Politics of Symbolism Over Substance

WASHINGTON -- The Senate debate over the Keystone XL pipeline, as predictable as it is unedifying, exemplifies two of the most disturbing aspects of political discourse today.

The first is what might be called "talk-to-the-hand-ism" -- or, perhaps updated to the tactic of New York City police officers -- "turn-your-back-ism."

The turned back, like the hand upraised to command silence, symbolizes the sad reality of modern political discourse: There is nothing you can say that will make me listen to you. Do not even bother to try.

In the context of the Keystone debate, talk-to-the-hand-ism means that both sides, supporters and opponents with equally unshakeable fervor, already know what they think. No new fact or changed circumstance or cogent argument can serve to dislodge their set-in-concrete conviction.

Thus, supporters of the pipeline vastly, almost comically, oversell its job-creating potential, claiming that it will create 42,000 jobs.

That figure stems from the State Department's estimate that, during the two years it will take for construction, the pipeline would create about 16,000 direct jobs and 26,000 jobs resulting from "indirect and induced spending."

That's great: Democrats who oppose the pipeline cannot simultaneously laud the benefits of increased infrastructure spending and ignore the impact when it comes to Keystone.

But the simultaneous reality is that these jobs are ephemeral. Thus, the State Department estimate of jobs is, drum roll, 35 "permanent" employees and 15 temporary contractors.

Meantime, pipeline opponents vastly, almost tragically, overstate its environment-destroying threat. They quote NASA climate scientist James Hansen's warning that building Keystone would mean "game over" for climate change.

That dire assessment assumes that, if Keystone is not built, the Canadian oil will not be extracted. That assumption is, most likely, wrong. As pipeline construction has been delayed for years, the amount of Canadian crude moving by rail has soared.

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