According to Merriam Webster, “non sequitur” can be defined as “a statement (as a response) that does not follow logically from or is not clearly related to anything previously said.” Well, Merriam Webster’s got nothing on Rick Boucher, who provides a perfect, video definition of “non sequitur” in this ad.
So, let’s get this straight: Rick Boucher has Southwest Virginia values, and “that’s why he voted against the health care law” and is “a leader in the bipartisan effort to balance the budget.” There’s just one problem with that reasoning, namely that the health care law and increased federal spending both disproportionately help relatively low-income, net-recipient-of-federal-money areas like Southwest Virginia. Also, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics illustrates, Southwest Virginia has among the highest unemployment rates (11.3% in Radford City, 11.6% in Smyth County, 11.4% in Grayson County, 11.2% in Patrick County, etc.) in the Commonwealth. How would cutting back on federal spending or making it harder for people to get health care coverage improve conditions in this region? It wouldn’t; hence, the non sequitur.
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