Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Should he stay or should he go?


The current head of the EPA, Scott Pruitt, is both an environmental disaster and a prime example of a corrupt, entitled politician.

That much is obvious, except to people that would vote for Donald Trump after he committed murder in broad daylight on Fifth Avenue.  (Hey, that's not my idea -- he said it.)

So it's not a surprise that the Washington Post called again for his removal in an editorial.  They have a lot of good reasons for that, and it seems that list keeps getting longer every day.

On the other hand...

Pruitt has been so obvious, so classless, and so blatant about what he's doing to derail the EPA's mandate to protect the environment - which means basic things like keeping air and water less polluted (preferably unpolluted) -- and he has been sooo horrifically profligate with his first-class flights, high class hotels, junkets to foreign countries, listening booths in his office, cushy housing arrangements with lobbyists -- and add to THAT his end-run around personnel requirements to garner big pay raises for underlings/friends on his staff -- that he is a perfect visible example of the true awfulness of the Trump administration.

And therefore he could be as useful a symbol of what the Democrats are running against as Trump himself.   So it may be useful to have him continue to be the snake he is, in the position he's in, to serve as a really good campaign issue.  (Add to that his positions on climate change, which is a potent issue especially for younger voters, providing another recruiting poster.)

That point is made here:

Representative Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) says if Trump keeps Pruitt, it will help Dems
As a Democrat trying to take back the House, I think having Pruitt there is an awesome symbol of corruption [that] helps Democrats,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said in an interview with The Hill. 
Lieu added, “if Donald Trump wants to keep him in the cabinet of corruption it helps Democratic messaging, absolutely.”

So while I know Pollutin' Pruitt is contemptible, having him at EPA for a few more months could play to the Democrats' primary goal - retaking control of the House and Senate.  So while I want Pruitt gone, I'm willing to wait a few more months that can make him look even worse -- and thus more potent as a lightning rod attracting Democratic votes.


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