Building Better Government: Abundance, Slop, and the Case for High-Performance Communication
Why trust, clarity, and courage are the real foundations of effective public service
What do wildfires in Maui, transit votes in Georgia, and a fake-sounding federal website have in common? They all reveal the same thing: we’ve got a communication and credibility problem, and it’s holding government back.
This week’s TL;dr is a bit of a scene-setter. I’ve curated five stories that all point to the same frustrating truth: In many parts of the country, government can’t build fast enough, explain clearly enough, or lead confidently enough. And the results—inaction, dysfunction, and distrust—speak for themselves.
Some of these pieces highlight big-picture arguments for a new approach to governance (like Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s new book, Abundance). Others show what happens when red tape or bad faith stop progress dead in its tracks. And the last two dive into the murky digital world we now operate in, where trust is eroded not just by bad actors, but by the algorithms that amplify them.
That’s why I’m launching a new five-part series (and companion workshop) this spring: The Five Elements of High-Performance Communication. The series will cover the practical, strategic work needed to rebuild credibility, earn trust, and actually get things done—whether you’re at city hall, a school district administration building, or running a public agency. Because what Klein and Thompson describe isn’t just a policy problem—it’s a communication problem. And we can fix that.
Let’s get to the articles:
📘 1. Abundance Agenda: Build More, Argue Less
Noah Smith | Noahpinion
Smith writes that Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s new book Abundance makes the case for a results-first form of progressivism: one that stops obsessing over process and ideology and focuses on building things that work: more housing, more energy, more infrastructure. Their critique? Progressives have created systems so tangled in red tape that even well-funded programs fail to deliver. The real fight, they argue, is for outcomes, not input.
👉 What I’m focusing on: This shift from ideology to execution is long overdue. It aligns with the goals of my upcoming High-Performance Communication series—especially the need for better planning and stronger internal leadership.
🚫 2. Not Every Place Wants to Be Brooklyn
Zaid Jilani | The American Saga
Jilani offers a counterpoint to Abundance, arguing the book’s vision fits coastal cities but misses the mark in swing-state suburbs and rural areas. In places like Metro Atlanta, voters—including many Democrats—rejected new transit plans not because of red tape, but because they like their suburban lifestyle.
👉 What I’m focusing on: Good governance has to match local context. One-size-fits-all narratives fall apart without effective citizen engagement and listening—another pillar of high performing agencies.
🔥 3. Maui’s Slow Recovery Is a Warning to Us All
Alex Hu | City Journal
A year and a half after wildfires destroyed Lahaina, just six homes have been rebuilt out of 2,000 destroyed. Why? Not funding or effort, but bureaucratic paralysis—overlapping regulations, slow permitting, and political gridlock. Hu’s article offers a case study in everything Abundance warns about.
👉 What I’m focusing on: This is what happens when political courage is lacking and leadership won’t cut through complexity. It’s a call for stronger strategic planning—and better internal and external communication—in crisis recovery.
🧠 4. Slop World: Can We Trust Anything Online Anymore?
Mike Solana | Pirate Wires
Solana’s long-form rant nails the chaos of today’s internet: AI-generated junk, foreign bots, paid influencers, and algorithm-driven outrage have created a digital slop-fest where even earnest information gets drowned out.
👉 What I’m focusing on: Government agencies operate in this environment whether they like it or not. That means brand clarity and trustworthy content creation are more important than ever.
📉 5. When the Government Joins the Slop Game
Jeff Maurer | I Might Be Wrong
DOGE—the federal agency claiming to save $115 billion in taxpayer money—is quietly running a website filled with misleading numbers and unverifiable claims. Maurer calls it “the laziest, most transparent ruse” and a sad sign of how low the bar for credibility has dropped, even inside government.
👉 What I’m focusing on: When your own agency starts sounding like a parody account, trust collapses. It’s time to go back to basics—strategy, ethics, transparency, and accuracy.
🛠️ 6. Coming Soon: The Five Elements of High-Performance Communication
In a time when credibility is rare and dysfunction is common, we need public sector communicators and leaders who can do more than write a press release. We need people who can build trust, frame strategy, and tell the truth—consistently, creatively, and clearly.
That’s what the upcoming GGF series and workshop will focus on:
1. Strategic Priorities & Planning
2. Organizational Leadership
3. Citizen Engagement & Listening
4. Branding
5. Content Creation
If you’re a local government administrator or communicator or someone who cares about how the public sector shows up and earns trust, I hope you’ll join me.
More details soon. Stay tuned.
Onward and Upward.