended.
24
i vote for Betsy DeVos who knows nothing about educating our country's children.
22
You forgot Steve Miller....
19
It's not only "who is the worst" It's "who has done the most damage"!!
20
Tough choice- the cabinet is so corrupt, incompetent, and awful.
But my choice for baddest is William Barr.
28
Bill Barr is the worst, hands down. He embodies a direct attack on the rule of law, the cornerstone of our system of government.
38
It'd be Ben Carson who knows absolutely nothing about public housing and housing policy, except for the fact that Betsy DeVos has the better opportunity to ruin the lives of more children. She's got my vote.
17
Bill Barr. He's on a political fishing expedition. He belongs in jail when this is over.
35
It is very difficult to choose. Wilbur Ross comes to mind, with Betsy DeVos at his side. But I think this time I will give my split vote to the ultimate toadies, Mike Pompeo and Bill Barr. Ugh!
16
Millions of people seem to have voted more than once. Oh, sure. It's fine when it's illegal aliens trying to stuff the ballot box for the admittedly terrible Stephen Miller, who isn't even a cabinet member, but when it's a presidential election, all of a sudden liberals think the Russians shouldn't be allowed to vote even once. Hypocrites!!!
7
Tough choice but Bill Barr gets my vote for his complicity in destroying the rule of law in association with you know who.
18
Before we vote, I suggest we get a tube of blood from each to see whose evil levels are highest.
7
Pompeo.
7
I nominate Attorney General William. At last Trump has found his Roy Cohn and made him head of the Department of Justice. Just think of how much damage Roy Cohn did to the body politic as chief counsel to a senator and imagine what he could have done with DOJ at his disposal.
18
William Barr! For god sakes he’s our Attorney General. He should be in the U.S. doing his job. Then again maybe not.
22
Birds of a feather flock together!
5
1) William Barr 2) Mike Pompeo 3) Bernhardt
11
How could you forget USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue who is stopping and dismantling all scientific research?
22
Given Betsy DeVos's difficulty actually learning anything as Education Secretary, she clearly floats to the top.
8
All of the above.
13
How can anyone possibly pick the "worst?" They're all utterly terrible. However, if I have to vote, I have a particular un-fondness for Betsy DeVos. She seems particularly uninformed about education, and particularly malevolent about destroying public education in this country. It's bad enough as it is, in this country generally. She seems hell-bent on making it much worse, much less effective, and much more expensive for everyone. As a grandparent, I have skin in that game.
17
Barr
16
Barr
15
My vote is Betsy Devos who seems to have a goal to dumb down future generations to her level.
12
Tragically funny.
8
Absolutely William Barr. He is completely lawless and he is supposed to be the top man of the JUSTICE system. You cannot get any more ironical than that.
The only problem is - Who can investigate him???
18
Trump cabinet rivals that of Warren G Harding. David Bernhardt is my pick of Trump's corrupt litter.
4
William Barr, no question.........
10
Throw 'em all out. They all qualify for "bottom the barrel" status!
7
Spin the bottle...
9
Gail, it’s next to impossible to pick, but I’m going with Barr for his smugness. But maybe also for all the corruption, so unbecoming in an Attorney General.
16
Barr, first in sycophancy, first in undermining democracy
15
I actually liked swamps before this administration....
10
Betsy Devos= kids can't get back the years of education in which they were cheated and short-sheeted just so rich kids could have even better schools and her friends could get even richer.
11
Trump only hires the best!
4
I vote for Elaine Chao but ultimate prize is Trump
7
Bill Barr - the worst AG ever.
16
I pick Wheeler he's done the most far-reaching damage to the entire world. Second is Betsey DeVos because she's done the most damage to our country's youth. But the Trump Administration has an "embarrassment of riches" when It comes to horrible Cabinet members.
8
Barr is the worst of all the worst in their categories: he's the overlord, the one currently making it possible for them all to believe they will just go on forever, destroying, dismantling and trampling on the Constitution, with the expectation that any legal problems will result in exoneration via Trump. Without Barr, Trump might have crumbled, or collapsed in hysteria
13
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is an absolute disgrace. She is both uninformed and uninterested in issues regarding the education of American school children. She has shown no desire to become informed about those issues. Whatever the future of this country is going to be, we need children who will become thinking, insightful adults capable of making decisions based on facts rather than rumors or the social media zeitgeist of the moment. If we allow Secretary DeVos to continue destroying our education system,we will be creating a generation of Americans unprepared to deal with the world, condemning America to become a second-rate former power instead of a leader that defines the values and the course of the twenty-first century. It's terrifying that such an insignificant woman can have so outsized an influence on our future.
13
Yes, Gail, one would need to consult Roget's Thesaurus for all the synonyms for scurrilous, inept and corrupt to describe accurately the overwhelming majority of Trump's former and current Cabinet members. Never before in US history have we seen that many Presidential appointees, a motley crew holding office, whether Congressionally confirmed or in an "acting", capacity, with their abilities or their conduct, in some cases both, so aptly described in pejorative terms. Never before have we seen a President, his Administration and his political party, the GOP, treat our treasured democracy, as defined in our Constitution, like their personal Play-Doh, to be twisted and pummeled into a shape that fits and accommodates their autocratic, self-interested goals.
11
What does "worst" mean.
Do we mean people who make harmful decisions and do harmful things because they are evil or people who make harmful decisions and do harmful things because they are just stupid.
The effects of the harmful decisions and harmful things may be equally terrible in either case.
But it may be useful to make the distinction .
3
I think De Vos is worst because she wants to destroy public education instead of improving it. All she wants is privatization and government money in her and her families' pockets.
Grace
7
Betsy DeVos is doing her best to ruin public schools, college funding and admissions, and make sure our young people are as woefully unprepared for adult life as possible.
7
The president's cabinet should support his goals for the nation and act as somewhat of reflection of him. In Trump's case, he's assembled the perfect group; greedy, corrupt and morally bankrupt.
10
He doesn't appear in your choices but I pick Mnuchin. Unlike many of the people in the list, he seems like there must be some underlying smarts there somewhere. This makes his lies and sycophancy even worse. How could he not know better. Everyone who comes into contact with Trump loses any semblance of respectability. How can anyone take this guy seriously?
7
Yes," all of them" is not acceptable and even if we pick one, what's the guarantee that that person hasn't been shunted out the door due to yet another scandal or corruption?
It's amazing the president told us we'd only have the best people serving in the White House because that's only who he works with but if he's had to get rid of so many people, doesn't that point to his incompetence?
I'll go with Pompeo - what a sycophant!
Going from a Trump basher to a full Trump supporter, how does he look at himself in the mirror?
8
No doubt about it, they are all terrible and it's tempting to vote for all of the above, but William Barr is way ahead of the pack of terribles. He runs (?) the Justice Department for godsakes, and is trying to kill off any idea of Justice. The worst of the rest of them? All of the above.
8
The worst Of Trump’s Cabinet is leader Trump himself. If he weren’t appointing these nobodies destined for the trash heap of history’s forgotten toadies, there’d be no problems except those he himself has created, which is quite plenty enough as it is.
8
The entire cabinet is either corrupt or incompetent, sometimes both. My vote goes to the one most likely to help Trump steal a second term, Bill Barr. He famously said he didn't care about his legacy because he would be dead. He has hung the heavy mantle of shame on all future generations of Barrs with his unlawful and despicable acts as Attorney General. A horrible American.
11
Elaine Chao, because I cannot view anything about her professionally without the knowledge that she chose to marry, eeeew actually marry, moscow mitch.
7
It is hard to pick the worst. So many of them are both incompetent and dishonest. I guess my worst would be Barr followed closely by Pompeo. DeVos is horrible too, but she is not involved in the day-to-day political horror. So many choices--Ben Carson is bad but again, not involved in the everyday White House mess. Thank heaven for that!
6
Gail, is there any way you could make a 'Lennon Wall' with all these comments, somewhere where these members would be forced to see them? At this point 3,082 sticky notes would make a huuuge point and pretty sight to behold. I would love to know the vote breakdown in your next column if possible. Oh and my vote goes to Barr for all the reasons so many have explained.
6
William Barr, the disgraced AG, who knows better -- either that or he forgot everything he believed in, such as our Constitution, since his last tenure as AG 30 years ago. Shame on him.
7
I choose Barr because he has struck at the very heart of the Republic by undermining our justice system.
6
Betsy deVos is doing the most permanent damage to the politics of the USA. Why do you think a person who herself, or her family, has ever attended a public school, has no education or work experience in education but has (with her family) made money in the oxymoron "for profit education" business - was made Education Secretary?
A; Because the "war on public education" is central to continued GOP voter support. Education cures ignorance. Ignorance is a prerequisite to bigotry, hate and fundamentalism - all of which are the "core GOP base" beliefs. Ergo, she is assuring the continuation of the "Base" into future generations.
4
It's a close race, but Betsy DeVos is the WORST. She's almost single handedly sabotaging the future of this county by not investing in education. She's shortchanging our children for dollars and votes.
4
It's a fifteen-way tie (16 if you count the vp)
6
Barr is to me the most despicable. So many choices, though! DeVos is a close second.
6
For those of us old enough to fondly remember John F. Kennedy's cabinet and "kitchen cabinet," frankly Gail, your sarcasm is scary, really scary.
Who has heard a stirring, motivational speech from anyone in the current administration, starting at the top, which appeals to youth and young adults, speaking about ideals? Can you imagine Trump and his team managing a Cuban Missile Crisis today?
I really like your type of humor, Gail, but it makes me nervous, really nervous.
3
Street Talk:
Trump requested a favor from the Kurds to provide credible dirt on the Bidens. When they refused, he unleashed the Turks.
If the Kurds provided credible dirt on the Bidens, Trump would be at the border to welcome them as immigrants.
Hunter Biden was strategically placed in a Ukranian company to foil and trap Trump. He (Hunter Biden) was bait and Trump swallowed it hook, line, and sinker. It was a sting operation designed and executed by former FBI director James Comey.
1
Barr, hands down, because he’s the one undermining the Constitution most actively.
5
William Barr. Completely corrupt and protecting Trump directly despite all of his criminal and corrupt acts.
6
There are so many awful cabinet members to choose from: they make Rick Perry look like a statesman. But I pick Elaine Chao, for the sheer chutzpah factor.
2
There is no real substance to be found here, just a bland, superficial, weak, borderline indolent recital of what we already know about the complicit, dishonorable, rotten scoundrels who work for Trump.
1
It's SO hard to pick just one. They're like Lay's potato chips. If Lay's potato chips were unbelievably craven, corrupt, sociopathic, etc. But I must agree with many readers and go with William Barr. He has led the charge in transforming the U.S. into a banana republic. However, all those responsible for raping and pillaging the environment are also very worthy candidates.
5
Almost every member is awful or worse But only the Attorney General has the position and power to permit a President to turn our democratic republic into an autocracy. Barr has clearly turned the Justice Department into the invaluable weapon that allows our prospective dictator-in-chief to realize his goal. Elliott Richardson must be turning in his grave.
6
Barr, by farr.
Top law enforcement official who ignores the law? Shame on us.
7
Barr. All the others are setting fires, but he is the only with a he fire hose, but instead of putting out the fires, he is starting his own and filling the fire hoses with gasoline.
It is because of Barr that none of the other crooks can brought to justice by the DOJ.
5
"Only the best people," he said. But I guess these guys are what count as "best" in the up-is-down world of Trumpiana. God help us.
2
William Barr is the worst because he is destroying our government from within. Mike Pompeo is second worst because he is destroying our stature in the world. It will be very hard to recover from this deadly combination of conspirators.
6
Wait a minute... Ben Carson is in the administration? Are you sure? Because I can't recall hearing about him doing anything.
And housing...? Really?
3
I don't know if this is fair, but I think Elaine Chao and Betsy DeVos should run for president and vice president, whichever comes first for the first. Then, we would be sure to get things done in a hurry....oh, wait, only if they agree that all the children's books should be shipped back to China for censoring.
2
I have to vote for Betsy DeVos, simply because she's messing with future generations who will not be taught to think for themselves and for humanity, but trained as drones to serve the oligarchy. All the others can be quickly reversed, but not this one!
4
I can't choose. Oh god, I just can't choose.
4
Boy, this is akin to being attacked by a lion or Tiger. Both will do you in but both have brains. The selection is between not honest and smart; dangerous and ignorant; narcissistic and full of it; etc etc. However, the light shines on Pompeo. He has the most power and can cause the most damage; although Rudy and Barr could also qualify. Wait, we have Betsy and Ben and Rick -OMG. My head is spinning. Do we have anyone who is qualified? Oh yes we did have a few, but they were fired for being honest.
When is November 2020 here?
3
William Barr, only because he is the most dangerous.
Second choice? Betsy.
6
They are all corrupt,sleazy, Mini-me's of Trump. No way I can come up with anything other than a vote for the entire cabinet en masse.
6
It's a tie! Barr & Pompeo being the most dangerous.
6
Gail: Every single one of them must go. Forthwith.
4
Wilbur Ross. Corruption incarnate. With honorable mention to all the others who are an "oh-so-close" second.
3
Barr, by a land slide.
6
Barr by far!
6
I was going to vote for Pruitt but it has to be a current Cabinet member. I certainly agree with your assessment of Carson and DeVos as too incompetent to do anything, and President Trump himself has more or less paralyzed the country with his Ukrainian thuggishness. But for pure malice and hubris, I'd have to go with Ross threatening to fire federal employees for criticizing Trump's child-like Sharpie hurricane path map.
5
Barr by far - doing the most long-term damage to the country, the Justice Dept., the rule of law, democracy itself.
9
Choosing one cabinet sec as the worst now 'serving' in the trump 'administration' is, if not an impossible one, at the very least an 'ungodly' one -- but if I must choose, gun-to-head, I must, as a member of The Bar, choose barr … being he, that greatest of disgraces to the Honor of the profession I know … and to the law and the laws upon which a democratic republic most especially depends.
10
The competition is really tough. I think the one I'm angriest at at this moment is Attorney General William Barr. So I put him in first place. I believe the whole rest of the pack are tied for second place.
11
With this crew, MAGA should read Make Russia Great Again. Anyone for new RED hats with an edit?
7
Hopefully someone at The Times is keeping a tally to share with the world...
6
We are DeVos, D-E-V-OS...
5
from 11/23/16, NYT interview:
"The quality of the people is very good. ... We're trying very hard to get the best people. Not necessarily people that will be the most politically correct people, because that hasn't been working. So we have really experts in the field. Some are known and some are not known, but they're known within their field as being the best. That's very important to me."
Trump, regarding the people he would appoint to his administration.
7
@Larry Levy
'So we have really experts in the field'... Indeed?...
4
Andrew Wheeler -- because he can cause damage that will last forever. The others' damage will be ephemeral.
7
What an interesting field to choose from. Because I am a retired foreign service officer (USAID) I vote for good old Mike Pompeo. Glad I never had him as my big boss.
9
It is so hard to choose between all these miscreants. I am going for Wilbur Ross because I am tired of seeing him on the Sunday shows...but each one deserves a vote!
5
Barr, hands down. Barr was a craven Trumpy from the moment he was sworn into office, but what he has been doing in Italy and points beyond is simply beyond belief.
As Attorney General, he is traveling the world to attempt to re-cast the 2016 as a non-Russian intervention election, even though every one of our intelligence agencies have pointed directly at Russia. Why?
Why would the AG not be here doing his actual job? Is it to make Trump feel better? Is it more nefarious? Is it to get Putin off the hook so Trump can lift all sanctions for his buddy Putin?
Whatever the reason; in my life, I never though I would see the Attorney General of the United States chasing a debunked conspiracy theory; wasting both money and time that could be spent actually dealing with crime in this country.
10
Definitely Barr, because he’s smart enough to know better. And he’s breaking the law, when he’s in charge of enforcing the law. So much of this other corruption depends on Barr ignoring the law or, worse yet, misusing and abusing the law.
10
Far and away Barr is capable of doing the most damage to the nation and hasn't given any indication that preventing that is of any importance to him.
10
It’s the hardest choice. Will throw my support to Mick Mulvaney in his high profile in inconsistency. Also is it fair to call the recent Trump -Erdogan phone call a ‘Kurd pro quo’?
7
It has to be Barr. He is the spigot from which all this corruption and incompetence flows since the Justice Department could curtail a lot of Trump’s behavior by upholding the rule of law and the Constitution. His encouragement of Trump’s unlawful behavior should get him disbarred since he is still an officer of the court and therefore obligated to root out unlawful activity rather than engage in it.
16
Yes, they are all bad. I vote for Barr as the worst because he has worked to protect Trump from scrutiny, accountability, and impeachment. Protecting Trump keeps the cabinet full of seemingly never ending corruption and behavior destructive of the agencies they head.
9
I have no idea as to who to pick. I am like a kid in a candy store ... just too many options to choose from. Where should one start.
I think the real question Gail is "Whom do you want to keep?"
107
@It Is Time!
Whom do I want to keep? Is "none of the above" an option?
11
None of the Above!
4
@It Is Time! Pick Barr! Pick Barr!
9
Under these extraordinary circumstances it would be most appropriate to declare a tie between ALL of them.
8
It is a very tough choice to pick the worst of the worst but I have to go with Attorney Generale William Barr. The reason is, he has totally perverted his oath of office as the top law enforcement officer in the country. Instead of faithfully enforcing the law of the land and upholding the constitution, he is complicit, along with the president, in ignoring the constitution, breaking the law, prosecuting the innocent and protecting the guilty. As I read the news every day I am more and more reminded of the Nixon impeachment hearings. However, back in 1974 we had a principled attorney general who chose to resign rather than follow the president's illegal orders. Would that we had such a person in the cabinet today.
15
Gail: You didn't mention Steven Mnuchin whose greatest accomplishment is being a member of the lucky sperm club, following in the foot steps of his President.
11
This is a tough one. Hmm. I'll say William Barr. He seems hell bent on destroying the rule of law.
11
They all suck, and so does Trump.
9
@Ronald J Kantor
That about sums it up.
4
Too many possibilities. To many that are so "highly" qualified. My vote, however, would have to go to AG Barr, simply for the existing damage and potential further damage he can do as he seems intelligent and competent, if not honest.
4
This is easy, whoever is the head of the EPA. Right now its Andrew Wheeler, no one comes close. This person is failing to enforce the Clean Air and Water Act. Air pollution is actually getting worse since this administration came to power. We are going to live shorter lives because of this one lack of departmental responsibility.
5
How Wheeler hasn't turned to stone in the daylight is baffling to me.
8
How about "all of the above?" It is so hard to choose.
5
Hands down, William Barr. The others are very bad, but he's the one working hardest to destroy our system of governance, and with it our means of creating and enforcing policies that can save the country.
12
The worst? It's a twelve-way photo finish. The referees will have to decide.
5
They’re all far, far worse than “Nobody,” who’d do a far, far better job. But it’s Barr this time, no question.
6
Bill Barr, hands down. He is so corrupt, he makes Jeff Sessions look like a paragon of virtue. I believe the main reason Barr has prostrated himself to the president is his desire to be nominated to the Supreme Court. Quid Pro Quo? (Long live RBG!)
10
@kim, I can't laugh at this anymore either.
They all need to go. It's truly appalling.
6
It's just impossible to pick the worst from the rogues gallery of incompetent and dangerous candidates. They all qualify.
6
I nominate Kellyanne Conway for Ms. Congeniality. Never -- well not since the stupendous Sarah Huckabee Sanders -- has a woman perfected the art of lying while sneering, smiling, and smirking at the same time.
First runner up -- if Kellyanne is not able to fulfill her duties --goes to that Mysterious Mistress of Prevarication, Stephanie Grisham.
7
Remember Bowling Green!
2
@Chrislav Ah yes, Ms. Grisham. She of padded expense reports and plagiarism, leading to loss of jobs. And, then her DUIs. Only the best!
2
William Barr is intelligently destructive. If they are going to be malevolent they should be less competent.
6
All of them.
So maybe we can't arrest a sitting president, but we can sure arrest his cabinet.
4
Barr is the most dangerous.
He has the power to corrupt & twist facts as displayed after Muller's report.
He's feeding Trump's conspiracies on the 2016 election & enabling him.
He is eroding the morale of the DOJ & our other branches of INTEL.
Remember when he promised to hire 'the best people'...
He's had 80% turnover, god forbid, imagine if he's reelected, we are suffering the dregs already, who on earth will work for him in 2020?
Please, we need this nightmare to end.
9
By making the justice department a criminal president's personal defense team Barr has done the most potentially permanent damage to his department. Mind you, many of the contenders are there to destroy whatever they are in charge of and directly oppose the intended purposes of their departments, but most of their "achievements" will not outlast their tenures and do not bring up major constitutional concerns.
6
So many choices! Such a close race toward the bottom! Are we not blessed? My top vote is Barr, who is disgracing an office that is so key to our democracy. Second is Wheeler, because he needs more attention, and because he's ripping apart our very Environmental Protection. Third (oh, it's so hard to choose!) is Carson, given his lack of compassion for the constituency he is meant to serve and because his position has the capacity to do so much good work .. all now ignored.
8
What about Vice President Brown Nose? He attends the Cabinet meetings and claimed in one he was thankful to be able to share the same space-time continuum as his savior, the Chosen One. Imagine if he were a profile in courage how different things would be today.
6
The observation that there are three (Barr, Pompeo, and Mulvaney) in a dead heat that are each worse than deVos, Carson and Perry is phenominal in its own right.
There is no hope of distinguishing between B P & M using any reasonable metric so for me it must be a tie.
8
William Barr because I think he's the biggest threat among the Cabinet members to our democracy. I'm rather upset that he's using our tax dollars to reinvestigate the Mueller investigation. Yes, he should recuse himself from Ukraine. And do his real job of protecting the public, not the President.
6
Barr, but only because of his department. Other than that, Ditsy DeVos (Don the Con's nickname for her) is far and away the worst.
5
Purdue of Agriculture. Destroying the Department, massive resignations.
2
so many choices, so little space. It seems to me that everything revolves around the environment now. While deVos is ensuring an ignorant electorate, Andrew Wheeler at the EPA is making sure that Mother Earth will die an untimely death, and the rest of us with her.
3
I’m going with Bill Barr. He’s all over the place on a wide variety of subjects from religion to foreign relations that aren’t related to what his real job is supposed to be..
5
I simply cannot choose just one!
2
The crazy thing is that any of those appallingly incompetent cabinet members would be a better president than Trump. Compared to the incumbent, someone like Rick Perry would look like Franklin Delano Lincoln.
1
Wheeler. No one else is even close in terms of harm they have caused.
2
While I vote for Barr, I’d like to ask him a question:
How many millions of dollars of our taxpayer money have you spent traveling overseas (Italy, for god sakes!) “investigating corruption” in the 2016 election?
Whatever questions you needed answers to couldn’t have been asked via emails or phone calls?
5
Donald John Trump is the absolute worst President we ever had. He claimed that he would have the best people in his cabinet, but in order to make himself look good, his choice inevitably was for people with even fewer qualifications than he has, which are bottom dwelling few. The cherry on top of this muck is the viciousness he also requires for the jobs.
So sorry Gail, but they may want to compete among themselves for the title of “worst.”
Thanks
Elaineweaves
1
All the names listed (if they haven't resigned or been fired in the last few hours) should be voted as joint number 1 the worst. All have an equal right to our confidence in so voting - albeit for different reasons.
One other point. Gail (et al) makes rightful (and repeated) fun of ther Mafia Don re getting the surname of his new Secretary of Defense wrong.
Hey Gail, not so quick. The man's name is ESPER. Trump called him "ESPERANTO".
So, Trumpo sort of got it right - at least the first five letters. The problem was he just didn't know when to stop. Which is a large part of why he is in such deeeeep trouble: out of which (thank all gods of all religions) he will not get!
2
Wheeler's efforts will have the most devastating long-term impact on our world, so he's the easy pick.
2
It’s a tough choice between William Barr and Mick Mulvaney, both of whom have sold their souls to do Trump’s bidding. My vote goes to Mulvaney because he may be on his way out, and there will be more opportunities to vote for Barr. Mulvaney deserves the vote because he openly participated in the Ukrainian scandal and then defended it with the now infamous quotes before his gaslighting comments about never having said what he said. He deserves to win this for the same reason Trump deserves to be impeached for these actions.
4
It's so very, very hard to choose, but I'm going to have to go with Andrew Wheeler of the E.P.A. because of the long-term effects of climate change.
3
Wheeler, by miles. Not just weakening car standards--and methane rules. But actually working to kill rules governing mercury emissions, which harm the developing fetal brain. On top of all this: every single year we lose ground in curbing methane and carbon emissions, which are endangering the stability of a climate in which human civilization has thrived for thousands of years. No matter who is in charge, we will never get back these lost years. And that is life-changing for many generations to come.
3
Bill Barr. When he was nominated, I thought he would know right from wrong and make a positive contribution. But no, I was totally wrong. He is doing long-term damage.
6
The mere fact that this article has a huge amount of traction should say it all. No other administration in the past 20+ years would generate the this type of article. We should just cut out the middle man and vote for Putin. He is the person who is really running this country.
7
Carson's betrayal bugs me. He should have cared enough to have learned by now what his agency does. He is capable but chose not to help
2
William Barr, who will be played by Nathan Lane in the forthcoming movie: "All the President's Henchmen."
6
"The Worst and the Dimmest". Impossible to pick one out. The question is, would it be possible to find anyone worse for each cabinet post?
4
It is an ever tougher call, and though my heart is with the environmentalists and I detest William Barr, I think you have to go with Mike Pompeo, don't you? Is there anything lower than a boss who allows his employees to be publicly butchered by his boss, especially when said employees are crucial to the functioning of the nation and the world?
9
So many bad picks. So many individuals and their families will carry the Trump Stain forever--long after Donald is frolicking in the after life with Jeffrey Epstein.
It is a legacy of lives destroyed!
2
I vote Donald Trump. Yes I know he's not technically a cabinet member but since he can't reasonably be considered President the most charitable position we can give him is the most incompetent/worst cabinet member. So then the question would be of what department? How about the Department of Self Service?
5
Attorney General William Barr for reviving the death penalty in federal cases when the serious flaws of the death penalty have persuaded so many states to abolish the death penalty
8
Trying to pick the worst cabinet member is like trying to pick the worst infectious disease. I'll take the plague for $200, Alex!
6
I've never seen so many contestants in a photo finish. Ms. Collins named them all. Trump drained the swamp ... into his administration.
4
I suggest you stuff them all into a giant burlap bag and pitch them back into the swamp. As a western I have special negative feelings for Andrew Wheeler and Bernhardt.
2
Nice job again Gail, it is difficult to fully appreciate how much damage Trump's band of grifters have been doing while the public is distracted by the circus. I only wish that people not fully indoctrinated in the cult would better comprehend what is happening. Tom Steyer spent 10's of millions on TV advertising that failed to resonate with people who don't already strongly disapprove of Trump. Why not run a series of ads asking the public to vote on the worst cabinet member? Each nominee could be introduced by a celebrity (like Tom Hanks or Alec Baldwin). For a nominee with the most votes, donate a million dollars to a charity which combats the damage their agency is causing. Run these ads on Trump TV and network shows which Trump voters watch the most. They will have to listen to the truth over and over. Nothing will change the minds of the hard core, but so many people are unaware of what the hard right agenda is really doing that this campaign could make a difference.
5
oh, man, reading your column, Gail, just ruined a perfectly beautiful Fall day for me!
4
Bernhardt and Wheeler are two of a kind - utterly corrupt corporate hacks who have no problem destroying everything in their quest to give away the country to corporations. They will lie, cheat and steal to get what their corporate masters want. These two are utterly despicable people. They have no business in a government of the American People that is supposed to take care of America and the American People, not destroy it.
2
Barr for his destroying the credibility and teeth of the Justice by becoming the Con’s personal attorney. And probably the smartest of the Sycophants which means he is most dangerous. And why are there closed door hearings, because Barr was part of the Ukraine scandal and ignored the initial Whistle Blower’s report.
Mulvaney, Pompeo and Miller are tied for 2nd.
13
as a former doj attorney, i'd have to say barr is the worst.
he's practically destroyed the credibility of federal law enforcement. many attorneys working there now are counting the days they have to "put in" before they can leave and save face.
and, of course, barr lied to congress and the public about the mueller report and effectively joined trump's criminal enterprise.
12
William Barr!
10
Let us be thankful that ex officio cabinet members Ivanka Trump Kushner and jared kushner, though every bit as venal as Trump cabinet appointees, are even more incompetent.
8
While William Barr is the absolute worst of the worst, Dishonorable Mention also goes to Betsy DeVos as the worst of those you didn't mention!
6
Well, we have almost 3K comments. Who won?
My guess is Barr none, overwhelmingly.
12
Honestly, I can't even.
1
can't very well read all 2900 comments to see if Hannity has been nominated yet :-)
6
bill barr because he can ultimately do the most damage. Who is worst in the administration continues to be donald trump who put all the sycophants in place.
9
Gail, I love your turn of mind, but a column like this is the lowest of low-hanging fruit, and you've plucked it before. Please, don't get lazy. How about a trenchant/satiric column about, for example, a story in today's paper: Republican's shameless efforts to suppress student voting? You've got a great forum. More edge please. These are desperate times.
3
All disgusting, but William Barr.
10
Betsy Devoss.... For what she's doing to our educational system and what her family is doing to our penal system.. Profiting from ruining the lives of so many.
5
I thought most Trump-cabinet members are just terrible.
In fact until he announced them, one after another, I was somewhat relieved that it was Donald Trump, not one of the other Republicans who won the presidency.
Some bad ones have left. William Barr would be the worst, even when the bad ones who left are taken in the mix. He's a cunning and conniving one and a most unscrupulous man. I can't understand why he wasn't seen as such a terrible one before he was nominated. He neutralized the most damaging Mueller Report with his "summary."
9
Most, if not all of these incompetents are using their positions to fatten their wallets for when they leave public service. I suggest that we remove that enticement by prosecuting them for corruption and malfeasance the day they leave the cabinet. Lock 'em all up and throw away the keys.
5
My choice would be Bill Barr. It is a tough call with this group, but I feel confident that we will learn, as the Ukraine fiasco continues to unravel, that Barr is worse than he appears so far. So he is the one with the most upside.
10
Barr, from the Dept. of Trump Justice and Theocracy, edges out Ross for me.
10
We need two prizes: one for destroying USA and one for destroying the planet.
18
Barr, bar none!
11
Oh come on. Who picks all these inept, corrupt, ill-intentioned, smug, self-glorified ratbags, anyway? That's MY vote...
6
Gotta be Barr. The rest of the clown show is just stupid, dishonest and incompetent. Barr has weaponized the Department of Justice, first to obstruct justice on behalf of the president, and then to attack Trump's political adversaries. As a result, we have to find some other way to investigate and prosecute all the criminality in the Trump administration. If we don't someday see Barr in an orange jump suit, it will be a grave injustice.
14
Mike Pompeo. By far the most dangerous sycophant.
5
For me, it's DeVos hands-down.
4
AG Barr - #1 in institution-destroying and misuse of power. Also, for arguing in court that the President is immune from criminal indictment or investigation for ANY CRIME while in office. He has more hubris in his fat pinky toe than ole Betsy has in her rich family tree.
A close second is the oil cabal hell-bent on destroying the world's environment and climate. But I can't distinguish which one is worse than the other, let alone remember whose still in office or has already left in disgrace. So Barr takes it by default.
9
Betsy DeVos. She has benefited greatly from a pyramid scheme (Amway) and although her religious affiliation (Dutch Christian Reformed) already has its own education system, she wants that to be every American's education system, the separation of church and state be damned. Or as her boss would say, "That phony First Amendment."
3
I am from Oklahoma and know Scott Pruitt and how he and Mary Fallin combined to destroy Oklahoma Education and Workers' Compensation Laws. They even tried to illegally change the Oklahoma Constitution entrenched state Motto of "Labor conquers all" to "In God we Trust" (scientists can go to hell) where the corruption comes sweeping down the plain. There are many good choices but I have to go with Oklahoma's favorite son, the keeper of the $100,000 Phone Booth of Silence, Scott Pruitt.
2
Bill Barr, The Roy Cohen Avatar !
11
I wish I could vote for all, but if I have to choose one, it is clearly William Barr for his shameful disregard of the Constitution.
8
Isn’t it astounding that we are even having this conversation . I remember when my Mum would be upset about James Watt - described as “anti-environmentalist” under Reagan. Now the whole lot of them is exponentially worse.
6
I voted for Scott Pruitt in a previous poll. This year I will vote for William Barr. But now it is more horrifying than ever to see the names and what they have done to our country. They are all destroying our democracy and the environment. They are destroying the rights of women and minorities.
I thought the first poll was funny. It is not funny any more. It is the destruction of our country.
15
I changed my mind. I actually blame television news. It is the easy place that busy Americans go to get information. And they covered the 2016 campaign with a wink like it was some sort of comedy. They completely failed to cover Bernie Sanders. They did not ask tough questions. Now I know why. Look at places like NBC. Too busy protecting predators (Matt Lauer) and burying important stories. Media writ large - I blame them.
3
Excellent reply!
1
Barr, because of the far-reaching impact of his actions. I’ll give DeVos the second place only because her failures on education issues will impact generations of students. All the rest line up closely with her. The appointment of Rick Perry for anything was final proof that we live under a kakistocracy.
7
Definitely Betsy Devos who has so much power over our young people with her control of education's purse-strings and ways to stifle free speech.
3
It's an eleven-way tie!
8
I really don't think its fair you're asking us to choose. It's like being asked to name your favorite kid, although the pool of candidates is more loathsome than the average sullen, smelly, pimply teenager. They are ALL bad, there is not one redeeming Cabinet member.
7
Barr should get the medal for single handedly undermining the credibility of the Justice Department with his lies about the Mueller report and his taxpayer-financed trips to dig up dirt for Trump’s political support. And he should get it with gold plated oak leaf cluster for going to Rupert Murdoch’s home, apparently for a heart-to-heart, the night Trump went ballistic over a negative Fox poll and negative new coverage.
11
William Barr, no question.
9
Each cabinet member is so deserving in his/her own way. So, I choose on the basis of the most outrageous comment made last week. My vote goes to Mick “Get Over It” Mulvaney.
4
They're all horrific, but for me, Barr is the worst because he entrenches and enables Trump and thereby enables and entrenches his gang of singularly unqualified and corrupt minions who are doing their worst to destroy democratic norms of the West in myriad ways.
9
My vote goes to Putin.
11
William Barr
As head of the new justice department for authoritarian dictators.
No justice for anyone not trump
5
How about Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue? On second thought, maybe not: He has been actually sort of competent in draining the swamp: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/10/21/white-house-didnt-like-my-agencys-research-so-it-sent-us-missouri/
1
I realize this is just an opinion piece by Gail Collins, an ardent progressive, but doesn't this seem immature? Not sure who appointed Progressives the judge and jury, the thought police, and the righteous moral compass for the globe, but suspect 'they' are far more imperfect than most.
Yeah, some of us have been driven to immaturity. Fer sure.
3
We are voters. That gives us the right to decide who is or is not fit for office.
1
My head spins at this cornucopia of choices..and then despair sets in at the realization that they are running (ie ruining) our country.
2
It has to be Bill Barr, a terrible attorney-general and only nominally a public servant.
Griffin Bell, Jimmy Carter's attorney-general, remade the Department of Justice post-Watergate, and insisted that the nation's top law-enforcement official be independent and beholden only to the constitution, not the president. In contrast to Griffin Bell's unimpeachable rectitude is William Barr, scouring the earth to advance Trump's (and Putin's) efforts to discredit the Meuller report-- a mission whose purpose is disinformation. Barr has allowed his D.O.J. lawyers to team up with Trump's personal lawyers in their efforts to keep the president's tax returns secret, in a pending case prosecuted by Manhattan's District Attorney. That type of stuff destroys the independence Attorney-General Bell knew was essential to the D.O.J.'s integrity. Griffin Bell believed in a nation of laws not men. Barr believes that one man, Donald Trump, is immune to the law's sanction, a terrifying part of the reality we now live in.
12
Barr, bar none. (Apologies if someone(s) has already said this same thing---I'm not reading almost 3K comments to check.)
11
The really desperately tragic fact is that there are so many contenders. We can all name individuals from other Cabinets that we loathed, but in Trump's, everyone is a contender. Maybe we should start using categories -- most ignorant; most unqualified, most venial …. well, you get the picture. I'm seconding Gary FS because 'causing the most irreparable damage' seem to be the greatest evil. Of course, there are still sub-categories, causing the most irreparable damage to Foreign Policy makes Pompeo a contender.
Really as much as I love Gail's attitude, it does make me weep!
3
First, a question: does Mike Esperanto come from Colorado, and if so, does he approve of the wall that's being built? (And is the wall simply a means of keeping those pesky Santa Fe Opera goers, like Justice Ginsburg, where they belong?) Second, it's been long enough since I took one of your "Worst Cabinet Member" quizzes that my usual bottom-of-the-barrel pick, Betsy DeVos, has now ascended a few rungs on the ladder, ahead of Mick Mulvaney, Mike Pompeo, and William Barr who I don't think were part of the cabinet the last time I took the quiz. How fast time flies when you're having a covfefe kind of day -- or week, or month. And, I'm loathe to admit that I'd completely forgotten about Ben Carson and also had it in my mind that Wilbur Ross had passed on to some sort of greater reward. But there we have it . . . so much going on -- and so much whiplash occurring from the constant turn-over . . . so much spinning in that constantly revolving door -- that it's pretty hard to keep up. Back to topic: William Barr, hands down. No, wait: Mick Mulvaney. Oh, shoot: Mike Pompeo. Darn, this quiz is almost as hard as figuring out along which borders to build that wall. Maybe every state should have one. "I'll pay for yours if you'll pay for mine."
8
It's a 15-way tie.
10
Elaine Chao.
3
Pompeo. Sold his soul to Trump. A bright guy judging from his education, but just a tad over ambitious!
3
October 24, 2019
A bunch of wannabe wild boys in the theater of national attention and narcissism. They should get real or find a matue job with growth and meaning to decency and truth
2
William Barr for sure!
7
Barr, Barr, Barr, Barr, Barr and Barr -- in that order
7
TIE Barr and Pompeo. If they had integrity, Trump would be on his way out, for obstruction (Mueller), for Ukraine (both part of the plan) and for Syria (Pompeo compliant in a debacle.) The rest are vile buffoons , but with less influence and less ability to do lasting damage.
5
Out of a crowd of despicable flunkies, a true kakistocracy of the worst possible people, one person stands out for the brazenness of his misuse of the powers of his office, the terrible danger he poses to the future of our democracy and the rule of law, and for his barely concealed contempt for the Constitution and the American People themselves.
That one person is William Barr, Attorney General of the United States.
10
Boy, it’s hard with all the great candidates.
Giving Ben Carson a break (let him win “most clueless”) and just shaking my head over Betsy DeVos (most ”outrageous”), ignoring Wilbur Ross because he appears to be trying so hard to repeat as winner, I give it to William Barr because he apparently doesn’t understand the job of AG and because he just tries so darn hard to be bad at his job.
Oh, and give Mike Pompeo a participation award.
And Mick Mulvaney is disqualified because he holds too many jobs, which gives him an unfair advantage.
6
Definitely William Barr.
6
Barr and Pompeo in a dead heat. Like the Booker Prize, I think we have two winners. Of course, each member is a "winner" on their own special, special way. This is what happens when one pulls from the pool of the monstrous and moronic.
3
The very worst, Betsy DeVos because her decisions will affect the quality of the educational system for our next generation, our hope for a better future than we now have.
2
Bill Barr, Attorney General, who lies to the American public, misuses career professionals on his staff and tries to undermine the FBI and CIA.
7
Everyone on Gail's list is a shoe-in for the title of "Worst Cabinet Member." But worse than all of them put together is Trump himself.
5
I have to vote for William Barr. Acting as the personal lawyer for #45 instead of America's lawyer.
8
All of these people approved by the "worlds most deliberative body". It seems like a bad dream. Putin has certainly earned his pay. .Wake up america
2
Barr, hands down.
7
Sure, DeVos and Carson are the most lacking in competence, but Pompeo and Wheeler are the most dangerous.
All of them are greedy, lacking backbone to stand up for the country's good, and dishonest.
4
Bill Barr is a real threat to our democratic system. Traipsing around the world looking for anything that would help trump. His speech at Notre Dame was as terrifying as it was dishonest and wholly inaccurate. Ye, you can make a good case for any of these clowns, but none of them is trying to overthrow the liberal order.
6
William Barr, Attorney General, is not stupid like some of the other nominees- therefore I believe he is the worst . He is cynically disabusing the US Constitution.
6
The whole lot is terrible, but Barr and Pompeo are the worst since evil Miller is not a cabinet member.
5
Today I think it is mnuchin and his snooty sneak; another day I think it is Carson, with his whiny ignorance; Wilbur Ross, however, with his permanently sleeping eyes and aristocracy like smugness, most often gets my vote.
1
Barr
4
Though race, but Bill Barr gets the nod. He should be running the Ministry of Truth. Oh, wait, he is....
4
Corruption is the name of the game in Trump World. I think Barr is the most dangerous, followed by Pompeo. The rest are just sleazy.
5
Barr without any question; he deserves to be investigated and put in jail...
5
William Barr gets my vote
5
William Barr. He is ignoring the Constitution and engaging in activities that are unethical at the very least. His enthusiastic aid and comfort to Trump in the quest to promote Russia is, perhaps, the most dangerous thing a cabinet member can do. William Barr is the worst cabinet member and the worst Attorney General so far. John Mitchell almost looks like a saint.
7
Well, you have two choices: laugh or cry. Thanks, Gail, for giving me a few laughs today.
3
Bill Barr is by far the worst of the worst.
Demagogues like Trump, Orban and Erdogan rise to power by fostering the fears and anxieties of those voters who believe themselves to be powerless and suffering from neglect. They then consolidate dictatorial power by seizing control of a nation’s justice system and using it to punish their adversaries.
With the appointment of Barr as the Lickspittle General of the Department of Justice, Trump has furthered his dictatorial ambitions beyond measure.
Couple the above with Barr’s frightening display of religious authoritarianism in his speech at Norte Dame University Law School, and then fear all the more for the survival of democratic pluralism and tolerance in the U.S.A.
Within Trump’s cabinet full of deplorables, Barr is the greatest short-term threat. He has Trump’s back and rump covered as no other among all the King’s lickspittles.
Those who threaten the environment are the greatest long-term threats, of course.
7
What a difficult choice! We’d like to say “All of the above,” but that’s not one of the options. We choose either Bill Barr or Mike Pompeo. Barr is a hack who used to be a respected lawyer. Pompeo was despised at the CIA and has apparently been doing his level best to become despised at the State Department. It’s a sort of gift he has.
2
@TSU In my world, a respected lawyer is an oxymoron.
@TSU
Pompeo has an air of oily condescension about him.
1
It's sad that we are even having this conversation and that there are so many worthy candidates for this "trophy." This feels like picking the most evil of Darth Vader's imperial officers, which to me is an apt comparison. For Darth Vader, you have to give props to Governor Tarkin as he was the commander of the Death Star and easily the "best" of the bunch. So if I had to pick the commander of Trump's Death Star, I would have to go with Stephen Miller, even though he is not technically a member of the Orange One's cabinet. Miller has been there from the beginning and has been pulling the strings on a lot of Trump's greatest hits to include the Muslim Ban and kids in cages. Congratulations Grand Moff Miller.
1
How many are can we choose?
1
I want to change my answer.
Kirstjen Nielsen. Definitely Kirstjen Nielsen.
She just doesn’t get it.
3
I vote for William Barr
3
Faithless servants, all of them.
2
So hard to choose from that Basket of Deplorables.
4
Is Trump eligible for the award?
3
Attorney General Barr, no contest: fails to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, lies to the public about the conclusions of the Mueller report and actively tries to undermine its conclusions, uses the Justice Department in service to the President’s desire to keep his tax returns private and immunize him against criminal investigation while in office. His control of federal law enforcement for the President’s ends makes him the most-dangerous to democracy.
4
Probably Fox
3
Allow me to cast my vote for the Worst Cabinet Member collectively for the entire Trump administration.
“Drain the swamp,” used to cry this accidental president of ours during his campaign. Of course, being the illiterate psycho-moron person that he is, he had no clue that a swamp is a wetland, an area that sustains life of all kinds.
What he created, instead, is a septic tank, a cesspit he filled with an excrement of cronies.
5
How about a group win? They can share the trophy, keeping it one week at a time, or until they're fired, whichever comes first. I'd bet on on the firing.
4
Barr. It's not even close. Not that the others have much good to offer but her is just so dangerous to our democracy.
3
It is indeed a formidable list of candidates. As noted there are many worthy of the the title' Worst Cabinet Member', but given the Trump presidency the worst may be yet to come. As more cabinet officials fall by the wayside, finding replacements will grow more difficult. Trump has already exhausted the 'best and brightens' pool of candidates, so now he'll have to look at the bottom of the barrel. So the 'worst' is likely still on the horizon. In the meantime we should award a tie for 'Worst Cabinet Member' to William Barr and Mike Pompeo. (Sorry Wilbur, Ben and Betsy).
2
Wait! I'm suffering from what Einstein called 'option paralysis'. How to choose one when ALL so richly deserve the title?
3
Wilbur Ross. It's not a 'worst ever' fault for people with ties to private industry to continue to favor those same industries after their appointment to a cabinet position. It's bad when this happens, but it's like faulting tigers for eating people. It's what they do. But, in terms of gratuitously and affirmatively trashing the efforts of your own employees when they were only trying to do their jobs correctly, nothing really compares to making them publicly 're-think' their correction of an inaccurate report of the projected storm track of a hurricane.
Sorry Ms Collins, I am unable to vote for my pick of the worst cabinet member, I am laughing so hard my sides ache. Thanks for the entertaining one liners.
2
I vote for Betsey de Voss. Education is so important for our whole country to continue to thrive. And Public Education needs to be able to help even the slowest learners as well as the brightest speedy ones. Betsey de Voss knows nothing about Education, and is trying to destroy our schools.
2
When will the winner be announced?
I think they all deserve participation trophies.
6
Decisions. Decisions. Such an abundance of options -so hard to choose. Has there ever been another administration where incompetence is a virtue? (Just asking.). My vote for ”Worst Cabinet Member” goes to William Barr. While he is not incompetent, his efforts to preempt and sanctify the Mueller report, bury the tape of the Trump -Zelensky call and globe trot to intimidate other foreign powers to “deliver the goods” put him in a class of his own. Compared to Barr, Tom Hagen of “The Godfather” is a model of righteous jurisprudence. Barr is a disgrace to the Justice Department. Let history judge him.
5
Tough to vote for anyone other than Wheeler (as a Californian), but Barr really takes the cake for the way in which he's directly undermined the rule of law and accountability for anyone in the administration. Wheeler's a symptom; Barr is a big part of the disease.
4
Definitely Barr as most competently corrupt.
6
For someone who loves glitz and glamour and has "the best people", Trump has chosen truly the most awful-looking "best people" to be around him. Mystifying in a country that values celebrity good looks over everything (except cash).
Mnuchin, Ross, Giuliani, Pruitt, Mulvaney, Pompeo, McConnell....why so ugly? Maybe the answer lies in Oscar Wilde's "Portrait of Dorian Gray", where sheer ugliness of character is reflected in the progressive ugliness of the image.
7
@Prof Dr Ramesh Kumar Biswas Forgive me for forgetting to mention Miller, but that was probably my subconscious trying to suppress that image....
4
Do we have to choose, or can we all agree they are the swamp monsters?
8
I think Stephen Miller and Kellyanne Conway are the worst. They have been with this narcissistic socio-path-ological liar and seem to take pleasure in his corruptions.
6
They are all corrupt, unethical, amoral, and despicable; every single one.
8
William Barr is the worst. He should know better. The rest of them aren't smart enough to know better.
2
All the above
4
Maybe all this was a Master Plan, because God is probably our only hope now.
1
I vote for Wayne LaPierre. Perhaps not technically in the cabinet, but his opposition to common sense efforts to reduce gun violence makes him the worst, and his hotline to the President makes him de facto the Secretary of Keeping and Bearing Arms.
4
Dear Ms. Collins:
This is an extremely unfair test, and I protest. There are far too many incompetents and absolute criminals on this list to make picking out a single individual even possible.
Sincerely,
Your Faithful Student
4
(Tough choice: like selecting the most dangerous inmate at the ADX-Florence supermax federal prison.)
William Barr — since he is doing the greatest harm, i.e., destroying the federal judiciary system today and for generations to come.
6
I can only vote for Barr. He is destroying the rule of law in his personal representation of this criminal president as opposed to serving the interests of the people of these United States. The rest are all very deserving too, just not as much.
6
This timely piece of writing is only one of many reasons readers adore Gail Collins' work. She's pretty good with irony, too.
2
I'm staying with Wheeler and Bernhardt. They are doing damage that will take generations to fix, if we ever can. This short sighted approach is, well, not sustainable. Duh. But increased methane in the air will exacerbate the warming of the planet. Lead leads to learning disabilities. Destruction of forests leads to excess CO2. Science understands this. These people don't. Nor do they want to learn.
3
It's a tough choice. The Trump cabinet is truly an embarrassment of riches -- in more ways than one.
4
The question is too hard for me. Can I instead vote for the least bad?
1
Barr. The others can do their worst and either be tied up in court or ignored - but Barr is not so easily tied up by the legal system he allegedly heads.
4
With the ever constant barrage of ethical and legal violations of this cabinet, my vote for this week is shared between Bill Barr and Mike Pompeo.
3
Gail,
Read your column every chance I get, but this is an impossible task. I would like to use my write-in option (if allowed) to cast my ballot for Trump; he's the one who appointed them all!
5
I remember a not-good comedian, many years ago, failing to get a laugh for pointing out the word "fun" is in "funeral." Somethings -- like "worst" Trump cabinet member -- are just not funny.
3
DeVoss- but a Hobbesian type of choice.
2
They are all horrendous, but don't forget the brilliantly informed Betsy De Vos.
3
Bill Barr by far (alliteration intended). Mocking the rule of law and destroying the Justice Department, which is the cornerstone of our constitutional democracy.
2
It's a toss-up between Barr and Pompeo because both hold positions of enormous power and are thus positioned to do what they routinely and cynically do: enormous damage to the republic in defense of the indefensible: their corrupt and criminally inept Boss.
2
Miller, Miller, Miller.
4
Please let us know the tally in your next column, Gail. Thanks.
Can I vote for all of the above? Just all of them. They’re the worst cabinet in history, and that includes Warren Harding’s. These guys make Harding’s corrupt and self serving cabinet look like amateurs.
1
Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Rodrigo Duterte and all of the other brutal dictators with whom our "President" exchanges "beautiful letters" and various unsupervised, unscripted communications that seem inevitably to result in misery and death for innocents and allies.
2
Barr, because he is currently the greatest threat to the republic.
3
Barr. For pure damage to the Justice Department and ....well....the law.
2
So many candidates; it's truly a clown car administration. While there are obvious candidates, on a daily basis, I have to go with lesser obvious lights -- the heads of Interior (Bernhardt) and the EPA (Wheeler) -- otherwise anonymous former energy lobbyists who daily undermine existing laws and regulations in concerted efforts that do real, lasting damage to our public lands, air, and waters.
3
Steve Miller. Though he is an advisor, his advice makes him the worst member of 45's administration and his family likely thinks he is the worst family member. His Uncle openly objected to Steve Miller's immigration policy noting their family's history of migrating from Eastern Europe. Family separation, children in cages, lack of basic hygiene for children, and advocating for a Federal policy of kidnapping children and keeping no records, he is a cruel heartless man.
2
Barr wins first, second, and third place for this award. Any competent, patriotic woman or man to sit in his seat would be compelled to bring this whole shambolic mess of an administration to an end. The other contestants are simply grifters; it's easy to that they are doing the job to enrich themselves. But Barr? It's hard to see how this position benefits him - unless destroying the republic is his lifelong dream.
2
I can't be witty like some, but I think the award should go to AG Barr. He has let the DOJ participate in court cases that support the concept of an Imperial Presidency. He also allowed his attorneys to argue that children in federal custody do not need toothbrushes for their health. His March interpretation of the Mueller report turned it into a non-issue, even though the President obstructed the law. Barr has ignored subpoenas from the legislative branch of government with impunity. He also declined to argue in support of the ACA, legislation duly enacted by Congress. Legislation once enacted is usually supported across administrations, because we exist under a rule of law. I could go on, but these violations of norms, standards and laws will hopefully earn him your dubious award.
3
On individual (lack of) merits, it would be a massive undertaking to pick just one. But given that Barr seems to think his portfolio begins and ends with keeping any and all of them, as well as Trump et al., from being held accountable, I think the prize has to go to him.
1
DOJs Bill Barr, because the consequences of his corruption are the most profoundly damaging to our country.
2
You've left off Ben Carson and Betsy DeVos.
DeVos has overseen the debacle of the student debt forgivness program and seems intent on taking away free public education and turning it into her families Charter school model.
Carson has not enforced any fair housing claims and content to do nothing while the administration goes to shambles around him.
1
I vote for William Barr — not just for being Trump’s worst cabinet member, but for being the worst in the entire history of our country.
2
There are no winners. We are all losing with these jokers in the Cabinet.
3
Barr. But the whole cabinet deserves the award.
4
I don't care that Guilliani isn't officially a cabinet member -- he's apparently still in charge of aspects of foreign policy. Definitely still the worst.
2
If it were not limited to the cabinet, it would be McConnell as he leads the charge to approve these reprobates. He is, by far, the most complicit enabler of the bunch. But to answer the question, a tie for the crown goes to Barr and Ross. Both smart, calculating and knowledgeable about what they are doing. Hopefully they realize on judgement day this will catch up to them and a special place awaits.
3
Very difficult but have to agree with some responses below: William Barr.
3
You've set up a Hobson's choice situation. You're asking us to do the impossible here.
1
Barr- no question about it.
3
Without question and supremo worst, though new to the entire fracas, is WILLIAM BARR, now traveling the world to refute Robert Mueller's investigation and to solicit dirt on the 2016 election. Easily the lowest of the low, as he now makes pitches to be president of Notre Dame University. I have a gut feeling him and the Jesuits will get along quite amicably....
3
I too cast a vote for Putin in memory of the first Trump campaign slogan, "Make Russia Great Again."
3
Barr. Since he's really the only cabinet member that's competent at enacting Trump's malicious agenda.
3
Alex Azar of DHHS. Bring down prescription drug prices? I don't know how much of Big Pharma he owns, but...
1
Barr, bar none.
7
This is a Hobson's Choice if I've ever seen one. Let's just settle for "worst cabinet in history."
2
Mick Mulvaney has used his position to destroy so much of the government and drive expertise from the agencies that will take decades to rebuild.
2
Really impossible to do. Ross? Carson? Perry? DeVos, the for-profit/religious education queen in charge of public education funding? Scalia? Chao (aka, Moscow Mitch's wife)? The Ambassador to the UN whose claim to fame is that she's married to a coal baron? The industry execs at Interior and the EPA and Defense? Pomeo? Cuccinelli, the descendent of uneducated, unskilled immigrants who spoke not English who wants to bar uneducated, unskilled immigrants who speak no English for entering the country -- legally or not? Really impossible to choose.
2
No benefit to repeat winners. Although Chao coming on strong, worst Cabinet is Barr. For intentionally obfuscating Mueller report for partisan effect, William Barr compels notice.
2
They're all, the whole lot of them just plain awful. There might be some sort of redeemable qualities in them but I see none. I would hope when the time comes and they become a disgusting footnote to American history and a shred of guilt engulfs them they will be required to pay in full their therapist's charges, while still on the couch.
2
They are ALL the worst. Everything is always the opposite in Trumpville. Drain the swamp means fill the swamp, clean water is dirtier water, same for air, only the best people are the worst people. I ask- Who's the most dangerous cabinet member?
I vote Barr, by far. If we don't have rule of law, adherence to the Constitution, we have no democracy. Barr, acting as Trump's lawyer instead of the Peoples, is the top enabler of corruption.
2
how about the WHOLE cabinet ?! it is hard to single any single one out .
2
They are all so bad, that my choice would have to be a random name-pick from a hat.
2
Barr gets my vote - anyone who makes Jeff Session look like he has a spine deserves to win.
2
Trying to pick the worst from this collection of misfits is impossible. They are all the worst so my vote is for All of the Above.
1
to paraphrase Animal House
" each is awful in their own right"
2
Oh, wow. That's a hard one. Then again, aren't there only like two or three actual cabinet members left?
Mike Pompeo is (perhaps) the most unlikeable... or at least the smarmiest of the lot. So sure he's the smartest guy ever. Yuck.
But I guess I'd have to vote for William Barr, in terms of real and potential damage being done to the country. The specter of a corrupt and blatantly political justice system is the stuff of dictatorships and banana republics, and Barr seems to have no compunctions about enabling this descent into lawlessness. Truly disappointing.
2
My choice --because of the risk involved by his position is Pompeo but he has lost a few pounds lately.
Respect that...
[but I have to confess that he does not look or speak much better].
He is such a lapdog...Not one original thought. Can't wait for his memoirs...and Carson's....
So many strong contenders but it has to be Barr because he is causing the most damage to American democracy.
Which is worse? Polio or dengue fever? Malaria or diptheria? AIDS or smallpox?
3
Gotta be Barr. Awhile back I voted for DeVos, but her complete dumbness is nothing to Barr’s determined work to shred the US legal system and eat the pieces. If Miller were a cabinet member, he’d be a tough one to pass up. Rarely has so much soulless-ness been concentrated in one so young.
2
All of these people make the Teapot Dome Scandal look like a tea party. Well, in the original sense.
2
It’s a deep and talented field of incompetents but I’ll vote for Betsy DeVos because what she does (or isn’t doing) will ultimately cause the most harm to the country.
1
My vote is for the White House spokesperson, whoever that might be.
Can we have a sixteen-way tie?
1
It has to be William Barr. The Justice Department performs a uniquely critical mission in upholding our laws and the rule of law - and this Attorney General simply jets around the world trying to score political points for his boss. DeVos and Carson are punchlines for Colbert - Barr is dangerous for our country.
1
Oh Gail, how I love reading your hilarious commentaries on the Trump administration!
Honestly, it’s my only big laugh of the day when you consider the constant barrage of depressing, sad and “how can it get any worse” reports from the White House.
Thank you for the humor. We need it more than ever in these dark days.
Barr by far but I do feel Perdue deserves a mention for gutting the Agriculture Dept.
2
Barr, hands down and here is why:
With Pompeo, you knew what you got same with Mulvaney. Both arch conservative politicians period.
But Barr, he was consdered "reasonable" maybe even trustworthy with the aura of seriously concerned for the law. What a surprise then to find out he can be and is as craven as the rest. A real disappointment
2
I suggest we nominate all of them for making up The Worst Cabinet Ever..
William Barr. We are a "nation of laws" whose top cop is vying for top sycophant to Trump. Another one who is ruining his long-standing reputation.
2
William Barr. for whole-heartedly working to destroy our democracy.
2
So hard to choose. My first impulse was Wilbur Ross, then DeVos. But given the past few weeks? Bill Barr gets my vote. Most powerful position, most obviously acting against the interests of his department, the law, the constitution. And..a liar, too.
1
Since Wilber Ross won last year it does not seem fair that he win again but I think he must.
Of all the Russian Oligarch/Intelligence/Mafia connected folks have a connection to the POTUS somehow Wilbur continues to fly under the radar. Democrats in the Republican controlled Senate did not have the muscle to penetrate the obstruction into looking into his past in 2017. By 2020 it will be too late as at 82 it is hard to picture him keeping on.
Wilber's massive investment in the Bank of Cypress in 2014 put him right in the center as Vice-Chairman overseeing vast amounts of dirty Russian Oligarch money. His ties to Deutsche Bank, Bank of Cyprus, Alfa Bank, and Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank form a tight knit group of monied interests expert in money laundering and with deep ties to Russian intelligence.
Deep State … Wilber is the deep state
1
This is too simple. William Barr.
1
Pompeo is the worst. As a USMA alumnus, does he really not know what "Duty, Honor, Country" means?
1
I’m going with Billy Barr, who seems to think he represents not us, but Trumpety.
1
Barr gets my vote. He has the most power when it comes to law and he is certainly making a mockery of the law by shielding all his boss' shenanigans. He is such a phony - I watched him during his interviews with Congress for the job of AG and he had the audacity to sit there and say that he was his own man and that he would stand up to Trump if he felt the President was in the wrong. As far as I'm concerned he's just another puppet amongst so many. Pompeo is a close second. I felt that Rex Tillerson was an intelligent man - for God sake he ran Exxon. He was also his own man and got ousted because he refused to be Trump's 'YES' man. Any secretary of state that can sit by and watch what Trump is doing re: foreign policy and just sit by and do nothing is no leader. In my opinion, impeach Trump for the Ukraine call and for what he did to the Kurds as well and do the same to the good old boys Barr and Pompeo. Better yet, just do a complete sweep of the administration because most of them are useless.
1
BarPomMulVos, with (dis)honorable mention to Andrew Wheeler at EPA.
1
My vote is for Bill Barr. When Hollywood produces a movie about him, there will be a fight among would be Oscar recipients to play such a conniving, devious and devoutly malevolent role.
1
A newer version of "Team of Rivals"! But the Bizarro Planet version - they are all, on any given day, the worst!
1
barr, pompeo a close second [based on their ability to do real damage, not just being chumps]
DeVos, it was always DeVos. Never qualified in any manner (no education background, never went to public school, has no idea how a class/school/district/education system works). Malicious, corrupt, unqualified, and incompetent. That's a big 4.
2
Barr number 2 because he is so obviously corrupt
Pompeo number 1 because he is not so obvious but just as bad and therefore can do much more harm
1
Worst Cabinet member or most dangerous cabinet member. I think Barr and Pompeo are the most dangerous cabinet members. However, I would consider DeVos one of the worst.
1
Can't the worst cabinet member award be given as an ensemble effort?
1
Insidious as Wheeler is in trying to ooison us all, I still vote,for Barr. My main reason is that it will still take decades for Wheeler to defoliate the continent, but I think William Barr can take down the rule of law in the next six months.
I give an honorable mention to Pompeo, who treats his people like trash.. What saves him, though, is that his ineptitude might actually help get Trump impeached.
1
Way too depressing to give this much thought.
While Wilbur Ross makes a strong case for threatening to fire people for performing their jobs, the clear choice is William Barr for turning the vital job of chief law enforcement officer in the U.S., into a hack lawyer for POTUS. He took what was once a respected reputation and will forever be remembered as a henchman for the most unqualified man for the job as POTUS in our history. Shameful.
1
Barr, for sure. It is our illustrious AG who is the point person on Trump's grab for autocracy.
2
The absolute worst one is surely yet to come before we can put paid to this horrendous administration with its collection of know-nothings, people on the take, and shiftless buffoons. Too bad we can't consider Vice President Pence as a cabinet member...he clearly has a level of density and obtuseness that makes even Spiro Agnew look good.
3
While all of Trump’s cabinet secretaries are uniquely awful, the worst has to be Bill Barr. He literally doesn’t even pretend to be an AG, but acts as Trump’s personal lawyer and consigliere. His lying, contempt for the law, and bizarre agenda to destroy the AG’s reputation as an upholder of the law makes him the worst of the worst.
2
I agree with Katharine from MA - it's Barr, who is unburdened of the 'virtue' of incompetence.
2
Rupert Murdoch - because I feel he has made this all possible.
Okay, I know he's not in the cabinet, but his villainy is the fire that keeps all of this ineptitude and malice cooking.
3
Interior and EPA for the most detrimental long-lasting impact - like forever! We can pull back and reverse some stupidity and illegality but we cannot so *easily* save the environment and cannot bring back extinct species. Restore science and facts as reliable and necessary.
2
Let it be a rotating dishonor...special chair for Worst Cabinet Member of the Day. The competition will be fierce. The chair will be right next to that of the current President.
2
Equally bad, each in their small and unique area. Pick 'em.
2
Barr is the worst because of the position he holds. His disregard for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is frightening at the highest level.
Barr. No question. Insidious and dangerous, Bill Barr came into office with a veneer of credibility and swiftly, decisively disposed of it. He's got my vote.
1
I’m gonna have to hold my nose and vote for all of them.
2
DRT: "I always choose the best people." LOL
My vote goes to Barr as the worst. As Attorney General, he should always be above politics. But Barr had chosen to live deep in the swamp. He is more disgraceful then Mitchell (Nixon's AG). Barr needs to spend time at Supermax in Colorado, not Maxwell AFB like Mitchell.
Maybe the vote should be on Worst Trump Cabinet Member
of the month or the week. And maybe 5 categories in each.
Trump remains the worst President ever.
1
Gail, your columns usually cheer me up, but none of this is remotely funny anymore. This corrupt administration has hijacked our government, and we are paying dearly for it.
2
So hard. It's like having to pick the worst disease. ALS? Pancreatic cancer? Alzheimers? They're all terrible.
2
Pompeo and Burr - joint worst.
Such a wealth of contenders!
I would nominate Barr as the ultimate fall back criminal for all of Criminal Trump and the Trump Crime Family activities.
1
All Trump cabinet picks have been bad. They have been self-serving and ignorant, if not outright corrupt. Anyone of them could be Top Pick, but I will settle for Wm Barr, who applied for the DOJ job with a lengthy resume. He is responsible for destroying the authenticity of the Mueller Report. Now we know he is the president's personal lawyer, not the head of a department that should represent all citizens of the USA.
2
DeVoss. They are all bad but my daughter is a public school teacher so I take DeVoss’s combo brand of incompetence and entitlement especially to heart.
1
Definitely William Barr is doing the most long-term damage yo our government. He has taken as his primary responsibility the protection of Trump from being investigated over his vast corruption. He censored key parts of the Mueller report, tried to squash the Ukraine whistleblower, and is running a bogus investigation into the origins of the FBI investigation into Russia election meddling. And remember Trump’s buddy Jeffrey Epstein? Who was originally hired to teach by Barr’s father? William Barr is leading the investigation into Epstein’s convenient suicide. Why do I think there is an ulterior motive for his great interest in the case?
1
So hard to pick a "worst" when the field is filled with worsts including those who left in disgrace (Zinke & Pruitt).
Barr in a landslide. He goes beyond the venality and incompetence of most Trump cabinet members, all the way to impeachable behavior. He is doing his best to undermine the same Constitution he is sworn to uphold, and without any evidence of a conscience.
1
There is no worst one because they're all front row runners ; no conscience , moral turpitude , empathy , only greed . All on equal footing as boogie men and women .
Worst? William Barr. Where most other Cabinet members are inept and/or seek to use their position for personal benefit, Barr is undermining the very agency which is to maintain the sense of Justice. He should be disbarred (no pun intended).
1
Barr needs to go, he’s corrupted Justice and he should be in jail. Don’t understand how he was even confirmed with his history.
1
We need a Golden Globes type award. Worst ensemble government cast award...and we get to drink ourselves into a stupor.
1
Where to start. Which poison is the most dangerous? All of the above, but if I had to rank:
Barr
Pompeo
Voss
Carson
Ross
Chao
And all the other poor unfortunate souls who will never be forgotten for the role they played in destroying the United States
Bernhardt
They are all bad, each in his/her own way.
Definitely Pompeo, swagger and all.
I'm spoiled for choice!
There are so many fine candidates. But the environment is the biggest issue. Even then, Andrew Wheeler and David Bernhardt are neck-and-neck. Andrew Wheeler by a nose.
Picking the worst cabinet member is not possible because they are all at the same level at the bottom.
Although not an "official" member of the cabinet, I nominate Mike Pence and his pained expression of concern. He seems to always be on call to do Trump's dirty work...while singing his praises to the Lord. Pence, and mother, is up to his neck in all the nefarious activities in the White House. His looks of contrition don't make him any less guilty. He has been Trump's lap dog since day one. (My second choice has to be Betsey DeVos. She is the most unqualified person to every hold a cabinet position.)
1
I've stuck with good old Rick through all of these polls and I'm not about to change now.
Rick never did learn what the Energy Department really does. He reverted to type and continued to be a shill for the oil and gass industry. (In retrospect, predictable.)
However, his foray into shady and illegal foreign affairs was definitely a new, Trump-directed venture. Unfortunately, now Trump asks, "Who's stupid enough to take the fall?" Hope Rick left a paper trail, but I doubt it...
RIP, RP.
1
Barr. God only knows what he really believes in or how he really reads the Constitution, but he is competent.
1
How is he still in office? "Clear and present danger" much?
Let's just call them the 'Swamp' and thank Trump for so thoroughly cleaning up Washington.
Barr by far.
It's an 11-way tie!
All of the above and then some.
Wasn't there, once upon a time, a guy named Pruitt? Does he still count? I'd put him at the "head of the class"although they nearly all qualify. When this nightmare is finally over, they all need to be prosecuted. Believe in Karma...
1
Barr. His uses his total ickiness to make everyone else's criminal ickiness totally not illegal.
Barr.
Can't be Trump himself? Should be Trump. If I can't have Trump as the worst, then Barr.
I can't do it. Trump has assembled a veritable (bad) dream team, almost like a comic book cast of scoundrels. They're individually and collectively the most sickening, corrosive, self-dealing cabinet ever in American history. There's almost a certain beauty in its composition.
William Barr - the most despicable of all.
Barr
William Barr by far is the best of the worst.
Ben Carson for incompetency.
All of the above?
Barr
OK, in the tradition of the mighty Washington Nationals, I'm going to deliver a curveball. I'm going to try to answer this question seriously.
The first problem is to determine who is still in the cabinet, as most of them would prefer anonymity for obvious reasons: In order of succession, they are: Pence, Pompeo, Mnuchin, Esper (or is it Esperanto?), Barr, Bernhardt, Perdue, Ross, Scalia, Azar, Carson, Chao, Perry, Wilkie and McAleenan. That would be quite a law firm if most of them could keep their law licenses.
After reviewing the evidence, I have determined that they are all terrible: some are horribly corrupt; others are just incredibly dumb; and many, like Mike Pompeo, display a degree of malevolence that is simply jaw-dropping. In sum: we do not have a winner.
So, let's go to the "cablnet-level" positions. Mulvaney. Lighthizer, Maguire, Haspel, Wheeler, Pilkerton. Here, surprisingly, we actually have one or two who are trying to do their job. So, First Runner-Up is Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, and the Winner is: CIA Director Gina Haspel.
For the winners: one free interview in the Oval Office to determine why they are still performing their assigned functions. For the others, a Big Mac party in the Roosevelt Room.
1
@James slight correction: The first paragraph should read: "OK, in the tradition of the mighty Washington Nationals, I'm going to deliver a curveball. I'm going to try to answer this question seriously, except in reverse order, to determine who among this motley crew is actually the best."
1
Elaine Chao most corrupt
Personally, I'd vote for the jerk in the white house. I know that is not a cabinet position, but he is the one who fills those positions and he clearly doesn't have a clue!
They are all crooks, in for the money and power. Looking forward to an even bigger payday when they leave the office. I would like to see them join their colleagues in jail along with Trump-he is the worst of the worst.
Gold Medal: Barr
Silver Medal: Mnuchin
Bronze Medal: DeVos
Very hard to pick; such a long list of qualified creeps!
AG William Barr
1
The caddy who misclubbed him on 17 last week
1
It's a close contest, but I would say William Barr deserves the dubious distinction. The Department of Justice should be renamed the Department of Trump Protection.
4
@Fran I agree with you. William Barr is the worst, and most dangerous.
Every damn one of them! They’re all tied for worst!
4
My pick is still Ryan Zinke. I know I know, it's too late to pick him. But I just can't get over the image of a jack ass riding a horse to work the first day.
4
As a great man once said
We’re surrounded
That simplified the problem
1
I have not been coached or coerced by what others might have written. My vote is cast for Bill Barr who along with the prize will also receive a "large print" copy of the U.S. Constitution.
4
William Barr...absolutely because his malfeasance is evil and deliberate. In undermining the carrying out of justice he undermines all other attempts to enforce the laws. DOJ no longer has any credibility as a watch dog to punish corruption, campaign finance laws, environmental protection laws, and on and on. The DOJ is now arguing in court that one person, the President, can't be subject to any criminal process such as being stopped from shooting someone on 5th avenue...or any other crime. No, all the other incompetent, malevolent, ne'er-do-wells in Trump's cabinet don't hold a candle to William Barr's intentional destruction of the rule of law. We'll be suffering the consequences for many years to come.
4
They look like an All-Star team to me.
3
All of them, no exceptions... I agree with the sentiment expressed by others, this is one team that wins the award through collective effort!!!
1
Tough call. I'm a committed environmentalist with kids, so if I take the long view, I'd vote for Wheeler, as the slightly more competent version of Pruitt, actively undermining our long term security and prosperity by gutting every climate change policy the Obama Administration put on the books, when the science is telling us we need to rapidly accelerate our decarbonization.
But in terms of acute misbehavior, I'm going with Bill Barr - for his sycophantic undermining of the rule of law, our democracy and the Constitution by transforming the Department of Justice into the personal consigliere of a habitual norm-violating chief executive.
2
What, no Steve Mnuchin? Don't overlook his many trips with the misses on military transport. Also currently breaking the law by not releasing Trump's tax returns. Hard choice but I'll go with Barr. He should know better.
2
This is as unfair at Friday's crossword puzzle! So much to choose from and it all depends on which day of the week it is. There should be categories to choose from, e.g. "Hilariously Incompetent" where DeVos is still the champion. But if we must:
William Barr, Trump's other personal lawyer who moonlights as our Attorney General. He has so debased his office that one can only find a similar example in Warren Harding's Attorney General Harry Daugherty who led a massively corrupt Dept. of Justice. One historian called it the "den of a ward politician" and the White House a "night club". And Barr has only held his position for what? A year?
If Scott Pruit is out of the running, it's gotta be Impeachable Bill Barr. Not only did he lie to the American people about the Mueller Report--the worst being that Trump cooperated with Mueller--but he's obstructing justice at seemingly every turn in the Ukraine-gate scandal.
1
Andrew Wheeler is the worst. Bernhardt is the second worst. And yes I'm a bit of an enviro, but the thing about poisoning our air and water and despoiling the land is that the results are permanent. Let benzene contaminate the water supply and the effects on public health are long-lasting. A little bit of lead in your kid's diet brings a lifetime of learning disabilities. The third worst is Perry - for much the same reason. He's focused exclusively on fossil fuels at the expense of renewables in spite of the looming climate crisis. His negligence will be felt for generations.
231
Yikes! They are are serious contenders, but Barr is my final choice. A group award that recognizes fraudulent behavior, law-breaking, negligence, self-dealing, and total disregard for the values, laws, and interests of our country would be more appropriate. Their replacements after the election will need a full complement of cleaning equipment and disinfectants to begin the restoration of good government.
1
Barr, hands down. In no other cabinet position is it as important to behave with integrity and honesty in service to the constitution and the people than the Attorney General. And I can't think of an AG who has behaved more dishonestly and unethically in my lifetime (OK, technically I was 3 when Watergate went down - one of those guys might have been worse).
I hope that in the end Barr's main accomplishment will be to trigger a constitutional amendment to change how the DoJ is overseen. Let the AG be elected independently or selected by the SC and approved by congress... anything but letting the President pick another partisan hack. The job is too important and the drift towards an imperial presidency an urgent threat.
4
It's hard to go lower than an Attorney General who doesn't believe that top Republican officials need to follow the law.
3
It's so surprising that Trump does not seem to know just one, even a single, good and able person to run any department. I can understand that he might be interested to profit from one of two or few areas of government. But all areas of Government?
it seems like he is more directed by a foreign power (and we broadly know who it might be) who is more interested to destroy USA as a country and attack the very core of our democracy. Otherwise, this is simply not possible. Even a criminal does have some good characteristics and know few decent people.
2
It has to be Barr. Above all, he should defend the rule of law, but he has become the powerful enabler of the abuse of power.
3
How about all of the above?
William Barr, who seems to think he runs a "Department of Injustice" kept always at the ready to pervert US law into an instrument of punishment against the perceived enemies of an ignorant, unpopular, and angry president.
5
Tough call but I will opt for the head of the family: Putin.
4
A veritable Rocky Horror Picture Show!! In time for Halloween (although I didn't think I would ever be watching a White house version).
2
William Pelham Barr
2
The cast of the upcoming feature film ‘The Deplorables’....
1
William Barr, hands down.
3
My list of "winners" (no explanations needed because if you've been paying attention to the news, you already know the reasons why):
1) William "Low Bar" Barr;
2) Mike "The Real Deep State" Pompeo;
3) Wilbur "Hurricane" Ross;
4) Betsy "Make America Stupid Again" DeVos;
5) Rick "Oops!" Perry;
6) Steve "More Tax Breaks for the Rich" Mnuchin; and finally
7) David "Drill, baby Drill" Bernhardt.
13
@Tim Cahill
You forgot to add Mulvaney. Surely he should be in the top 5.
2
I suppose it depends on which you think is worst, trashing the Constitution, accelerating climate change, or something else. Hard to pick but I'll go with Barr and his view that the President is the King and that's all there is to it. Lese majeste.
8
I just want to cry.
3
Barr
2
All of them are awful awful awful But you forgot Steve Mnuchin .
awful and his signature on our new money. bummer.
2
The all-time winner is.......(trumpets, please!)...Donald J. Trump! He appointed and corrupted all these yahoos and incompetents! He proves his unfitness for any office in any size organization on a daily basis!
2
Javanka
2
That one is easy...the one who serves as th doorkeeper to true justice BARR
3
Barr without a doubt.
2
I'm scheduling a root canal so I can start the game under the right circumstances.
6
Not fair! Can't possibly vote for 1 with so many top notch contenders. Aftermuch deep thought, Betsy Devos.
2
Wm Barr gets my vote.
2
all are deplorable
4
Barr with Pompeo breathing down his neck.
2
Reads like Donald Trump's Cabinet are a group of White House klutzes auditioning for today's version of Max Sennett's Keystone Kops............
Ah yes - Donald Trump's bringing back the good 'ol days of cinema's chaos.....
What next, Trump starring in a remake of Chaplin's
"The Great Dictator"?......
4
This is so difficult, but I have to go with Perry because
I saw 8 years of the A&M cheerleader when he was governor.
He spent millions traveling around the country doing "Texas business" while running for president. Complete idiot like his boss.
4
William Barr, hands down. The other Cabinet members are mostly boobs who don't know REO from an Oreo cookie (thanks, Ben Carson). The AG is a smooth-talking, establishment-looking right-wing zealot who should have received more attention for the off-the-rails speech he gave at the Notre Dame Law School a few weeks ago in which he blamed progressives for every societal ill from the drug epidemic to suicide rates. He was in his extremist Catholic persona - the William Barr who dislikes the Constitution's separation of church and state, prefers a form of government closer to monarchy than democracy, and counsels such secretive arch-conservative Catholic outfits as Opus Dei (see The Nation, 10/15/19 ).
12
@Charles Michener
I read an article describing Barr as "God Fearing". He should be.
We are witnessing a historic and "watershed" moment in the history of the USA, one which will provide fertile ground for books, documentaries, movies, and the like...and one can only imagine the portrayals of the "good", "bad", "corrupt" and "sinister" elements of the Trump Administration. Regardless of the party affiliation, let's hope that the democratic institutions are strengthened in the process, and not weakened.
3
I think Barr recently surged to the front (or is it the back?) of the pack, with his lunatic screed about Americans who stand between him and the theocratic thugocracy he wants to help build.
7
William Barr should be disBarred
5
Bill Barr for his obsequious toadying and total disregard of the rule of law.
5
Betsy DeVos. She is killing the spirit and the futures of millions of young Americans that aspire for success. She is pure evil.
2
They are ALL incompentent grifters. If I had to choose, Barr is the worst but only because he encourages Trump to believe he is King of America and immune from prosecution of his blatantly criminal, impulsive, ignorant actions.
3
It has to be Betsy DeVos.
3
You forgot Betsy DeVos! Responsible for the dumbing down of America!
3
And the winner (or, depending on your point of view, the loser) is . . .
All of them.
3
Ben Carson
William Barr is the worst
1
Absolute worst?
Betsy DeVos.
2
William Barr is an abomination, a stain on the idea of justice. Ban the Barr!
1
All of the above
2
All of the above
2
all of the above
1
William Barr. He’s the most heinous of a repugnant lot.
1
Wilbur Ross by a mile ......His amazing comments never cease to amuse.
>>>Joel Laykin , Hong Kong
Remember, we're going to get the best people: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/candidate-trump-promised-best-people-cabinet-50183308
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Worst for 0-5 yr impact: Barr
Worst for 0-50 yr impact: EPA nitwit
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Everyone of them stinks to high heaven.
Barr wins.
America loses ...
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d) All of the above
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The Vietnam War draft dodger and the castrated Republican Party field the most despicable, sordid, reprehensibly racist members of the cabinet. All of the cabinet members are the worst and share the salacious honour of being at the absolute bottom. Race and xenophobic fear mongering foment and engender the positions expressed by these cabinet members. hey all deserve equal denigration and similar condemnation. Race matters.
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William Barr is the most corrupt Attorney General in our nation’s history. He got gets my vote. Plus he’s disgustingly unctuous.
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Ben Carson. I read one of his books, and although he may be a fine doctor, he is nonetheless stupifyingly stupid, the entire book was ignorant gibberish.
3
Perry. He has risen to his highest level of incompetence. He and Pruitt really deserved the trophy of "Who is the stupidest of them all". Now Pruitt is gone, and that leaves Perry.
1
Betsey DeVos, the bored, un-credentialed, inexperienced housewife who bought her way to a cabinet position, and proceeded to undermine the American public education system by diverting education funds to her for-profit pals.
The other cabinet members are morons, but let's not forget: Betsey did it to CHILDREN !!!
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David Bernhardt
David Bernhardt
Trump wins.
An all star team of the most corrupt, mendacious and stupid people to ever “represent” us. Makes our government look like a “House of Cards” parody.
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Between Pompeo, Barr and DeVos. I think DeVos is the stupidest but Barr is dangerous and Pompeo is a stooge.
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@Pati DeVos is certainly in contention for the title of stupidest--but she has strong competition from Carson, Mulvaney and Perry.
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Barr worst, Pompeo second worst, Wheeler third
All a bunch of amoral sycophants and self-serving criminals
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Betsy DeVos bar none...
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Barr for sure. Someone who is supposed to be the nation's lawyer is instead promoting evangelical sharia and taking care of his "client." Shame!
4
Wheeler.
Barr by far. Nothing worse than a dirty cop.
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Trump himself.
William Barr: Trump's Roy Cohn.
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Pathetic cabinet officers.
Frat-boy Republican Congressmen storm-trooping hearing rooms, acting outraged, simply outraged, at routine investigative procedures.
Illegal,inappropriate, and infantile interactions with foreign leaders.
Counter-productive and dangerous policies.
Syria, environmental deregulation, tax breaks for the rich, gouging student loan holders, destroying federal lands, insider trading, emoluments, obstructing justice, secret tax returns, sucking up to Putin, attempting to end Obamacare.
Shall we vote on which Americans were the greatest suckers in voting for Trump and these Republicans?
Can democracy work when so many are so easily fooled by such idiots and crooks as found in this administration?
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Misspelling in second graf, Gail:
"Stick to people who have been running the federal government." You meant "ruining the federal government," right?
I vote for Mike Pence, Secretary of the Department of Gross Hypocrisy.
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Uhhhh, Mnuchin!?!
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Opus Deii Barr . . . white religious extremist in charge of protecting the Bill if Rights.
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William Barr. He’s doing such a good job running the justice department just like Roy Cohn would have done.
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I'd say Barr. He's not attorney general; he's attorney specific. Funny how such a lawless president needs so many lawyers.
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I am going to have to go with AG William Barr.
In the shortest period of time, he has done the most damage to the thing our country stands for - "We are a country of laws, not men."
His refusal to defend the law, his wholesale defense of Trump's corrupt acts undercuts the rock foundation of our country.
If he can decline to defend the law against Trump or obstruct investigations into Trump, then he is capable of declining to defend the law against anyone or obstructing investigations into any bad actor, and corrupt person or group or company who would do harm to all Americans.
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The men and women in Trump's cabinet make Harding's cabinet, which included someone actually convicted of a crime, Secy of Interior Albert Fall, or Nixon's, which included VP Agnew (pleaded no contest) and AG John Mitchell (convicted), look like saints.
Um. Mnuchin?
All of the above..........
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Definitely Barr. Trump finally got his Roy Cohn.
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William Barr is Trump’s enabler. Barr wants, I believe, a theocratic state. He’s genuinely a madman. Look for yourself. It’s not difficult to find videos of his speeches. It’s very clear what sort of America Bill Barr intends to achieve with the aid of his useful idiot Donald Trump. Barr is, indeed, a bad hombre.
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Betsey DeVos
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In order of worst:
Barr. Deliberate obstruction. Traitor.
Mulvaney. Confused. Out of his league.
Pompeo. Wants to do the right thing. But doesn't know what right is.
Carson. Total buffoon.
Ross. Completely out of touch. No charisma.
DeVos. Dumb and dumber.
3