Washington DC — In a powerful tribute to his base, Utah Rep. Blake Moore was caught on live TV doing what millions of Utah voters have done for decades: quietly snoozing while democracy happens.
The moment occurred around 5 a.m. during a 15-hour congressional hearing on tax policy, when cameras panned to Moore, head tilted, eyes closed, tucked in with a pillow, blanket, and face mask, deep in meditation or REM sleep. The incident has since been hailed as the most honest moment in Utah politics since someone accidentally voted for Obama in 2008.
Fellow lawmakers laughed. Constituents nodded in agreement. Utah GOP leadership issued a statement calling Moore’s performance “deeply aligned with the will of the people.”
“We’ve been asleep at the wheel for years,” said one Weber County voter while checking to see if the primary had already happened. “Honestly, it’s just nice to feel represented.”
Moore, unfazed by the viral moment, has already embraced the new nickname “Sleepy Blake” and says he is leaning into it.
“I’m thinking the campaign slogan this year is, ‘Why stay awake when the system works fine?'” he said while ordering an extra-pillow office chair and a personalized congressional blanket embroidered with Dozing for District 1.
Critics have pointed out that falling asleep during a key debate on tax policy might not be ideal. Moore responded with a yawn and assured his constituents that “AOC already agreed to give me Cliff Notes she’ll personally write so I can make an informed decision.”
As for Utah voters, the reaction has been muted, mostly because 73 percent of them were asleep when the story broke. Those who were awake largely shrugged, offered a half-hearted “at least he’s not a Democrat,” and returned to browsing yard signs for the next uncontested primary.
In other news, Democrats quietly flipped a school board seat in Davis County.
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