Leftist discourse often hides its true intentions. The inherent goal of the leftist movement is a radical transformation of our society, so leftist activists must obfuscate their policy prescriptions from the general public. While America is less conservative than it was in 1950, it remains less progressive than the leading edge of the leftist revolution.
It’s important to recognize how leftists use language to disguise their true thoughts. Today, the White House issued a statement against the GOP-sponsored SAVE Act, which would ensure only US citizens could vote in federal elections. The Administration’s rationale is that it’s already illegal for noncitizens to vote, making this bill superfluous at best.
We hear similar arguments frequently. As the Idaho Legislature debated various versions of the library bill, many lawmakers declared there were no books in public or school libraries that fit the statutory definitions of material harmful to minors. This debate was countered by others who argued the bill would remove access to books they believed were important for sharing the LGBTQ+ experience with children.
This linguistic sleight-of-hand hides the plain truth from ordinary people. The left can quickly shift from “It’s not happening” to “It’s good that it’s happening,” leaving those who aren’t political obsessives confused and unsure of what to believe. Demanding consistency is futile — how many times can conservative media call the left “hypocrites” before that rhetoric loses its impact?
If you’ve watched any legislative debate, you’ve likely heard variations of “we need Idaho solutions for Idaho problems.” This cliché distracts from the merits of an issue. If serious problems are happening in other states, it is wise for Idaho lawmakers to address them preemptively before they become issues here. Perhaps those problems are already here, even if they aren’t making headlines in the corporate media.
This rhetoric is never an issue when it’s time to spend more taxpayer money. The Idaho Dept. of Health and Welfare has recently promoted testing for lead poisoning in children. At an IDHW conference I attended, the hosts admitted they lacked data on how many children, especially those in newer homes not affected by lead paint, are impacted, and said more testing was needed to determine the necessary response.
That makes sense, right? We don’t know if there’s a problem, so we need to spend tax dollars to find out, which will then involve spending more tax dollars on a solution. But keeping obscene materials away from children? Preventing noncitizens from voting? Those things aren’t happening.
The way forward for conservatives is to ignore the contradictory rhetoric and focus on policy. Is a particular idea good? Then let’s promote it, regardless of who says it’s not a real problem. At the state level, this means supporting school choice, keeping abortion illegal, banning DEI in public schools and universities, supporting low taxes and reduced spending, and dismantling the bureaucratic rules that have grown like unchecked ivy throughout our state government. Don’t let flowery rhetoric distract us from doing what needs to be done for the people of Idaho.
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