Again (and realizing this should really be a blog) I'm sympathetic and consider myself part of Dunkleman's project of making democratic governments responsive and functional. But you can't hand wave the accountability stuff. The argument can't be a "unitary exec theory - but for good!"

One of the core debates in public administration theory was about Woodrow Wilson's claim that you can borrow the practices of non-democratic states (or private sector) to improve democratic govts. The claim holds for narrow tools, but fails when you talk about the fundamental structures of power.

The response to my objections from the Dunkelman worldview is that I'm stuck with the outdated idea that more rules & procedures equate accountability. Thats not the case. Its a more fundamental concern consistent with the founders aversion of centralized power, and watching democratic backsliding.

I'm sympathetic to the idea that progressives need to rethink procedural barriers to getting things done, and that this a crucial moment for American government. But we are witnessing a shift to authoritarianism right now. American needs not just a theory of power but also theory of accountability.

Lesson 6: If you have a theory of the Supreme Court that does not include political ideology, its going to be wrong. During the Biden administration it was all major questions because they did not like his policies, and during Trump it is mostly unitary executive, because they do.

Lesson 4: If you are peddling the "trust in govt" has dropped because of proceduralism, you either don't understand the study of trust or don't care. It has dropped in all countries and all institutions over the same time period. It is mostly driven by perception of politics not govt services.

Lesson 3: The shy Trumpists think that Trump is showing us how power should be used, minus the authoritarianism of course *even though* they also critique imperious centrist figures who used power without accountability. So what does accountability mean in this context?

Lesson one: Yes, you can do a lot of things if you break the law.
Lesson two: Doing something is not the same as doing a good thing - it is harder to build than it is to destroy.
Trump has built nothing like the TVA. His lawbreaking is not "freeing the stuck wheels of bureaucracy."

250 years later and we're still tapping the sign

I'd guess she *could* do better…on a topic that wasn't so…fraught…for her.

Well, it's what she produces when she wants to go viral by getting a bad grade from a trans teacher.

Read the story here: www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/november-2025/the-video-that-shook-chicago/