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The weird thing about Barr is that his intellectual positions about the executive branch are extreme but not outrageous/unique, but his approach to public politics is so combative, contemptuous and transparently partisan that it destroys all credibility or benefit of the doubt.
Like, if Barr was writing a law review article about his views of the role of the AG and the hierarchy of DOJ authority within the unitary executive, you'd be like, "Ok, this guy has an extreme view, but it's totally plausible and very well me be correct under current caselaw."
But then he goes on TV and couples that intellectual argument with a completely bombastic slash-and-burn approach to every individual policy issue, and seems to revel in being a hatchet-man for the president's political ambition.
Like, Barr's “My thinly veiled contempt for liberals and dissent and democracy isn't a thirst for authoritarianism it's just what the unitary executive theory demands” t-shirt has people asking a lot of questions already answered by the shirt.
And part of this is that Barr seems to not only believe in the unitary executive as a courtroom legal theory, but *actually is trying to implement it aggressively* in practice at DOJ.
Which is pretty novel, because in practice the unitary theory of the executive just isn't how political power actually operates in the executive branch in most cases. https://twitter.com/MattGlassman312/status/1002910150687121408?s=20
Like, does he really believe this? If not, does he actually think this is strategically good public politics for the AG?
It is just insane on the merits *and* an insane way for an AG to approach this sort of policy issue where he has discretion. https://twitter.com/ShimonPro/status/1306420805564334082?s=20
It is just insane on the merits *and* an insane way for an AG to approach this sort of policy issue where he has discretion. https://twitter.com/ShimonPro/status/1306420805564334082?s=20
