Corrupt AF

First, let's acknowledge that there are plenty of people who go into public service middling well off and come out filthy rich. Some get caught in the process; cf. especially NYS elected officials. Some wait until they leave office, become consultants or lobbyists, and rake it in then.

Trump is just the most blatant personification of this trend to date. A new website, corrupt.af, covers all the many ways in which he's already gaming the system to line his pockets. It even includes a clock so you can time his corruption. It's fun stuff, made all the more so by the rules that exempt presidents from even the most modest of ethical decisions.

Meanwhile, back in our world, I met last night with the Lansing Democrats, who have two new members and more in the pipeline. We talked about how growing the party could be a natural phenomenon this year, with so many disaffected Dems and progressives needing a place to go. And Chuck told me today about attending a meeting of several hundred in NYC, where he says "it feels like the city is preparing for a siege by an enemy army."