Lauren Boebert claims Democrats hate Christmas
According to Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert, the Democratic Party has a bone to pick with ol’ Saint Nick. Maybe it’s because Santa Claus’ red suit just so happens to represent Republican colors. Or maybe because Democrat mayor Eric Adams is getting a lump of coal in his stocking this year? Who’s to say?
Why do Democrats (allegedly) hate Christmas?
Lauren Boebert claims that the Christmas hate comes from a proposed amendment to the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, a program put in place to reduce the risk of wildfires across the nation and encourage landscape restoration. That sounds like something that would land you on the nice list, sure, but what does it have to do with Christmas?
Boebert’s proposed amendment to the program would require foresters to submit a yearly plan concerning the sale of Christmas trees and firewood on government-owned land. She claims the amendment will allow families to better heat their homes and cut back on overgrown forests. Opponents of the amendment, such as California Representative Katie Porter, claim that it is nothing but a thinly veiled cash grab that favors selling trees over protecting them. “Tree harvesting for anything other than the purpose of landscape restoration is not in the spirit of the program,” said Porter, as reported by The Independent. She went on to add that tree harvesting regulations already fall within the purview of the forest service, and that the amendment is unnecessary.
Boebert responded that Democrats’ opposition to the bill could only mean one thing: they hate Christmas. “It’s so sad to hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle hate Christmas,” she said on Tuesday, September 24.
Porter was quick to respond that Democrats, naturally, do not hate Christmas. “This bill is not about, nor has nothing to do, with inhibiting people from celebrating their religious holidays,” Porter retorted. “We have ways to enjoy trees without cutting them down or burning them,” she added, stressing that one can enjoy the holidays without chopping down a still-living tree and putting it in their living room.
Despite Porter’s defense of Democrats and their opinion of Christmas, the amendment passed.
Does Lauren Boebert actually believe that Democrats hate Christmas?
Of course not. Boebert’s response was a textbook example of what is known as a “bad faith argument.” What’s a bad faith argument? It’s an argument made with dishonest and manipulative intent, meant to misrepresent the views of an opponent with hyperbole or distorted facts to distract and derail the conversation from the topic at hand.
For example, Politician A proposes legislation to limit car emissions to stop climate change. Politician B asserts that if Politician A’s legislation is passed, citizens will be forced to stop using cars and be forced to ride horses to work instead. Suddenly, the debate becomes about how the average citizen can’t afford to become an equestrian owner, and the conversation spirals into useless ideological sparring. American politics is lousy with it. Why? Because it works. Boebert was able to use a bad faith argument to derail the conversation around the amendment, forcing Porter to defend the Democratic stance on Christmas instead of the reasons why the amendment should be struck down.
All we can hope is that Santa heard it too, and Boebert’s stocking will be full to the brim with coal this year.
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
