Tactics – Episode 5: Zero-Based Bureaucracy

Power doesn’t just corrupt—it calcifies. And nowhere is that more true than in the bureaucratic fortress that cloaks itself in “service” while feeding on inertia.
In Episode 5 of Tactics, we reveal a tactical doctrine more disruptive than mere budget cuts: Zero-Based Bureaucracy. Inspired by corporate Zero-Based Budgeting but weaponized for political warfare, this strategy doesn’t ask, “How can we trim?” It demands, “Why should this exist at all?”
We trace the legacy of reformers—from Carter’s failed paper sword to Reagan’s partial siege—and lay out the only method that actually breaks the machine: total institutional reset. Remove leadership. Eliminate missions. Erase legacy structures. Rebuild only what proves necessary.
Because if you’re serious about reform, you don’t start from the top.
You start from zero.