> It's of course that politicians are only speaking what the electorate wants to hear. Anti-science language wouldn't fly if it didn't result in votes
It's not anti-science language, per se. It's a "hey, look at this wasteful stuff your tax dollars are getting spent on," which only incidentally plays on anti-intellectual/anti-scientific sentiments in the electorate. It's hard to explain why something like this is actually a valuable use of resources, and doubly so when it's easy to characterize as a ridiculous thing.
It's not anti-science language, per se. It's a "hey, look at this wasteful stuff your tax dollars are getting spent on," which only incidentally plays on anti-intellectual/anti-scientific sentiments in the electorate. It's hard to explain why something like this is actually a valuable use of resources, and doubly so when it's easy to characterize as a ridiculous thing.