I viewed with some consternation the brief treatment of an odd news item, a Democratic representative calling for the end of NASCAR sponsorship by the Department of Defense. Although this particular call does smack of political grandstanding to me, it speaks to a principle worth considering: if that's what it takes to change minds, if that's what people respond to, then maybe go ahead and do it.
The death of a thousand cuts, metaphorically speaking, is a tactic I see commonly employed by the right wing. Whether it's incrementally cutting out the right to have an abortion, or the careful series of cutting taxes, crowing about the predictable deficits, then eyeing the successful social programs conservatives don't like...examples of this behavior are easy enough to find.
So, the NASCAR thing is political grandstanding. It's a rather small move, speaking of the budget, to target programs measured in the millions of dollars. It can be seen, perhaps, as symbolic of cutting defense spending, cutting recruitment, shrinking the armed forces, cutting back on war.
Political grandstanding it may be, but I think we could use a thousand of these. Does the charge of political grandstanding and symbolic moves stop the GOP from targeting NPR and Sesame Street every single year, as if drying up NPR's drop in the bucket would accomplish something great? Does it stop the GOP from putting up bill after bill targeting abortion, outlawing federal funding, in spite of the fact that it's already been done?
And when they get done taking potshots at Big Bird, you notice the other things they snuck in like forcible rape and justifiable homicide...sheesh. Shameless bastiches.
Call it grandstanding, or red meat...and yet it seems just the sort of thing to do, if it's desirable to get Americans to look at the defense budget as something that should not be sacrosanct. And, of course, if Democratic representatives want to be seen as doing something at all that an actual liberal might like.
There's righteous skepticism towards our representatives, sure, and I often find myself lacking enough of it. But then there is, perhaps, taking it a bit too far, and finding some excuse to dislike everything they do.