Barb and I just finished watching the mini-series about the assassination of President James Garfield, Death by Lightning. It’s on Netflix, and if you are able to watch it, I highly recommend it. There is much to say about it and about its applicability to our times.

The series of course takes dramatic liberties, but the fundamental story is compelling: James Garfield, a reform-minded candidate who seeks to end the spoils system that dominates Washington politics, and Charles Guiteau, a mentally disturbed supporter who longs for the grandeur of a position in the administration, are led on paths that intersect with the assassination of Garfield by Guiteau. There is great depth and understanding in this drama, and it serves as a commentary on our own times. (And the performance of Matthew MacFayden as Guiteau is remarkable.)

Here are a few of my takeaways (more to come later):

• Garfield initiated a concerted effort to end the spoils system, which effort was then continued by his vice-president-become-president, Chester A. Arthur.
• This led to the development of a genuine, merit-based civil service — a professionalization of of the government agencies that grew and grew into the 20th century. This professionalization aligns with that in academia, in industry, and elsewhere.
• Garfield died — through medical malpractice following being shot, basically — a few months into his term. But his impact was significant. He is an example of what a person of good faith and genuine integrity can accomplish just by, so to speak, the aura of his effort.

Trump et al. are now trying to undo much of what Garfield started. The corruption in the current administration is truly astounding and maybe unheard of since the spoils system that Garfield fought against, if then. The attack on the so-called “Deep State” is really an attack on the professionalization of the civil service.

To be clear, there are genuine issues with respect to the relationship of the professionalized civil service to the accountability necessary to a democracy. Institutionalized expertise does in fact distance the people from many decisions the government makes. The philosopher Jürgen Habermas has been especially thoughtful about this. And one of the challenges we face is how to ensure that the people have the mechanisms to have confidence in the system.

But right now, our task is to stop the assault on a system that took a century and more to build. The Trump wrecking ball is destroying our American heritage — all why he pretends to build it up. Trump tears down the East Wing of the White House, and we have an ache in our stomachs. He lays off thousands of federal employees, and we ache for their hardships. 

What it adds up to is an assault on 150 years of our heritage: the efforts that thousands of people who, like James Garfield, worked to build a government that was transparent, honest, and oriented to the common good.

It is our obligation to stop him.