They could not be more different. Their viewpoints have nothing in common. Ditto for their constituencies.

Yet, in many respects, Lauren Boebert and Tay Anderson are similar personalities with a shared approach to politics. Looking into the mirror, each might well see the other’s reflection.

Boebert is a gun-toting, oil- and gas-loving, election-denying congresswoman from western Colorado. Anderson is an uber-progressive, protest-leading, encampment-protecting Denver Public Schools board member.

One could not be more Trumpian, the other more ultra-woke.

But underneath it all, they are similar people. Both are relative youngsters. Both come from hardscrabble backgrounds devoid of privilege, where prospects were scarce and toughness was cultivated.

And both travel, quite successfully, in the same political realm – that of hyperbole and outrage. Both are defined far more by who and what they disdain than by much of an affirmative agenda. Neither will be thought a serious policy wonk with any penchant for rolling up their sleeves and diving into the details and hard work of governance.

Both embrace the contempt of their enemies and thrive upon it. That animus and even belittlement coming their way is like oxygen to each of them. Their personalities relish it and they flourish politically.

Sadly, disturbingly, Boebert and Anderson seem like politicians for this age. Each makes it a point to play to their political base constantly and unwaveringly. Neither will ever be accused of being some kind of sensible centrist, or of seeking compromise, or of actually trying to get something done.

Perhaps most notably, both of them are performers in a time when too many worship those who achieve celebrity status. Their performances are purposefully intended to generate heat, which makes for good television and is the coin of social media.

Oh, and they both have the word “censure” near their name. That rebuke came to Anderson from his fellow school board members for inappropriately flirtatious conduct on social media and later for intimidating posts directed at his accusers, even while a lengthy and expensive investigation could not substantiate more serious charges of sexual assault and harassment.  

As this is written, it is unclear if Congress will proceed with a censure motion against Boebert for repeatedly playing to hateful, anti-Muslim stereotypes in inferring that her colleague, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, could be a bomb-carrying terrorist.

While more normal humans would be inclined to reflect deeply and even hang their head at such a reprimand, for the likes of Anderson and Boebert it is just further fuel that allows them to play the martyr and rally the base. It is but one more performance plot twist that serves to keep them in the coveted spotlight.

To be clear, it is possible, even wise, to denounce U.S. Rep. Omar without buying into Boebert’s inflammatory nonsense. Omar has so often had to walk back or clarify her comments about Jews that they can no longer be written off as misstatements. At this point, we should accept that her repeated words reflect what is in her heart. But it is one thing to label someone, with evidence, an anti-Semite and quite another to suggest she is a terrorist in waiting.

For all of Boebert’s media exposure, I challenge Coloradans, whether residents of her district or not, to name one consequential piece of legislation she has introduced. Or even one serious legislative issue in which she is at the center of the debate. Take your time, I’ll wait.

Meanwhile Boebert’s husband, who had worked in the past as an oil field roughneck and later as a site supervisor, last year made nearly $500,000 as an energy consultant. The sudden rise in his fortunes are surely coincidental to his wife’s position.

Turning toward Anderson, he, too, has shown the instinct for monetizing what had been an unpaid, volunteer position. He has used his social media to solicit cash via Venmo for his birthday and in tribute to his grandmother after her passing. Over recent months, he made his social media services available, for a fee of course, to other school board candidates.

It is unclear how Anderson fully supports himself and no one begrudges him a living. But it was his choice to run for an unpaid position, and his choice as well to devote the rest of his time to political activism and protest organizing. If money is an issue, as is apparently the case, there is no shortage of good-paying jobs available in this market.

Of late, Anderson has pushed and prodded the Denver school board to begin to pay its members. True, this budget item is insignificant in the scope of the district’s finances. Yet, it again demonstrates a self-serving impulse and all-too-prevalent focus on the wants of adults as opposed to the needs of kids. This is the case even if the stipend will now go only to the newly elected board members and Anderson will not be eligible for it unless he is reelected in two years.

Despite the censure just a few months ago, make no mistake that it is Anderson who is running the show on this board. It was his slate that he muscled into every officer position, including brand-spanking newcomers just sworn in to now serve as board chair, secretary and treasurer, along with Anderson himself as vice chair.

It does not require vast powers of premonition to guess how that is going to turn out.

Ardent followers of Boebert or Anderson, thinking they have nothing in common and, in fact, despising the other, will take exception to this column. I can already anticipate the “how dare you” emails and charges of equivalence.

So be it. The two of them are peas in a Colorado pod. Let’s call them what they are – a despicable duo of division. Or for alternate alliteration, a pernicious pair of provocateurs.

Boebert and Anderson’s mutual mode is one of noise and their currency is that of rage and resentment. They have figured out this polarized moment and each has mastered it. All the way, they are laughing, perhaps with a wink at each other, as the Twitter clicks mount and the cash register rings.

Eric Sondermann is a Colorado-based independent political commentator. He writes regularly for Colorado Politics and the Gazette newspapers. Reach him at?EWS@EricSondermann.com; follow him at @EricSondermann