When I look at all the scandals circulating in Republican circles, I am rather astounded about the ascendency of poor character actors within the Party. I have seen from personal experience how the prospect of power attracts people with questionable moral bearings, regardless of political spectrum. Responsible organizations work hard to erect guardrails that keep such people in check. This is what parliamentary rules are all about; allowing freedom of expression from all sides yet providing sufficient order such that the will of the body can be concretely determined. But what to do with an organization for which power is everything and fairness is a joke for chumps?
One would hope that political natural selection would provide the guardrail that would eventually lead to such an organization's demise. And maybe it will. But the damage to democracy measured in suffering and even needless death is hard to stomach. So good people must always be vigilant and active. We must recognize that the well of evil has no limit of poison, whether in quantity or time. And that is the price the righteous must pay to live in a mostly righteous world.
