Tom Nichols at The Atlantic on how "the ongoing drama over electing a speaker of the House is not about governance. It’s about giving Republican voters the drama-filled reality show they voted for and want to see—even at the expense of the country."
"... The disorder in the GOP caucus is not some accident or glitch triggered by a handful of reprobates, but rather a direct result of choices by voters. The House is a mess because enough Republican voters want it to be a mess..... Jordan and his colleagues... are poor leaders but good politicians. They deliver what their voters really want: show trials and passion plays, and, mostly, to see other people unsettled and angry. These citizens vote not for determined legislators with complicated plans—that stuff is just so boring—but for entertaining rogues who can liven up the Fox prime-time hours.
"Years ago, I thought that Republican voters would demand changes from the party if the GOP lost enough elections. But even losses don’t seem to matter in a party that is clearly more comfortable with performance art centered on imaginary grievances than with actual governing. The shenanigans of the past two weeks might even cost the Republicans control of the House in the next election—that’s one reason Jordan’s colleagues are trying to stop him—but that political collapse might not matter to right-wing voters. They’ll get another episode of their favorite show—and for them, maybe that’s enough."
This is well-observed, but as I have said here before, I don't think those Republican voters are being at all irrational. If politicians can't or won't fix the real problems you face, you might at least get some entertainment out of them.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite noticeable that when government decisions actually do make a material difference to people's lives, for good (eg Obamacare) or ill (eg abortion bans), the showbiz element to politics tend to go out of the window pretty quickly.