this article is part of the opinion today newsletter. you can sign up here to receive more briefings and a guide to the section daily in your inbox. for thousands of public servants <u+2014> democrat, republican and independent <u+2014> the election of donald trump creates a deep quandary: should i stay or should i go? these are the men and women around the country who work for the justice department, the education department, the defense department, the environmental protection agency, and so much else. many of them, no doubt, voted for trump. but many of them are in despair, worried not only about their country but about how their own jobs will change <u+2014> and about their own moral responsibilities. my answer to the vast majority of them is: we need you. we need your professionalism, your expertise, your respect for democratic norms and american values. stay on. stay on, please, for your country. my colleague ross douthat took on a version of the question , addressing in particular republican foreign-policy experts who<u+2019>d opposed trump. and his argument applies across the board: <u+201c>... a hard question looms: if they fear how trump might govern, can they in good conscience work for him? <u+201c>the answer, for now, is that they can and should <u+2014> and indeed, precisely because they fear how trump might govern, there is a moral responsibility to serve. <u+201c>for the next four years, the most important check on what we<u+2019>ve seen of trump<u+2019>s worst impulses <u+2014> his hair-trigger temper, his rampant insecurity, his personal cruelty <u+2014> won<u+2019>t come from congress or the courts or the opposition party. it will come from the people charged with executing the basic responsibilities of government within his administration.<u+201d> the alternative helps to highlight the importance of staying on. this moment would be precisely the worst one to have our government emptied of experience and expertise and filled, much more than usual, with political appointees. staying on does not equal unquestionably following every directive from washington <u+2013> far from it. as ross wrote, <u+201c>if a trump presidency lurches into naked authoritarianism <u+2014> abusing executive authority in unprecedented ways, issuing immoral or illegal orders to the military <u+2014> then there will be an obligation not to serve, but to resign.<u+201d> for now, however, the country needs its federal employees more than ever. you can join me on twitter (@dleonhardt) and facebook . i am also writing a daily email newsletter until the election and invite you to subscribe . follow the new york times opinion section on facebook and twitter (@nytopinion).
stay on, for your country
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