Marble Falls     Let’s be clear, Trump’s firing of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi, was welcome news.  In any other administration, they would not only have been long gone, but they never would have been seen as remotely qualified for these positions.  Still, as much as this is a temporary relief, because their replacements could turn out to be even worse, there are some other conclusions that are irresistible, almost Shakespearean, if their fall from such lofty heights might be only personal tragedies.

Both of these women were almost cartoonish in their personal appearance, inarguably meant to appeal to the president and his biases.  Bondi, a blonde, doing everything possible to not seem 60-years-old.  Noem, a former small town South Dakota beauty queen, 54-years-old, doing all she could still dial back the years that seemed to scream for Botox advertisements.  These were the superficial tactics.  More substantively, both tried classic “trad wife” strategies of trying to be obsequious sycophants to Trump with constant praise to secure his attention and favor.  Programmatically and politically, they made his grievances their personal priorities in their departments.  Sadly, for them, now, and for us, always, none of this worked to save their jobs.  The lessons seem clear.  There’s no amount of praise that can satisfy a narcissist, and no woman’s subservience that can placate a misogynist, all of which Trump proves almost daily in spades.

Reports indicate that the woman leading the Department of Labor is likely next on the chopping block.  “Leading” is probably the wrong word to describe her tenure, which is also riddled with controversies, including barring her husband from the department because of other women’s complaints of his inappropriate behavior.  Yet, it’s important to always remember that the scandals and shortcomings of all of these women, as well as their political liabilities, are certainly no greater than those of Defense’s Hegseth, HHS’s Kennedy, or, lord save us, the FBI’s Patel, yet all of them are still ensconced in their offices and not coincidentally are men.

Speaking of misogyny, it’s impossible to ignore Hegseth.  He’s firing top generals right and left, often for no apparent reason other than his overt racism and misogyny, most recently the Army chief of staff.  The issue was his resistance to Hegseth’s interference in promotions, singling out for rejection minority and women candidates who were in line after extensive military review for promotion to general.  Earlier Hegseth had to be overturned by the White House when he tried to block the promotion of a black woman because he thought Trump would be offended appearing at Arlington cemetery functions with her in the lineup.  The reports that he continues to have Trump’s support, because the president likes the way he looks and sounds on television, is enough to drive sane folks crazy, especially when such a man is running a misbegotten war in Iran and other conflicts elsewhere.

Women in positions of power must be scratching their heads now, and not just in the United States.  Italy’s Giorgia Meloni seemed to have figured out how to be the one successful European Trump whisperer, as a woman who could both secure his favor and from time to time give him hard news.  Unfortunately, this strategy isn’t exactly working out for her, now that she’s tied to Trump and Italians are adamantly opposed to Trump’s escapades in Iran.

 

In her case, an opinion writer quoted an old Italian proverb that translated as “I’ll protect myself from my enemies; may God protect me from my friends.” In dealing with misogynists and narcissists this is advice worth keeping in mind, as all of these women are now coming to understand.  As we celebrate their fall, there are terrible lessons we are also learning from them that abandoning accountability and truth for flattery doesn’t work in holding the president in check.  Does anything?