This Is Not About Banning Gas Stoves
Modern Republicans struggle with many things, including ethics, fascism, and objective truths. But one area where they excel is in the culture wars. So when Democrats raised awareness around the health and environmental dangers of gas stoves, it was like hanging a meat carcass above a pit of rabid hyenas.
Why Democrats continue to beat themselves in the culture wars and with basic processes like Biden’s classified documents and Hillary’s emails is beyond frustrating. Even when the issues are largely nothingburgers, Republicans transform them into full-course meals filled with grave threats to freedom and democracy. And the base – without much critical thought – nods their heads and turns the volume on their MAGA-phones up even louder.
So do Democrats really want to come for your gas stoves?
No. At least I don’t think so based on everything I’ve read.
But frankly, their messaging on the topic sucks.
Of all the issues that actually threaten democracy today, risk geopolitical chaos, or even armageddon, why are politicians even messaging about gas stoves?
Remember that dangling meat carcass? This tweet from AOC is raw and juicy. As are a few from Richard Trumka, Jr., a Consumer Product Safety Commissioner who was nominated by Biden and is exactly the type of “deep state” bureaucrat conservatives love to hate.
He further clarified his position on gas stoves later that day.
Why Democratic politicians felt the need to weigh in on this pressing gas stove issue and not leave it to Trumka and his team of experts is beyond me. But they couldn’t help themselves. And Republicans have had a field day while painting Democrats as overreaching lunatics who may go door-to-door hunting for gas stoves.
That take should be obvious lunacy in itself, but it feeds into the standard Republican narrative that Democrats want to regulate every part of life. And the Democrats did it to themselves. What did they expect Republicans would do with gas stove warnings?
Also, Republicans aren’t entirely wrong either. They’re hyperbolic, but Commissioner Trumka did say that “Regulations apply to new products.” So conceivably, gas stoves could be banned by CPSC in the near future. But they won’t be marching door-to-door extracting gas stoves anytime soon.
Democrats need to focus on major issues and highlight Republican hypocrisy
Why multiple Democratic Congressmen and Senators felt the need to focus on gas stoves in December 2022 with this letter to the CPSC baffles me. Republicans were about to take control of the House in a matter of days, and Democrats thought one of the biggest risks to address was the potential effects gas stove have on our health and the environment. There’s also a war in Ukraine started by a nuclear saber-rattling autocrat, threatening the stability of democracy globally, and domestic economic issues that need to be addressed (inflation, anyone?).
In addition, I can think of numerous health and environmental risks that are far more pressing than gas stoves. Why aren’t we focused more on improving the American diet? The quality of foods that come from our industrialized farming system? The number of Americans who still struggle to put nutrient-rich foods on the table for their families.
Why aren’t we focused on methane emissions from cows? Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels? We should be directing all of our attention to addressing the major problems before attempting to regulate the gas stove usage of 40 million Americans.
Instead, Democrats keep distracting the public’s attention from the major issues with smaller pet projects like gas stoves. The same was true a few years ago in my home city of New York when the local government tried to ban big gulp sodas.
Unless you’re Ralph Nader advocating for the increased safety of inherently unsafe products, time is probably better spent elsewhere. Banning consumer products like gas stoves or restricting what consumers can and cannot freely consume, hits people in their everyday lives. And modern Republicans love to highlight government overreach into the everyday lives of ordinary Americans. Even if they have to be disingenuous while doing so.
Democrats used to dominate the populism game. From the New Deal to the Great Society, Democrats could impact everyday Americans better than any political party. Instead of being big and bold today though, and threatening to pack the Supreme Court as FDR did, Democrats have chosen to focus, at least in part, on gas stoves.
In the end, this is not about banning gas stoves. This is about a Democratic party that cannot unify its message. This is about a party that is too timid to execute a big, bold agenda.
There are plenty of ways to highlight Republican hypocrisy, not to mention their fascist tendencies. We should be focusing attention on the major problems of today and then finding creative solutions to solve them in the best way for everyone.
So let’s get out of the kitchen and do it.
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