Last week, I decided to talk to Gainesville’s own Ted Yoho, representative for the third District. As someone who has previously worked on his campaign, I know he has a lot to say and would make for a great interviewee.
During the wide-ranging interview, in which we talked about everything from fiscal responsibility to Gator football and his enjoyment of Jimmy Buffett songs, I expected a few specific topics to come up. I expected the Freedom Caucus congressman to throw large numbers at me. The interview was conducted at 8 a.m., so I was not ready for numbers of any particular size. Such numbers included $18 trillion in debt, $22 trillion spent on the War on Poverty and the $1 trillion in accumulating student loan debt.
I also expected Rep. Yoho to throw some folksy charm my way. He told me life is kind of like a tomato: Everyone wants to be green on the vine, but you don’t want to become ripe because the next stage is rotten. The reason he gave such a response is because he’s an "ag" — agricultural — guy.
However, I did not expect the whole conservation to have a completely hopeful and optimistic tone. Admittedly, I’ve succumbed to the caricature of the angry, doom-and-gloom Tea Party congressman the media often purports. Yoho quickly dispelled this stereotype with the central thrust of his political message: affording opportunity. Opportunity is what Yoho is trying to spread during his tenure in the House.
The reason the congressman is part of the Freedom Caucus — "a coalition of like-minded people seeking to challenge the status quo" — is because the establishment leadership does not give the rank-and-file members of the House the opportunity to let their voices be heard. The Freedom Caucus came into existence in order to force the leadership to be more accountable to its members and responsive to the nation. Like the congressman, the caucus is all about opportunity. A leader like the caucus-backed speaker nominee Rep. Daniel Webster — coincidentally, another congressman from Florida I worked for — would give members of the House an opportunity to enact real change.
According to Yoho, he supports fiscal responsibility and the Fair Tax Act because he wants to give businesses the opportunity to grow and prosper.
The main reason America is so exceptional in the eyes of the congressman is because of the opportunities it affords to its citizens. Yoho of all people knows how exceptional American opportunities can be. At the age of 15, the congressman’s family home was repossessed. At 18, he was out on his own. Married at 19, he and his wife were on food stamps for five to six weeks. For a period of time, he lived in a 12-by-48 mobile home. Despite all of these life experiences, Yoho became "a veterinarian, [has] a successful marriage for 40 years and ran for congress with no political experience."
He told me to look at the possibilities in life and not to accept limitations. He told me to dare to dream. Yoho hopes to preserve these American opportunities capitalized by people like him for future generations. That’s why he is a member of the Freedom Caucus. That’s why he’s a fiscal hawk. That’s why he ran for congress in the first place.
The opportunity to speak to Yoho once again was a great experience. Far too often, people like to think all politicians are the same, seeking higher office only for personal benefit. I hope Yoho’s words can do away with this myth. Whether you agree with Yoho or not, you cannot say he is in politics for selfish reasons. I truly believe he is out there to provide opportunities to the citizens of this country. He has made this point loud and clear. If you don’t believe me, you probably haven’t afforded yourself the opportunity to listen to him.
Michael Beato is a UF political science senior. His column appears on Mondays.
