"Our world has evolved and grown more technologically savvy. Lawmakers need to adjust to these changes"
About this Quote
Progress disguised as common sense is one of politics' most useful costumes. Dennis Hastert's line lands with the soothing inevitability of a software update: the world has changed, therefore the law must change too. It sounds neutral, even managerial. That neutrality is the move.
The intent is to claim the mantle of realism. By framing technology as an unstoppable force - "evolved", "grown more technologically savvy" - Hastert positions lawmakers not as ideological actors but as reluctant custodians trying to keep up. It preemptively shames resistance as out-of-touch, the political equivalent of still using dial-up. The verb "adjust" is strategically modest: not "rethink power", not "set limits", not "protect citizens", just adapt. It suggests a technical tweak rather than a moral choice, which is convenient because tech policy is never only technical.
The subtext is about control over the rules of the new terrain: surveillance, privacy, telecommunications regulation, online speech, cybercrime. Saying lawmakers must "adjust" quietly invites an expansion of legislative (and often law-enforcement) reach into spaces that feel personal and borderless. It also flatters institutions that are frequently behind the curve; acknowledging lag becomes a justification for urgency, speed, and broader authority.
Context matters with Hastert in particular: a longtime House leader from an era when Congress was grappling with the early internet, wiretapping law updates, and post-9/11 security expansions. Read that way, the line isn't just about modernization; it's about who gets to define "necessary" when technology becomes the alibi.
The intent is to claim the mantle of realism. By framing technology as an unstoppable force - "evolved", "grown more technologically savvy" - Hastert positions lawmakers not as ideological actors but as reluctant custodians trying to keep up. It preemptively shames resistance as out-of-touch, the political equivalent of still using dial-up. The verb "adjust" is strategically modest: not "rethink power", not "set limits", not "protect citizens", just adapt. It suggests a technical tweak rather than a moral choice, which is convenient because tech policy is never only technical.
The subtext is about control over the rules of the new terrain: surveillance, privacy, telecommunications regulation, online speech, cybercrime. Saying lawmakers must "adjust" quietly invites an expansion of legislative (and often law-enforcement) reach into spaces that feel personal and borderless. It also flatters institutions that are frequently behind the curve; acknowledging lag becomes a justification for urgency, speed, and broader authority.
Context matters with Hastert in particular: a longtime House leader from an era when Congress was grappling with the early internet, wiretapping law updates, and post-9/11 security expansions. Read that way, the line isn't just about modernization; it's about who gets to define "necessary" when technology becomes the alibi.
Quote Details
| Topic | Technology |
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