Why modern US Navy ship names look political

Why has the US Navy's ship-naming scheme become so inconsistent?

Much of the inconsistency comes from political naming, which can help get ships built even when it disrupts traditional conventions.

The US Navy has moved toward overtly political choices in naming ships. From the institution's perspective, the practical priority is often securing authorization and construction instead of maintaining a perfectly coherent convention. Some recent vessels have still received effective or historically resonant names. Ship naming therefore becomes part of civil-military bargaining as well as naval tradition.