A Democratic congressional nominee in New York says her “hot take” is to abolish TSA PreCheck and ultimately nationalize the airline industry. What an efficient politicians: two bad ideas in one soundbite…
Democratic Socialist Congressional Nominee Wants To Abolish TSA PreCheck And Nationalize Airlines
Claire Valdez, the Democratic nominee for New York’s 7th Congressional District, has thoughts about air travel. Unfortunately, they are not very good ones. Valdez, a Democratic Socialists of America member backed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, recently offered what she called a “hot take” on flying:
“My hot take is we need to abolish PreCheck. I’ve got like a million beefs with the airline industry and the process of having to fly. We need to, like, nationalize the airline industry, but let’s start by abolishing PreCheck.”
There is a lot packed into that short clip, none of it reassuring (I’ve queued this up to the moment):
Abolishing TSA PreCheck Makes No Sense
Let’s start with TSA PreCheck.
TSA PreCheck is hardly a perfect program. Airport security in the United States remains a clunky, joyless experience, and even PreCheck lines can be long at peak times. But the concept behind PreCheck is sound: prescreen lower-risk passengers, move them through a more efficient process, and allow TSA to focus more attention on unknown or higher-risk travelers.
That is not some sinister capitalist plot. No dear, it is basic risk management.
Abolishing PreCheck would not make airport security more equal in any meaningful way. It would just make the experience worse for everyone. Longer lines, more congestion, less differentiation between prescreened and unknown travelers, and no obvious security benefit.
If the argument is that PreCheck should be expanded, made cheaper, or even made free for more travelers, fine. That is a real discussion that I support. But abolishing it because some people have access to a faster line is the sort of performative egalitarianism that lacks any real awareness of what injustice is.
We should not make government services worse just so everyone can be equally miserable…
Nationalizing Airlines Is An Even Worse Idea
Then there is the suggestion that the United States should nationalize the airline industry.
I understand the frustration. Air travel is often unpleasant. Seats are tight. Fees are annoying. Delays are common. Airlines do sometimes treat customers poorly and then hide behind contracts of carriage, weather, or “operational constraints” and fail to make passengers whole.
But nationalizing airlines would not magically fix that.
Before deregulation, the federal government heavily controlled fares and routes. Flying was far more expensive in real terms and far less accessible to ordinary Americans. Deregulation did not solve every problem, but it helped make air travel available to far more people. That matters, especially for a pol who give lip service to her support for the poor.
A government-run airline industry would most certainly mean more bureaucracy, less pricing flexibility, political interference in route decisions, and even less accountability when things go wrong. Anyone who has dealt with federal bureaucracy and thought, “Yes, this is exactly how I want my airline run,” is welcome to make the case. I remain unconvinced and I spent years working in both local and federal government.
There are reasonable arguments for stronger passenger protections…I’m all for EU261/2004 coverage in this country…but nationalization is not consumer protection. It is a misguided policy proposal that shows me how stupid Valdez is.
Democrats Should Be Careful With This Kind Of Politics
I’ll just leave it at this: if Democrats believe this sort of thing represents the future of the party, then they have learned very little from the Trump wing of the GOP. Different ideology, same problem: politics reduced to grievance, applause lines, and proposals that sound emotionally satisfying until you spend 30 seconds thinking about how they would work.
The answer to bad populism on the right is not bad populism on the left.
And yes, Valdez is running in a deep-blue district: she may never have to persuade a swing voter in her life. But members of Congress do not exist in a vacuum. Their statements become part of a national brand, and Republicans will be more than happy to run clips like this in every competitive district in America.
“Abolish TSA PreCheck and nationalize the airlines” is not exactly a message built for voters who just want government to work better and cost less.
CONCLUSION
Claire Valdez says she wants to abolish TSA PreCheck and eventually nationalize the airline industry.
That may play well in certain political circles, but as transportation policy it is unserious. TSA PreCheck should be improved and expanded, not abolished. Airlines should be held more accountable, not turned into federal departments.
Air travel has plenty of problems. Making it more bureaucratic, more politicized, and more miserable is not the answer.
image: Justice Democrats
Brought to you by nonsense pronouns and the 30 hour workweek. When I stop banging my head against the wall allow me to put on my cat lady mask and blow up frog costume to protest my own tribe of idiots.
Pete Buttigieg you’re looking good!
Make some room for me at the head banging wall.
More and more I’m leaning into Andy Beshear and Pete in 2028. Otherwise this is like Ping Pong in an insane asylum.
As I said when Gary posted on this topic, if a MAGA candidate suggested to abolish TSA, the right-wingers would rally to support it as ending security theater in a masterclass of libertarianism. Likewise, since Trump has literally started nationalizing companies, like forcing Intel to sell the government a 10% ‘golden share,’ Trump is already more ‘socialist’ than any president in my lifetime. He’s also a rapid nationalist. So, you know, like, a… national(ist)-socialist… *cough*
And the liberals on here (and “conservative Matthew) say I’m making the commie stuff up. These commies are coming and they are coming for you and I. We can afford PreCheck or horrors, even get it for free because we qualify for certain racist credit cards.
This is only the start and their numbers are small, but they are growing weekly with potentially more winning primaries Tuesday.
Hard working successful Americans in either party are their targets because you made tough life choices and saved your money. Which makes you their enemy. Disagree at your own risk.
There are idiots on all sides of the political spectrum, luckily they are drowned out by normal people or at least closer to normal people.
It used to be if you didn’t understand something, you researched it, now it is just have a hot take.
I am a physician, a hot take can kill a patient, so I am careful about what I say.
Politicians should do the same, their boneheaded ideas can be just as dangerous
The far left are as deranged as MAGA. They deserve each other. Could both factions please find a cave to go live in so that the pragmatic middle can once again live in peace.
Horseshoe theory.
From each according to his ability: I had the ability to join Pre-Check and Global Entry a decade and a half ago, and I did. It is not my responsibility that others cannot or did not. That’s on them.
To each according to his need: I need to get through TSA and customs in an expeditious fashion because my time is valuable to me.
So Pre-Check, Global Entry, and CLEAR (of which I’m also a member) follow Marxist principles. To semi-quote Drake, STFU Janice.
You really think you get to decide your own “contribution” and set your own “need” with your communist overlords?
That really flew over your pin head, didn’t it?
These statements might be wise (in a political gamespersonship—is that a word?—way). The adults in the room know neither is going to happen. And, it won’t affect who the adult votes for. The juveniles in earshot will be excited at this thinking they might get shorter TSA lines (as they aren’t precheck), lower fares (because the airlines gouge everybody without making a profit on flying), and better seats (heck, all seats should be extra legroom coach). This is akin to the 60 minutes group of students that were excited during BS’s first presidential campaign. They were convinced their student loans would go away in January 2017 if he won. Promises things that excite the kids knowing there’s no hope of passage, get the kids to vote you in, blame others when these ideas never see the light of day.
Never say never. British Rail was privatised in 1997 with. the promise of better service, lower fares, etc. After failing to deliver on these promises, railways in the UK are once again being nationalized, under the name Great British Railways. The only people the airlines actually serve are their shareholders. Passengers be damned.
“The only people the airlines actually serve are their shareholders. Passengers be damned.” First, their job IS to serve their shareholders. And, owning airline stock has not been such a great thing for any extended period of the 21st century. What do pax get? Exactly what they demand. They want cheap flights more than anything else: legroom, wider sears, great food, etc. You can’t complain about driving Yugos if your willing to buy Yugos because of price.
@Matthew – While there are certainly plenty of crazy people and ideas on the far right, I do not think it is legitimate to compare MAGA with the new brand of radical socialist/communist that has appeared on the far left. There are no comparable candidates or elected officials on the right who openly want to completely dismantle and destroy everything on which Western Civilization was built. Many of these people genuinely hate everything that America has historically represented and want nothing short of a revolution. This is a far more existential threat to our nation than anything MAGA has produced. They are not the same.
These are, like, really bad ideas.
He, he. Said , like, the valley girl
The far left and far right nutjobs are not on a political spectrum; they are on a curve that bends around both ends and touches on the backside of insanity.
Her friend one district over is against interracial dating and tweeted her love for Lenin and creating collective farms in America.
That ringing in your ears is history calling to tell you them that they are feckless toolbags.
so your picking on her words, but basucally she is one hundred percent right
i have no criminal history and no shady past whatsoever and i was denied precheck
there should be FREE precheck and global entry for ALL americans
and yes airlines should be nationalized in some way
look at qatar and emirates and look at US airlines
Found the broke criminal commie.
Yes Tommy, you were turned down for a reason.
Yes, I’m sure anyone who experienced the joys of Aeroflot and Tarom during the days of the USSR will be keen to see US airlines nationalised. Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern have improved greatly but are still not a patch on Cathay, Singapore, or EVA.
As the old saying goes, if you’re not a socialist when you’re 20, you have no heart – and if you’re still a socialist at 40, you have no brain.
are you blind?? look at the airlines i cited
I saw the few you cherry-picked, while conveniently ignoring the examples I cited, as well as failing to mention other lacklustre examples in the local region such as Saudia and EgyptAir.
Why should precheck and global entry be free? Basic services should be free. There’s no reason for elevated services to be free.
what makes these programs elevated?
2020-level stupidity
Didn’t Republicans actually abolish precheck back in February? Few politicians sound smart to us when they talk about this industry.
It would be fairer to suggest that DHS (headed, of course by Republicans) floated the idea of temporarily closing precheck during the DHS funding crisis. Everyone suspects its purpose was to put pressure on Dems to fund. The candidate in question doesn’t want it to exist, apparently, likely for “equality” reasons.
I am not a socialist, but I do have a question about this. If Emirates and Qatar operate world class airlines that are fully nationalized, why can’t we? Is it an issue of government structure, meaning what works for an autocracy is more cumbersome for a democracy?
No doubt about you Matthew , you hit the jackpot every time when it comes to Donald Trump .
Even in a midst of all the insane and loony ‘policies’ emanating from the socialist wing of the Democratic Party you seem to find a way to have a misguided shot at Donald Trump .
When will you realise that :
Donald Trump = MAGA = GOP = Republican Party
It is my hope that sooner rather than later:
Donald Trump = MAGA ≠ GOP = Republican Party
It’s time for fiscal discipline, responsible governance, and making America the shining city on the hill by respecting democratic norms and working side-by-side with our allies instead of antagonizing them.
But I can tell you this…if it was this dangerously misguided communist versus Trump, even I’d vote for Trump (or at least sit it out).
Really, @Matthew?
Come on, man. You’re way too good to put out this schlock.
1) This person is a candidate. There are and always will be candidates with crazy plans and ideas.
2) The practicality of this is about as close to zero as you can get.
3) Even if the woman wins the election the odds of her successfully pursuing these goals are about the same as your being named the next King Of England.
Please don’t dignify stupid fringe theories (and their supporters) that will never come to pass. What next, a right wing candidate who believes the world is flat? You’re better than this.
I agree with points 1 through 3, but I disagree on your recommendation to ignore this. I always thought a wealth tax (other than the one that hides as an estate tax) was a pipe dream of the left. Now, CA has one on its fall ballot. I never thought the “close the borders, no new immigrants” crowd would ever be taken seriously. Well……
Yes, we can, I believe, not worry about flat farther. But, I thought we could ignore the anti-vaxers and look who heads HHS?
I love the idea of a wealth tax, with lots of caveats, like that it be only for billionaires doing business in the USA and that it be on assets. I figure that since billionaires are growing their wealth at double digit rates they could help out the country that provided the opportunities to the tune of 5% a year. The problem we have is that we’re taxing labor and income when we need to be taxing wealth, particularly extreme wealth. I should be paying 10-15% higher income taxes and I’m not an extreme example. Heck, I’m not even rich.
As to your point on the anti-vaxxers, if there were only a few of them and they weren’t literally trying to kill people I’d say yes, ignore them. Since they’re now truly running what has become the asylum they’re more than worthy of note.
“As to your point on the anti-vaxxers, if there were only a few of them and they weren’t literally trying to kill people I’d say yes, ignore them. Since they’re now truly running what has become the asylum they’re more than worthy of note.” And you COMPLETELY MISSED my point. We should have been paying attention to anti-vaxers. Maybe they would have had less success, or at least we’d be better prepared with our defenses.
Would that you were correct. I don’t think that knowing that the antivaxxers were coming would have done much to stop them. In fact, we did know they were coming and didn’t stop them. Still, better to know I suppose but I doubt that the airline industry will be re-regulated any time in the next few decades. I’d place much better odds on a polio outbreak.
Christian, this has been a quality interaction. Given what I see here, WTF is wrong with us. 😉
So there I was thinking that the Left in Europe were deranged nutjobs but I tip my hat to you guys when it comes to left wing lunacy.
The Left isn’t happy until everyone is equally unhappy.
Hot take, but as an industrial engineer and airline employee, I find TSA PreCheck terrible from a resource standpoint.
First it divides the limited terminal space and employees. If one line is fast, it’s not like they move employees over to a slower line to help it move along. Splitting the terminal space also leads to the same kind of wastage. You can get better efficient use of the limited space and labor if it’s all one type/role/assignment. Precheck and Regular are sidebar side at T2 ORD, but leads to a less then optimal load spreading to each scanner. Ideally One massive checkpoint would be better than the same square footage and employees spread across 3 terminals….
Second after killing precheck, focus on what works and fix what doesn’t. IMO get faster bag scanners and distributed checking of bags. These new machines that “automate” bins and separation of flagged bags are sooo sloowwwww. Make the check faster. Next also add in automated ticket and ID check gates like Europe. Essentially, expand TSA PreCheck Touchless to all passengers and then combine this with Europe style automated passport checkers.
And then finally get rid of shoes and laptop removal from bags. This is silly, slow, absurd and I doubt brings any additional security. There is no reason that modern scanning machines cannot differentiate within the bag and out.
I do find it faster and do benefit from the speed, but I think we should kill it but spread the policies for all passengers.
“First it divides the limited terminal space and employees. If one line is fast, it’s not like they move employees over to a slower line to help it move along.” You’ve never been to my airport. One terminal has two lines. The precheck people enter the left line, get a card after ID check. They use the left xray line, giving their cards to TSA. They get the full precheck experience. Some of the non-precheck, right line folks are sent to the left xray line to balance things. They have to pull out liquids and laptops. Once the new facilities are done, it will be like so many airports, where they do move people around and have some ,ones closed during slow times.
“And then finally get rid of shoes and laptop removal from bags. This is silly, slow, absurd and I doubt brings any additional security. There is no reason that modern scanning machines cannot differentiate within the bag and out.” So, you argue to get rid of precheck and treat everybody like precheck is now?