Dem strategist mocks Indy 500 flyover as “wasteful spending,” gets wrecked by facts and logic for his trouble

Somewhere between the roar of engines and the sound of rotor blades over the Indy 500, Democratic strategist Chris D. Jackson apparently believed he had finally cornered conservatives in an inescapable trap.

A Black Hawk helicopter flyover on Memorial Day weekend, he concluded, meant conservatives must forever retire the phrase "wasteful spending." 👇

Checkmate, apparently.

Undoubtedly anticipating an onslaught of likes, retweets, and public celebration of his mic drop moment, Jackson might have been a bit disappointed to learn that the internet apparently knows a bit more about military training than him.

Multiple users quickly pointed out that military pilots and crews are already required to log flight hours annually and that events like flyovers often serve a dual purpose: training plus public demonstration.

Another explained:

Others piled on with references to aviation operations budgets and training programs, politely (and in some cases not-so-politely) suggesting that perhaps a man who has spent years in politics should familiarize himself with military flying-hour requirements before declaring patriotic flyovers fiscal malpractice.

One reply summarized the mood rather bluntly:

Still others noted that flyovers at sporting events are hardly unusual and asked whether Jackson applies this same concern to military flyovers at NFL games, NASCAR races, or other public events he presumably enjoys without spontaneously auditing the Pentagon.

But the best response of all had to come from former military pilot and commentator Buzz Patterson who pointed to the value of such moments that cannot always be measured on a spreadsheet:

Bingo. The problem with reducing everything to efficiency is that eventually even the things that inspire, bind, and shape a people begin to look expendable.

And that, Mr. Jackson, may be a far more expensive mistake than a helicopter flyover.