As Reuters is reporting, GOP ideology is not the same as conservatism – especially when said conservative benefits from a government program. Rep. Chaffetz (R-Utah) had recently proposed legislation to sell off public lands – land used by hunters. Then he got caught in a snowstorm of complaints:
Republican U.S. Congressman Jason Chaffetz said on Thursday he plans to withdraw a bill that would have sold off more than 3 million acres of federal land to private interests after it drew a barrage of negative comments from hunters and outdoor enthusiasts….
“I’m a proud gun owner, hunter and love our public lands,” the Utah representative said in a comment, beneath a photo he posted of himself outdoors wearing hunting gear and holding a dog. “I hear you and HR 621 dies tomorrow,” added Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
I think the ideologically driven may discover there’s a lot of folks who don’t much attention to politics – until their apple cart is upset. Then, much like the Democrats were surprised in the recent elections, so will the GOP be surprised.
It’s a problem I’ve noticed with politicians and politic-groupies. For them, the world of politics is central, exciting, fun, and gives them a purpose – and, like a lot of people, they think everyone is like them, outside of a few cranks.
They even have a point. Governance is an important part of our cultural landscape.
And because of endemic human urges, they think they’re right and that most folks agree with them.
But a majority of the citizenry doesn’t care for it. Not a whit. You go out and vote because it’s a civic duty if you’re one of the 50% of the country actually susceptible to that sort of argument; if you’re not, you don’t worry about it. Election Day has slightly different traffic patterns, some people are wearing red stickers on their shirts, that’s all.
And, you know, in a country where a lot of us work way more than 40 hours a week, we’re raising kids, taking care of the house, and pursuing quite a few hobbies that have little to do with government (I used to say “go bowling and drink beer,” but I think that’s lost relevance), it’s not surprising that interviews with voters seem like they’re done through a dirty window. The voter is ill-informed (especially if they’re watching Fox News), votes how the family has traditionally voted (never mind that both parties have changed quite a lot over the years), or only votes for the City Council member that happens to live on their block. As an Irish software engineer once told me on her visit to our country, “You’re so big! No wonder you don’t know anything about other countries!” And we often don’t think big.
But someone’s bull was about to be gored, the word got out in hobby-land, and now we’re seeing a little of how politics works in the common citizenry – “forest rangers”, to make a metaphor, keep an eye on government and sound the alarm when a resource valued by the hobby is threatened, and the sleepy citizens suddenly leap to their feet and assault the fetid legislator who thought he was doing good.
Similar reactions may occur as other extreme GOP ideological points approach implementation. Indeed, there’s been several stories about the expected repeal of the ACA triggering panicky reactions among voters who have come to depend on it.
Look for more.
