Discourse Versus Demagoguery

Don't think, just be angry

Discourse, noun.

3. a mode of organizing knowledge, ideas, or experience that is rooted in language and its concrete contexts (such as history or institutions)

Demagogue, noun.

1. a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power

When I first started writing about politics, my goal was simple: elevate the discourse. The task of being an engaged citizen of our Republic requires information, knowledge, and understanding of how our system works. Unfortunately, it seems that most political communications today are not about information, but manipulation.

Think about the last political advertisement you saw, or the last political text you received. Did it teach you something new, or was it designed to make you angry? American Action Fund (AAF), a program of Young Americans for Liberty (YAL), has been running constant ads during the Idaho legislative session. Right now, those ads are targeting members of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC), such as this one aimed at committee co-chair Sen. Scott Grow, from my district:

The first time you read something like this, you surely feel a surge of adrenaline. How dare those fat-cat politicians keep taking our money to enrich themselves and their friends! YAL is counting on you to feel angry, and in your anger to not only call your lawmakers and give them a piece of your mind, but to click the link, which not only sends a petition but puts you on its fundraising list.

YAL is not alone in using outrage to drive clicks and cash, but it makes for a good case study, with many examples over the past few months.

First, notice how the ad refers to a 22% raise. While that is technically true, none of the ads ever mention the whole dollar amount. Clearly, YAL understands that $5,087 per legislator is a much less impressive number than 22%. The ad is counting on you not to look further into the issue, and to assume that Idaho lawmakers make an exorbitant amount of money.

Second, the ad accuses Sen. Grow of taking that 22% raise. YAL knows that legislative salaries are set by an independent citizens’ committee — AAF’s Idaho director Sulamita Rotante testified at the committee’s hearing. YAL also knows that the Senate passed a resolution rejecting the raise by voice vote, meaning it’s unclear whether Grow voted to reject the raise or not. Again, the ad is counting on you not to investigate further.

Third, there were two options for state employee raises on the table in JFAC, and both of them spent a lot of money. Perhaps YAL believes that state employees should not get any cost-of-living adjustments, or get paid at all, but that’s not the point of the ad. Its purpose is to make you angry.

Regarding the grocery tax, any bill to eliminate taxes on food would not start in JFAC, but again — don’t think, just get angry.

Finally, the last line — “tell him to stop the wasteful spending and cut taxes!” — is intentionally vague. I could call Sen. Grow right now and repeat that line, but what would be accomplished? It says nothing about what constitutes wasteful spending (I’m sure our friends in Texas are experts on the Idaho budget) or which taxes to cut. Grow champions property tax relief every year, while the House Republicans have passed over $400 million in tax cuts this year alone. The Legislature has made $4.6 billion in ongoing tax relief over the past five years. YAL won’t tell you that, because the point is to make you angry.

Again, I don’t mean to pick on YAL here, because many PACs, lobby groups, and organizations act in the same manner across the entire political spectrum. Allow me to pick on the Idaho Democrats for a moment:

Rep. Dori Healey represents one of the few swing districts in Idaho, LD15 on the western edge of Boise. Healey was the only Republican in the previous session, and was joined by Sen. Codi Galloway this year.

House Bill 138, sponsored by Rep. Jordan Redman, would make changes to Idaho’s Medicaid Expansion system. It would implement work requirements, program caps, and other sideboards to ensure that government welfare is prioritized for those who need it most. The bill contains a trigger that would repeal Expansion if the federal government declines to issue waivers to those effects.

Rep. Healey voted to print the bill, but ended up voting against it in the full committee hearing, as well as on the floor. Idaho Democrats were quick to attack, accusing her of taking away healthcare from 85,000 Idahoans. They even found the most ominous-looking picture they could — which is a challenge when it comes to Healey.

Of course, Democrats assume that providing healthcare is one of the proper roles of government. The idea that people who rely on taxpayers to cover their healthcare costs should have to work 20 hours per week is anathema to the left. Again, the point of ads like this is to make you angry, to make you feel visceral outrage toward your representative, to make you hate them.

It’s hard to think clearly when you’re angry, and political activists want you to stay angry 24/7. An angry voter is a malleable voter — someone who will click, call, or do whatever activist groups require for their own purposes.

It’s easy to make people angry. If I had chosen that route, I could throw out clickbait headlines, sensational stories, and outrage-generating social media ads, and I’d probably have five times the readership. But that’s not who I want to be. I want you to come here for detailed commentary and analysis, not the dopamine rush of getting angry at politicians.

I often take fire for not jumping on whatever train is passing through the station at the time. While conservatives on social media are riled up over grocery taxes or resolutions targeting the World Health Organization, I’ll be over here doing my best to thoughtfully examine each issue. I figure there are enough people and organizations out there to share the latest outrage, so I’m free to fill a different lane.

Being an engaged citizen of our Republic requires more than repeating bumper sticker slogans on social media. We need information, discernment, and wisdom. I’ve made it my job to provide as much information and context as possible and trust you to make your own decision. That means I try to provide contrary views — I’d rather present the best arguments on both sides and allow readers to decide on their own than create strawmen of my opponents’ positions to make it easier to convince you to take my side. I’d rather have people disagree with me on the truth and merits of an issue than agree with me because they saw a clickbait headline designed to generate outrage.

I certainly don’t know everything, but I do my best to examine a subject from all angles before presenting it to you here. I have tried to carry that same mission to every endeavor, such as contributing this year to Idaho Signal. My mission is to elevate the discourse, to help the people of Idaho become more informed citizens of the Republic, to deliver news and analysis to drive positive change in Idaho. I thank everyone for your support over the past three years as I have grown and refined that mission.