Here's my problem with the "But we're in it for the policy" brand of Republicans who do nothing on Trump. For one thing, cutting taxes in this fiscal and economic situation was stupid. Huge deficits and higher interest rates. Woohoo, good job there, guys. Moving on (1/x)
allowing someone to co-opt you via mutual interest is immoral. Let's use a personal example of where you know someone uses their "legitimate" business to finance criminal operations. However, that "legitimate" business is the best, say, roofing contractor in town (2/x)
You say, "Look, I don't approve of the fact that they take the money I pay them for roofing and use it to support their drug trade, but damn it they're good at roofing and I need my roof done right now." Well, there's a moral problem. Your mutual interest supports (3/x)
their despicable behavior and that's not absolved by the fact that you benefited from it. With Trump, the problem is that being transactional with him "launders" his bad behavior and makes it indistinguishable from more normal things like tax policy. It also gives him (4/x)
political capital to protect himself from investigations and other serious inquiries into his dealings. I therefore think it's improper for the Democratic House majority to cut any deals with him to advance their policies. That would give his authoritarian depravity cover (5/x)
for relatively fleeting policy victories. Policies come and go with shocking regularity. They're not worth helping to shore up the political fortunes of a corrupt and insane authoritarian wannabe. Put off short-term gains to save the system long-term. (6/6)
