On Dec. 27 at 7:06 a.m., President Donald Trump tweeted “Have the Democrats finally realized that we desperately need Border Security and a Wall on the Southern Border. Need to stop Drugs, Human Trafficking, Gang Members & Criminals from coming into our Country. Do the Dems realize that most of the people not getting paid are Democrats?”

Really?

Are — as so many politicians believe — all, many or most federal workers Democrats? Maybe they are now, but in general, probably not. The powerful Border Patrol Council of the American Federation of Government Employees union went against its Washington leadership and endorsed Trump for president in 2016.

Do civilian feds at an Army base in North Carolina vote in lock step with their fellow civil servants with the EPA in Boston, or State Department workers in Washington, D.C.? Maybe not.

Is it more accurate to say that many feds are Democrats sometimes? Maybe many more are now, in fact probably. But that depends on a lot of things, including who is in the White House when you ask. You might get different answers depending on whether you asked during the Kennedy, Clinton or George H.W. Bush administrations.

So how about right now?

Are most of the people hit by the shutdown Dems — period? Or is it that most of the people working, i.e. emergency or essential staff, are Republicans while most of the furloughed are Democrats? Or is it the other way around? Needless to say we have more questions than answers. Here’s what one fed has to say:

“I’d like to weigh in on my thoughts based on my local acquaintances that work for the government.

“I have three friends who work for the government in different capacities. Two of them are self-proclaimed Democrats and the final is a self-proclaimed small government Republican — think Ron Swanson from ‘Parks and Recreation.’

“I’ve summarized what they’ve told me below:

• Friend No. 1 (Democrat) “Most people who I work around tend to believe as I do.”
• Friend  No. 2 (Democrat) “You know who the Republicans are, they’re heartless when it comes to budgets for the underprivileged. I wish they weren’t here.”
• Friend No. 3 (Republican) “Too many damned, bleeding-heart Democrats want to give away everybody else’s money. I’d bet there are four out of every five if not more.”

“So although I don’t have any hard proof, I tend to believe that both my Republican and Democratic friends both support the idea that most government workers are leaning toward the liberal, socialist Democratic side of the spectrum.

“Ron Swanson was a funny character for the very reason that he was very out of place in his position. It lends to the idea that conservative small-government thinkers aren’t in those positions.” — Cheers, Adam

So is it many, most or some? Or is it anybody’s guess?

What does your experience and observation tell you. Is it all, many, most, some, I-don’t-know? mcausey@federalnewsnetwork.com. And my editor wishes to clarify one of Adam’s points: Ron Swanson is a Libertarian, not a Republican.

Nearly Useless Factoid

By Amelia Brust

Half of the human brain is devoted directly or indirectly to vision.

Source: MIT

Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.