Pro Quo Quidness: How Fascists Do Business
Illegal acts committed in public are just like private ones
Every day brings a new outrage, of course. Trump farting and sleeping in court and his wholly inappropriate noises, gestures and facial expressions are among his most vulgar outrages. Does that count as one outrage or more than one? The parade outside the courtroom of the most virulently far right Senators. So many possibilities for outrage. Today’s winner is Trump promising to kill off environmental and energy-saving regulations designed to address global climate change. His promise to do so was made to the billionaire CEOs of the oil industry, from whom Trump demanded a billion dollars for his campaign. In this Trump is wholly transparent — promising to give the oil industry what he thinks they should want, in return he is selling the presidency. This is open corruption, no less illegal by being offered out in the open. In the Republican party — far and away the greatest vehicle for privilege — these exchanges, these open sales of public policy, are simple pro quo quidness. Among today’s corrupt GOP that’s just how they do bidness.
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