redblueamerica.com

Guess who got called by a pollster tonight!?! That would be yours truly . . .

Governing by the numbers is a lot like painting by them, and if current policy is any indication, you get about the same caliber of results. Smooth edges and very little personal commitment, not much time or effort involved, either. It's the lazy legislators best friend, in fact. 

I'm well acquainted with the need to do polling - to find out where your constituents stand and how best to meet them where they are. It's a time tested tradition meant to tell you what you need to know to get the people you serve where they need to be. The problem we seem to have are legislators who think that the polls dictate what legislation should look like. Finding out what people think is great, but it should never be taken for sage advice. The truth is, most of these issues are far more complicated than the average voter could even begin to deal with. That's not a shot at voters, it's a recognition that we pay people to govern and lead because it takes time and effort the rest of us don't have to spend. After all, we elect these people because we want the best decisions from them, not the most popular.

The poll I participated in tonight was for a local state representative, who shall remain nameless only because I'm a little embarrassed for him/her. You see, the poll was testing issue positions first and foremost, but it was also testing language regarding the new coal-fired power plants that may be built in the Western end of my state. The build was blocked initially, due to concerns about the resultant pollution, but will probably happen due to some legislative cowardice and several truckloads of Ben Franklins spent on paid media. (These are the ads where my Governor is compared to Iran's Achmedinajad. They're disgusting, complete lies, and proof of how scared the big oil and coal companies actually are.) The language being tested clearly indicated that this Representative had not made up his/her mind on how to vote. Scenarios were floated covering all possible options, with various language for each. Now, you might say, perhaps this Representative knows his/her own mind, and simply didn't want to give that information away. Unfortunately, this person is already on record with a particular opinion, so I don't think that argument holds water. Plus, polls are expensive enough that you don't ask unnecessary questions.

The thing that always gets me is that, even if you have public support for a bad decision at the time you make it, it's still a bad decision. That will come out eventually, and your voters will hang you on it (if your opponent doesn't get there first). Plus, you've let down the people you represent and completely failed in your job description. AND you're a sissy. Which is all to say, governing by the numbers happens way too often. We need to elect a higher grade of legislator than what we're getting, that much is clear.