This has been painfully obvious for the duration of this administration, nevermind just recently.
The danger is that at some point an administration would be so adept at this that it's not painfully obvious. In theory, at the very least the electorate is informed enough at this point that they can consider this information when voting. Admittedly, that's pretty optimistic take on the US electorate however. An educated, well informed public is necessary for a successful democracy, and America's problems with education are well documented.
The dawning realization that there are very little to no checks or balances on the executive branch has not led to calls for reform, it has not led to calls to ratchet back power in the executive branch at all.
Just the opposite, it seems like both Democrats and Republicans top priority seems to be seizing and expanding their own power. Nothing else matters, they just want this newfound freedom to operate in the margins for themselves. All the messaging is about how the other side is evil and THIS election is the most important of our lifetimes, you absolutely have to vote for our team and not the truly evil other team.
The first competent authoritarian demagogue is going to do much more damage than this administration. Nobody seems to care at all about the side effects, they just want their team to stay in power or get back in power.
Sounds very similar to the "temporarily embarrassed millionaires" theory of why non-millionaires let millionaires do pretty much whatever, except in this case it would be "temporarily embarrassed party in power".
A cold comfort is that there's no real selective pressure to become more adept at it: fool at least half the population (for certain values of half) most of the time, and you don't need anything else.
In some ways, it being grotesque is part of the appeal. Being subtle about it takes away the domination politics aspect of it, and what's the point of politics if it's not to hear the wailing of your enemies underfoot?
Aha! You’re presuming people have a choice between “dirty» and “clean». It’s a lot more muddied than that and people will weigh their priorities accordingly and cast their votes.
> I speculate that previous administrations have been just as corrupt, but much better at hiding it.
This is just the perennial "both sides" argument and I don't buy it. The excuse is that "everybody does it and so we need to cheat to keep up at all" and although I'm sure president Trump believes it's true, it's just another example of the distorted reality of the current administration.
There is major republican control over all three branches of government and the president isn't actually inept, but look at how hard it is for him to get away with blatant corruption. The fact of the matter is that (at least for now) there are apolitical people in government who are willing to stand up to abuse of power and they typically do so. There's enough of them that I don't believe in some conspiracy that "all politicians have been committing crimes and everybody know it". That's just a political argument with no grounding.
tl;dr The number of abuses of power from the current administration isn't because they're worse at hiding it. It's because the president cheats more and has been doing it his entire life even before the presidency.
I've stopped being surprised, and I don't have the capacity to continue being upset every time something like this comes up. This administration is a farce. It's just a fact of life. Expecting otherwise at this point is like expecting an infant not to throw their food all over the table. It's just a waste of energy.
For infant food throwing one can put down tarps and limit the messiness of food given.
Now, what can we do about this administration if even moderate Republicans won't convict for illegal conduct despite recorded evidence? ("Something, something ... let the voters decide in next election.")
This is the exact intention of his strategy. People just want to live their lives. We really need to do away with the concept of executive orders. At least laws have built-in checks and balances and require compromise. Just goes to show this is not a government for the people, merely the rich and powerful.
This poses a big problem with the "you can only say it if the CDC says it" policy of some major platforms: the President is in charge of the CDC, so what the platform providers think of as an impartial unbiased source is ultimately beholden to politics.
>Some experts say the worst consequence of the frayed relationship is a general sense that the CDC has lost its place as the face and voice of public health in the midst of a 100-year pandemic.
This will be the second worst outcome of the pandemic for the world (the worst being the harm and loss of life directly caused by the virus). The CDC does a lot, and they had built and relied on a lot of clout among experts and the general public. That's rare and valuable. But if that goes away, everything will get harder. It's already hard enough to convince people to adopt healthier behaviors when they believe the CDC gives good advice.
I've admired the CDC as an apolitical agency that is led by experts, wants to help instead of control, and is willing to adapt (at least more than most federal agencies). I just hope the state and local officials don't lose faith in the CDC.
Readit News
The danger is that at some point an administration would be so adept at this that it's not painfully obvious. In theory, at the very least the electorate is informed enough at this point that they can consider this information when voting. Admittedly, that's pretty optimistic take on the US electorate however. An educated, well informed public is necessary for a successful democracy, and America's problems with education are well documented.
Just the opposite, it seems like both Democrats and Republicans top priority seems to be seizing and expanding their own power. Nothing else matters, they just want this newfound freedom to operate in the margins for themselves. All the messaging is about how the other side is evil and THIS election is the most important of our lifetimes, you absolutely have to vote for our team and not the truly evil other team.
The first competent authoritarian demagogue is going to do much more damage than this administration. Nobody seems to care at all about the side effects, they just want their team to stay in power or get back in power.
Not everyone is totally drunk on power since Romney crossed over to convict and Democrats have critized Obama.
In some ways, it being grotesque is part of the appeal. Being subtle about it takes away the domination politics aspect of it, and what's the point of politics if it's not to hear the wailing of your enemies underfoot?
I speculate that previous administrations have been just as corrupt, but much better at hiding it.
This is just the perennial "both sides" argument and I don't buy it. The excuse is that "everybody does it and so we need to cheat to keep up at all" and although I'm sure president Trump believes it's true, it's just another example of the distorted reality of the current administration.
There is major republican control over all three branches of government and the president isn't actually inept, but look at how hard it is for him to get away with blatant corruption. The fact of the matter is that (at least for now) there are apolitical people in government who are willing to stand up to abuse of power and they typically do so. There's enough of them that I don't believe in some conspiracy that "all politicians have been committing crimes and everybody know it". That's just a political argument with no grounding.
tl;dr The number of abuses of power from the current administration isn't because they're worse at hiding it. It's because the president cheats more and has been doing it his entire life even before the presidency.
Dead Comment
Now, what can we do about this administration if even moderate Republicans won't convict for illegal conduct despite recorded evidence? ("Something, something ... let the voters decide in next election.")
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This will be the second worst outcome of the pandemic for the world (the worst being the harm and loss of life directly caused by the virus). The CDC does a lot, and they had built and relied on a lot of clout among experts and the general public. That's rare and valuable. But if that goes away, everything will get harder. It's already hard enough to convince people to adopt healthier behaviors when they believe the CDC gives good advice.
I've admired the CDC as an apolitical agency that is led by experts, wants to help instead of control, and is willing to adapt (at least more than most federal agencies). I just hope the state and local officials don't lose faith in the CDC.
Given this, it's not surprising that the party in power wants to do everything it can to keep the economy from freefalling.
The change in norms starting in 2016 may cause this to be different this election year, though.
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