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Video: Seth Meyers Checks Up on How It's Going With Rick Perry in Charge of the Department of Energy (Spoiler: It's Not Good)

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No Malarkey!12/07/2017 8:35:54 am PST

re: #475 Targetpractice

To paraphrase the familiar saying, too many are mistaking what is popular for what is right. It’s suddenly popular to demand his resignation, but it’s not the right thing to do because it deprives him (and us) of the due process to which he is entitled. There’s no positive outcome to that, just another Democrat ran out of office while the GOP continues to act as though their shit don’t stink.

From Fivethirtyeight article on the benefits to the Democrats of setting a higher moral standard than the GOP.

Maintaining the moral high ground isn’t always easy. It means you have to hold your party to a higher standard than the other party. It means you sometimes have to make real trade-offs. But it can also pay political dividends and mitigate political risks. Democrats just lost an election in 2016 against a historically unpopular candidate because their candidate was disliked nearly as much. The political environment is favorable for Democrats in 2018, but perhaps the easiest way that Democrats could blow their opportunity is if voters conclude that as bad as Republicans are, Democrats are no better. With Democrats coming around to a tougher stance on Franken and Conyers while Republicans equivocate on Moore and restore funding to his campaign, they’ll be able to draw a clearer distinction for voters.
Nate Silver is the founder and editor in chief of FiveThirtyEight.   @natesilver538