All of our journalistic norms are built around the assumption that both major parties have policy and ethical rationales for their actions that are, at the very least, colorable, and disputes arise from good-faith differences in values and perspective
The GOP has figured out that this means that it can commit gross abuses in plain sight, and journalists will bend over backwards to act like those abuses arise from good-faith differences in values and perspectives.
I understand why journalists are wary to just outright call a politician a crook. But there's a paradox here: by assuming that no one is ever a crook, you are creating an environment where crooks can prosper by feeding off the inexhaustible line of credit you've extended them.
Con men are real. If it gets around that you always give people a second chance no matter what, eventually someone's going to see that as an opportunity and absolutely rob you blind.
