So many pundits are publishing their view of what the W.Va. Legislature should do during this current regular session.
It is an election year, and that heightens sensitivity when it comes to doing something meaningful. Meaningful means they are reaching further (or not as far) into your pocket, or they are cancelling what is viewed as a “wildly popular” program.
That tends to have little to do with how many are actually impacted by or in favor of a given piece of legislation, and how much noise the handful of rabid supporters can make. Rabid, as in foaming at the mouth, teeth barred, and usually fueled by lobbyists’ cash.
It’s like the television news story showing protesters, and it appears like there are hundreds of them, but in reality, there were 9. There’s no story if there are a couple of handfuls protesting. Of course, they are going to make it look like a story, especially if the reporter comes down on the protestors’ side of the issue.
If it bleeds, it ledes. That’s been heard in newsrooms across the country for the last handful of decades, but I think it’s important to separate the real work from the optics Statements like “not much happened last session” may or may not be true, but that is what the voters thought about the last session.
These blanket statements are usually accompanied by blasting the current House or Senate members who were elected to represent your views. What really happened does not matter. What matters is how people feel about it.
That’s a political litmus test for “Do you care?” because the people who elected you don’t care about how much you know until they know how much you care.
I’m watching the Legislature, clearly controlled by the Grand Old Party, trying to strike a balance between “bringing home the bacon” – those all important pork projects that never seem to go away – and being a conservative, where smaller, leaner government is a big part of what you allegedly believe. When we stray from our core values, the Left is usually quick to point that out.
But it is a matter of balance. You have to bring things home to the people who elected you, but you need to stay within the budget – and living within the budget is important.
Until there is a disaster, and then you can’t throw enough resources at it fast enough.
Of course, there are many pictures of the politicians standing next to the ruined bridge, or the house swept down the road by the flood. No, it’s not rebuilt and the newsworthiness of the story evaporated months ago, but people are still in need and hurting.
Something is amiss here, and part of it is based on the gnat-like attention span of voters in large groups. You can hold their attention for exactly the amount of time four quarters require, but only if you have a decent half-time show.
There’s a old phrase about the feeling one gets after peeing in a dark suit. The politician knows they did a good job, but likely won’t get recognition for the legislation. And, if they are lucky, no one notices they fouled themselves.
Good, bad or indifferent, it’s a balancing act.
Cut, but not too much. What are you bringing home to the people who elected you, but don’t spend too much. Teetering on the edge of a razor, with everyone involved trying not to get cut too badly, and all the players knowing that they best not fall.
That blade is sharp, and it only cuts one way.
This legislative session will not be about doing the right thing. It will be about what legislative sessions are in an election year. It’s all about optics. It’s about the spin.
Spin it right, and you might get re-elected. Spin it wrong, and those chances are less.
But altruistic politicians are few and far between, and not long remembered for doing the right thing … and never forgotten for peeing in their dark suit.
