Michael Lewis's "Blockers" examines officials who tried to resist Musk's DOGE
Michael Lewis has published "Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State", a book on Elon Musk's DOGE and the civil servants who tried to stop it. CBS Mornings interviewed him and The Guardian reviewed the book.
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The story, neutrally told
Left · 1Michael Lewis, author of "Moneyball", "The Big Short" and "The Blind Side", has published a new book, "Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State", about Elon Musk and DOGE. CBS NewsLC “Michael Lewis, who wrote "Moneyball," "The Big Short" and "The Blind Side," sits down with "CBS Mornings" to discuss his new book” Read at CBS News ↗ Left · 1Lewis discussed the book in an interview with "CBS Mornings" on 5 October. CBS NewsLC “sits down with "CBS Mornings" to discuss his new book, "Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State,"” Read at CBS News ↗ Left · 1The Guardian's reviewer, Sam Freedman, describes it as a loose sequel to Lewis's "The Fifth Risk", which covered the Obama-to-Trump transition. The GuardianLC “Blockers is a loose sequel to the The Fifth Risk, in which Lewis focused on the transition from the Obama to the Trump administration” Read at The Guardian ↗
Left · 1According to the review, the "blockers" are officials who try to stop the destruction of their work by DOGE, including a wildfire researcher, a security guard trying to keep Musk's team out of a building, and a lawyer trying to keep personal tax data from being used to deport undocumented migrants. The GuardianLC “They range from a researcher working on preventing wildfires to a security guard trying to block Musk’s goons from entering his building, and a lawyer attempting to keep personal tax data from being used to deport undocumented migrants.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Left · 1The review says the blockers do little actual blocking, because they either resign when asked to do something illegal or are fired; the title reflects Musk's allies' view that such officials obstruct progress. The GuardianLC “In truth, they don’t do much blocking – since they all either end up resigning when they’re asked to do something illegal, or are fired.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Left · 1The review highlights a chapter on Francis Collins, the former National Institutes of Health director, who said his position had become "untenable" after Trump's re-election, and which points to budget director Russell Vought's cost-cutting as one possible cause. The GuardianLC “After Trump’s re-election he was effectively forced out, saying that his position had become “untenable”. Lewis runs through a series of possible culprits, of which Vought’s cost-cutting is one.” Read at The Guardian ↗
Left · 1It also singles out Sahil Lavingia, a software engineer who worked for DOGE at the Department of Veterans Affairs for 55 days before he was dismissed after an on-the-record interview saying the government was not as inefficient as he expected; he was later invited back to work on the Internal Revenue Service's computer systems. The GuardianLC “He only lasted 55 days before giving an on-the-record interview in which he noted that “it’s kind of fine – because the government works.”“Lavingia was tasked with improving the Internal Revenue Service’s computer systems” Read at The Guardian ↗ Left · 1Freedman's main criticisms are that the book says too little about the motivations of those who took part in DOGE, and that government should not have to rely on unsung heroes working 90-hour weeks. The GuardianLC “It would have been good to have a bit more on the villains, whose motivations for participating in Doge are varied.”“agencies and departments should not have to rely on unsung heroes, battling failing systems, and doing 90-hour weeks for little money” Read at The Guardian ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- CBS News presents an author interview on "CBS Mornings" built around Lewis's earlier bestsellers. The Guardian's review praises Lewis's storytelling and treats DOGE as a destructive campaign against the civil service.
- Emphasis
- Lewis's reputation as a narrative writer, the civil servants' stories, and the harm done to government functions.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither outlet offers a view from Musk, DOGE supporters or anyone defending its aims.
- Charged language
- “Musk’s goons”“agents of chaos”“boss baddie”“anti-government crusade”
- For example
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“The “blockers” are the dedicated officials who try to stop the wanton and often illegal destruction of their life’s work by Elon Musk’s Doge or other agents of chaos.” — The Guardian
“sits down with "CBS Mornings" to discuss his new book” — CBS News
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Michael Lewis's new book is titled "Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State".
- The book is about Elon Musk's DOGE.
Michael Lewis person
Lewis, as described in the coverage, tells the stories of civil servants who tried to resist DOGE, as a follow-up to his earlier book on the Trump transition.
“he has decided to try to help people understand the importance of civil servants.” — The Guardian
Elon Musk person
Musk appears in the review as the figure behind DOGE, whose arrogance and lack of preparation the reviewer says harmed the case for reform. No response from Musk is reported.
“Musk’s overweening arrogance, glibness and total lack of preparation have seriously harmed the case for proper reform.” — The Guardian
Left2 articles
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"Moneyball" author Michael Lewis tackles Elon Musk and DOGE in new book
Neutral A short interview segment introducing Lewis and the book through his earlier bestsellers.
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The GuardianLC · · Opinion
Blockers by Michael Lewis review – the quiet heroes who tried to stop Doge
Sympathetic A review that praises Lewis and the civil servants while condemning DOGE and the Trump administration's dismantling of government, with some criticism of the book's gaps.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 5 Oct 16:10 First CBS NewsLC "Moneyball" author Michael Lewis tackles Elon Musk and DOGE in new book
- 7 Oct 07:00 +38h 50m The GuardianLC Blockers by Michael Lewis review – the quiet heroes who tried to stop Doge Opinion
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.