The Dimwitted Smile of Betsy DeVos

Betsy DeVos smiles in Congress when she says regrettably—so regrettably—the Department of Education will have to eliminate funding for Special Olympics. The cabinet secretary is positively beaming as she hears that some 272,000 special needs kids and young adults will be affected by this. She grins and chatters away as she describes taking pruning shears to the “awesome” program that has longtime, broad bipartisan support.

Caught at the elevator and questioned, DeVos just smiles at the cameras and does not bother to speak. Questions about why the Department of Education would make such cuts just elicit a dim smirk. She gives us no indication that her head contains anything other than a circus chimp in a tutu riding a unicycle in a circle as calliope music plays.

And why shouldn’t DeVos smile? She’s probably thinking of her yacht—excuse me, yachts (10 of them, to be precise). It’s the smile of someone who knows she’s predestined for Calvinist heaven, so what does it matter if she disappoints a bunch of Special Olympic athletes?

We can imagine that DeVos smiles later while indignantly accusing the media of reporting what she said accurately, and then confirming that accuracy. She probably even smiles as her boss throws her under the bus and nixes the idea of cutting Special Olympics funds.

It is the smile of the dimwitted that falls across the face of Betsy DeVos. A long time ago, someone probably told her to smile no matter what, in some embroidered-pillow wisdom. Someone probably told her that if she’s not up to a task, a smile and “a great attitude!” will distract everyone from seeing how incompetent she is. But Betsy is wrong because—my God—everyone can see it.