In a continuing crusade against political boogeymen, far-right Republicans in Oklahoma have decided that the ability to fearmonger on the internet and ideological loyalty is more important than actual job qualifications or field experience.
This is the story of Chaya Raichik and the state of the Oklahoma Department of Education, and their fight against the “woke agenda” in public schools all across the country. On the internet, Raichik runs an account called “Libs of Tiktok,” where she maintains over three million followers, devoted to eliminating this “liberal scourge” wherever it can be found. An easy source for misinformation and straight-out lies, her posts are meant to be as inflammatory as possible with the goal of using angry mobs of online believers to put pressure on institutions to undo their evil policies. The bad news is that people often mistake her propaganda for actual information, and start to take action because of it. In two separate instances, unabashed lies of hers targeting one Union public school in Oklahoma and Boston Children’s Hospital were posted just days before bomb threats were repeatedly called in to shut them down.
As a result of her great work rage-baiting her followers into crime, she has been given a spot on Oklahoma’s Education Department’s Library Media Advisory Committee. It’s at this point I should probably mention that she does not even live in Oklahoma, nor does she have an ounce of experience working in or around education at any point in her life. The point is that her repeated ethical shortcomings, (willful…?) ignorance of the lethal potential of her posts and complete lack of any professional qualifications are inconsequential compared to her allegiance to the cause.
This story is an absurd, but not at all abnormal, example of the modern far-right, which has in many areas ignored the logistical nature of policy, governance and leadership in favor of loyal ideologues and empty culture wars. This problem has been growing in the right wing for years, like with Steve Bannon’s entrance into the White House in 2016, and it is only going to continue to get worse with time. On a national level, this strategy is central to Republicans’ plans if Donald Trump gets the White House again through Project 2025. This is a holistic plan to “institutionalize Trumpism” in the federal government, with one of its central tenets being to fill the executive branch and its agencies with MAGA devotees. To demonstrate the extent of their commitment to this goal, those who apply to Project 2025’s talent database for filling administrative positions have their social media and political beliefs scanned by AI to help ensure anyone “queasy about testing the limits of Trump’s power will get flagged and rejected.”
This shift in politics towards valuing loyalty above all else is reminiscent of a period earlier in American history wherein political machines used the spoils system to fill all levels of government with their supporters. In the same way that this led to major corruption and failing ethics in politics during the Gilded Age over a century ago, a future in which the right wing continues to value and hire ideological zealots will surely lead to a dangerous concentration of power, threatening the very existence of democracy in America.
This is happening all across America, on the federal level with Project 2025 and the local level with people like Chaya Raichik. Whereas one is a systemic issue perpetrated by the powers central to the GOP, the other demonstrates the smaller ways that ideologues can use their self-righteous rage to fearmonger their way into leadership. All the same they represent the values of the far right and the power that they have over the entirety of republican policymaking at present. The solution remains the same. For all those who want a government that is fair, qualified, capable, bipartisan and secure against the crimes of its leaders, rejecting the shameless cronyism being employed by members of the Republican Party is an absolute necessity.