Flake Admits Thoughtfulness in Government is Dead

Which is exactly why our democracy is burning down now!

begin partial quote from:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/22/politics/citizen-cnn-takeaways/index.html

5. Jeff Flake kind of admits thoughtfulness is dead

Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake (R) is in his final days in Congress, forced into retirement -- at least in part -- by a disastrous dip in his poll numbers occasioned by his frequent Trump critiques.

And while he tried to put a brave face on the current state of politics, he just didn't sound terribly optimistic about the future. As Flake put it to CNN's Jake Tapper:

"Take, for example, on the Kavanaugh thing -- but it can be on just about any issue — there is no currency, there's no market for trying to be thoughtful on something like this. To actually go in a hearing with Dr. Ford and Brett Kavanaugh and say, I'm gonna actually see what comes out in this hearing instead of announcing before what you're gonna do."

Flake's broader point is clear: There's zero political currency in being thoughtful. Or undecided. Or persuadable based on the facts presented to you. The best way to succeed, according to Flake, is to simply agree with Trump on everything or disagree with him on everything. There's no room in the middle anymore.

What's even more depressing? He's 100% correct.