I agree that the approval rating is a much better indicator, even if there are still problems with it.
You are right that membership is much harder to get and maintain, though I think the dues are pretty cheap, at least for poorer members (which is a good thing!), but I don’t think people going through the trouble of getting the membership on its own is a great argument either, since even the crassest China detractors can tell you (and by coincidence, be correct in this case) that it’s beneficial to many types of careers to be a CPC member.
I agree that the approval rating is a much better indicator, even if there are still problems with it.
You are right that membership is much harder to get and maintain, though I think the dues are pretty cheap, at least for poorer members (which is a good thing!), but I don’t think people going through the trouble of getting the membership on its own is a great argument either, since even the crassest China detractors can tell you (and by coincidence, be correct in this case) that it’s beneficial to many types of careers to be a CPC member.