toadyism

Trump's tendency to value toadyism over competence may be a blessing in some regards.

If Trump wins election again in 2024, however, Garland will be replaced by someone offering far worse than excessive evenhandedness, or even Barr’s toadyism: an attorney general with total fealty to a criminal president.

Instead, he demonstrated that Russia, with an economy significantly smaller than Italy’s — and smaller than the gross domestic product of Texas — is even less impressive politically than it is materially because its authoritarian culture breeds stagnation, corruption and toadyism.

Attorney General William Barr was the “Yo-Yo Ma of WH toadyism, with Trump as his cello.”

It’s not a blanket endorsement, since many of these personalities, particularly the ones from the opinion side, are plenty guilty of tribal sophistry, Trump toadyism, and general culture-war saber-rattling.