draining the swamp
Removing entrenched interests
Draining the swamp means eliminating corruption or entrenched interests from an institution, especially government.
The metaphor evokes clearing a fetid marsh of its murky inhabitants.
The phrase gained prominence in American politics as a promise to remove career politicians and special interests from Washington: He campaigned on draining the swamp, but critics say he filled it instead.
- deep stateCovert governmental power structure
- whistleblowingExposing hidden wrongdoing internally
- wetlandsWater-saturated terrain
- streamliningMaking more aerodynamic or efficient
- nepotismPreferring kin in hiring
good old boys · transparency · accountability · ecosystem · biodiversity · habitat · lobbying · hydrology · downsizing · oversight · ethics · conservation · restructuring · reclamation · governance · incumbents · term limits · reform
draining the swamppay-to-play
Access costs money
graft · self-dealing · influence peddling · backroom deals · quid pro quo
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