The importance of the Hatch Act, very simply, is that it's meant to stop the government from playing favorites.

A federal employee can't be required to perform partisan tasks in their official duties, a WH official can't use their government perch to promote a private business.

The Hatch Act isn't sexy and its immediate purposes aren't always apparent, but on the grand scale it has probably prevented an enormous amount of government corruption in its 80+ year life.

It prevents patronage and aims to create a government that works for all its citizens.

The Hatch Act is not fun for politicians but neither are laws preventing bribery, racketeering, vote-buying and electioneering.

The aim of a govt ethics law isn't to maximize comfort and political expedience for its subjects, it's to maximize justice for the American people.

The OSC and White House under Trump haven’t disregarded the Hatch Act completely. Career civil servants – with whom the admin has often had a chilly relationship – still get punished.

High-level political appointees rarely do. So they see the value but enforcement is arbitrary.