Zeldin didn't "evolve". He's always been politically driven, adopting or discarding policies as political winds shift. There have always been plenty of those types in elected office - but don't pretend that they are policy wonks who've changed their opinions. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/29/c... - ThreadSky

seancasten.bsky.social • 65 days ago

Zeldin didn't "evolve". He's always been politically driven, adopting or discarding policies as political winds shift. There have always been plenty of those types in elected office - but don't pretend that they are policy wonks who've changed their opinions. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/29/climate/lee-zeldin-epa.html

Comments

emberblades.bsky.social•65 days ago

Politicians are all two faced snakes

carlnyberg312.bsky.social•65 days ago

People (especially media people) duped into believing in moderate Republicans should read Corey Robin's book "The Reactionary Mind".

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Reactionary_Mind

isonope.bsky.social•65 days ago

Thank you Mr. Casten. Zeldin is a cheap fraud

gpanko.bsky.social•65 days ago

the media is always salvaging the reputations of far right conservatives. remember their framing of paul ryan, "the professor, the policy wonk" of the right? instead of telling it like it was—a ghoul looking to shred social security benefits that allowed he and his mom to survive after his dad died.

seancasten.bsky.social•65 days ago

At the risk of getting too PoliSci 101 (a course I never took, FWIW), not all politicians are Burkeans! e.g., "Your representative owes you his judgment and he betrays you if he sacrifices it to your opinion."

seancasten.bsky.social•65 days ago

Some get into this line of work because they have a clearly articulated policy agenda. Others get into this line of work because they enjoy the art of politics. Government needs both; the former to ensure we are rowing in the right direction and the latter to ensure we are rowing together.

jmayday.bsky.social•65 days ago

I think there is a 3rd group only bent on power. We have many examples in our face right now.

seancasten.bsky.social•65 days ago

The voters are smart enough to know the difference; after all, voters will criticize pols for flip-flopping on issues AND insist that they represent the will of voters (who can flip flop!). There's no reason for media not to acknowledge that tension.

seancasten.bsky.social•65 days ago

And finally, ANYONE who spends time around politicians - journalists or otherwise - has a clear sense of which ones are primarily policy-driven and which are primarily politically-driven. No one who has spent time around Lee Zeldin is surprised to learn he's the latter - and always has been.

zathras5.bsky.social•65 days ago

If Zeldin pursued anything like a traditional agenda for a head of EPA — even for a Republican head of EPA — he’d isolate himself within this administration. Every one of the other people around Trump, and therefore Trump himself, expects Zeldin to eviscerate EPA. If he resisted, he’d be out.

seancasten.bsky.social•65 days ago

Trump has a spidey sense for this distinction. He may not be self aware enough to know how many of his ideas are batshit crazy, but he does know that he can't execute his ideas unless he is surrounded by people who's overweening political ambition prevents them from putting policy first.

seancasten.bsky.social•65 days ago

Zeldin, Rubio and their ilk were picked because they have always wanted to wield a rubber stamp. And there isn't a damned thing they won't do to keep it. /fin

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