This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz announced Wednesday, unsurprisingly, that Fox News has hired him as a political commentator for FNC and Fox Business Network. Conveniently, he starts on July 1, the day after he resigns from Congress. Presumably he will regale us with his keen wit and unabashed good looks. And his hair.
Yes, we could hound the familiar criticisms of Chaffetz and his decision to resign early. For example:
Chaffetz said that was one reason he was quitting. But a job for a network will still require long hours, as most jobs do.
He won't have to travel as much or live back East, though. As he characteristically notes, "It really doesn't matter where I am as long as they have cameras and there are cameras in Utah."
What about his responsibilities to his constituents?
Chaffetz shocked Utah's political world in April when he announced he wouldn't seek re-election. Literally one day later, he announced instead that he "might depart early." Thanks for the notice Jason; cue up a 24-person special election please.
Of course we would rather have our representatives stay in office for their full terms so as to not waste taxpayer money on needless and duplicative elections.
And what about Chaffetz's important role as chair of the House Oversight Committee?
Utah politicians often campaign on their opportunity, usually derived from seniority, to chair important committees and represent Utah on a national level.
But perhaps Trump's presidency was Chaffetz's death knell. What clout can a legislator bring a state when he is a Republican chair of a committee tasked with investigating a Republican administration? It's really a no-win situation, even for a scandalmonger.
Instead of harping on these familiar criticisms, though, maybe we should indulge Chaffetz, or at least recognize his need, and ability, to earn more money. Who wouldn't leave their employment when another employer offers 10 times the pay? And perhaps Chaffetz's experience offers a valid reason to question whether our congresspeople are paid enough?
He has recently called for a $2,500/month housing stipend for members of Congress. He argues that it's difficult to maintain two households, especially with children in college, and asserts that maintaining a second household in Washington is cost-prohibitive.
But other legislators have figured out how to do it without sleeping on a cot in their office. Other members of Utah's delegation aren't asking taxpayers for more money. Sen. Ben Sasse from Nebraska even brings his children with him, one at a time, when he commutes to Washington. In other words, people work it out.
Yet analyst Matt Stoller makes a good point in his Washington Post commentary on the dangers of paying public servants low salaries when compared to private sector CEOs: "If we want a functioning democracy, we need to pay for a functioning public sector. If public servants are treated poorly relative to corporate CEOs, then we will get bribed and subservient public servants and government via the board room."
At the very least, we'll get public servants who leave their offices before their terms end.
The real concern is not that he's leaving early. The real concern is why was he there in the first place? What did he achieve? Did he pass worthwhile legislation or bring parties together? His farewell letter is glaring for its absence of accomplishment. And there was never a camera he couldn't find. He said it best in an interview with Salt Lake Tribune Washington, D.C., bureau chief Thomas Burr concerning his future, "I'll still have a spotlight. I like being in the mix." That's just not good enough for a Utah representative, unless we just want to elect another Lonesome Kicker.
At the recent Republican Party convention to replace Chaffetz, candidate Stewart Peay told the story of deciding whether to return to the battlefield and his wife's advice, "If not me, then who?" Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox has told a similar story about his wife's counsel after an initial feeling of not really wanting a life of politics: "I know we don't want to do this … and that's the problem. We have too many people that want these jobs doing these jobs. We need people that don't want these jobs to do these jobs."
We need people who don't want these jobs to do these jobs. Not career politicians. Not vain attention-seekers. Skilled and smart men and women who don't want to be there, but know that they can make a difference for good.