Politics is a protection racket

Politics in a tribal era is a protection racket. Each side wants to tear the other down at any cost, so people engaged in politics now feel the need to dismiss any wrongdoing by their own side, no matter how much it contradicts their stated principles. In other words, being on a team often means performing public rituals of humiliation to fit in. After all, one day it might be your turn for the group chat to leak, right?

YAR did the right thing by distancing itself from ugly comments, but don’t be surprised if they reverse course. A protection racket only works if everyone agrees not to hold each other accountable. That’s why the vice president is trying so hard to get them to do the wrong thing.

Republicans are all in on this strategy, and Democrats are heading that way too. Here in Indy, city-council Democrats are deeply concerned about corruption in the mayor’s office, but will they actually act on it? Or will they also choose the politics of party protection at all costs?

If politics is truly a form of public service, then parties must self-police to maintain their mission and preserve public trust. But for that to work, everyone has to agree that’s the goal.