America has always been a land of grifters. Inside dealers, pay-to-play schemers, elected officials in both parties whose investment portfolios had an uncanny habit of outperforming the market. What’s new about that? Let’s start with the brazenness. The almost performative shamelessness of it. As though the old norms didn’t just erode but were suddenly bulldozed away, like the remnants of a wing of the White House: visible for all to see, if not publicly debate. Welcome to the golden era of