We had the occasion to drive through California’s Central Valley. Along with the customary rolling hills dotted with cows and windmills, a new addition to the roadside had a notable presence on most every farm: Anti drought posters. These primarily rotated between two popular posters. Most common, or possibly most noticeable with it’s bright yellow background, is a sign announcing “STOP THE CONGRESS CREATED DUST BOWL.” Also, a frequent sight is the red, black, and white sign presenting some abstract algebra, “NO WATER = HIGHER FOOD COST!” Most signs share the common assertion, holding congress to task for a bureaucratically engineered water shortage.
“Stop the Congress Created Dust Bowl”
While nuance is commonly lost in billboards as well as most advertising media, blaming politicians for natural disasters hardly an uncommon response. (Achen and Bartels, 2002; Atkeson and Maestas, 2012; Malhotra and Kuo,
2008; Gasper and Reeves, 2011) From shark attacks to floods, voters have a tendency to punish incumbents disproportionately to any roll they may have (or, more often, not have) played in the event.
“No Water = Higher food prices”
As most anyone knows, California is anticipating it’s fourth consecutive year of drought. Despite notable rains in December, they still do not take the state out of the red, nor has January contributed much more water. Farmers who have managed to keep their crops up to this point have to, once more, calculate if they can make it through another year. Water remains, top of mind as Californian’s know that “no water equals difficulty for everyone.”
Related Water Claims
Counties with water claims along with Interstate 5:
Bibliography
Achen, C. and L. Bartels (2002). “Blind Retrospection: Electoral Responses to Droughts, Floods, and Shark Attacks.” Estudio/Working Paper.
Atkeson, L. R. and C. D. Maestas (2012). “Catastrophic politics: how extraordinary events redefine perceptions of government.” Cambridge University Press.
Gasper, J. and A. Reeves (2011). “Make It Rain? Retrospection and the Attentive Electorate in the Context of Natural Disasters.” American Journal of Political Science 55 (2), 340–355.
Malhotra, N. and A. Kuo (2008). “Attributing Blame: The Public’s Response to Hurricane Katrina.” The Journal of Politics 70 (01), 120–135.