The wages of lickspittlery

All politicians portray themselves as people of boundless integrity and courage, who stand up for principle, tell it like it is and let the chips fall where they may. It’s usually not true, because when your job security depends on the fickle whims of the voters, fear often becomes your master. Say the wrong thing, offend the wrong constituency, do what’s right instead of what’s popular, and you could find yourself out of a job.

That’s the usual state of affairs. But for Republicans right now, the baseline level of fear is multiplied many times by the fact that their party is led by a mercurial, petty, vindictive president who clearly enjoys destroying Republicans who have won his disfavor.

For those who come from strongly Republican states where Trump remains reasonably popular, safe harbor is usually found in abject lickspittlery. Which can be an effective strategy, until it isn’t.

Consider the tale of Jeff Sessions, whose current predicament could arouse some sympathy were one to forget that before throwing his lot in with Trump, he was a hard-right crusader against hippies and immigrants.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/05/26/wages-lickspittlery/