The root of all political decay is … Careerism?

Krugman’s opinion piece on the Times is a good read and I would like to highlight one particular sentence on careerism which I wish he developed further:

“But what directly drives the attack on democracy, I’d argue, is simple careerism on the part of people who are apparatchiks within a system insulated from outside pressures by gerrymandered districts, unshakable partisan loyalty, and lots and lots of plutocratic financial support.”