Otto von Bismarck, the political genius who unified and ruled Germany for decades in the late 19th century, famously said that politics is the art of the possible, indeed the “art of the next best.” This is a lesson the novice Elon Musk learned in calamitous fashion over the past few months.

This week’s Democracy Index shows how Musk’s ignominious departure — though not a panacea — represents a signal failure for him, and therefore for Donald Trump. And how the emotional and incompetent government he has instituted continues to wreak havoc.

...Donald Trump’s tenure as president is the performance of governance without substance. It’s why we are all feeling so weary just four months in.

That dynamic is made manifest repeatedly — as Trump flamboyantly signs executive orders without appearing to know what is in them (until it is explained by the underling over his right shoulder) or seems perplexed by questions about the Administration’s high-profile actions (witness his confusion over a reporter’s query about the government reportedly halting student visas). A constant feature, threaded throughout Trump’s career but particularly noticeable lately, is the filibustering world-salad he will embark upon in search of cogency in hopes that he can divert away from the topic at hand.