THE REAL DOGE. It’s not an exaggeration to say that much of the media’s coverage of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency effort has veered between contempt, ridicule, and sheer hatred. Coverage and commentary have villainized Musk, the maker of climate-friendly electric cars and pioneering space projects, as an evil tech bro bent on destroying the U.S. government. The same coverage and commentary have characterized Musk’s team of assistants as young, reckless, immature gamers bent on … destroying the U.S. government. You want a sample? Look up “DOGE” and “Big Balls.”

A significant part of DOGE narrative-making is driven by Democrats, who early on sensed a serious threat to cherished spending priorities and the heavily Democratic and deeply entrenched 2.4 million-employee federal workforce. The angry rhetoric of Democratic leaders was then megaphoned in many press outlets.