Gooseberry’s Thoughts on Policy –v- Politics

Having suffered an ignominious defeat at the hands of the fickle populous, the burgeoning politician would do well to note the age worn adage, this too shall pass. And while seeing a bright tomorrow can be trying given the myopic shortfalls of today, it is highly possible to elicit comfort from the knowledge that, while the opposing party might have won the election, they also have to assume the responsibility of their victory. In other words, sometimes the very worst thing you can wish on your opponent is success.

Good politics is a long-term game. Easy wins lead to easy losses, and while success can provide heady moments, it is important to remember what is really at stake and why you get involved in the first place.

If you are involved in politics simply for fame and fortune – I wish you luck and recommend reality television as a viable alternative. If all you want is your 15 minutes of fame, then, by all means, use the internet, television, newspapers or other forms of media-ostitution to enjoy the limelight while it lasts. But if you really want to make a difference and make the world a better place, step back and don’t worry so much about your own image. Worry more about policy than politics.

Changing the world is more about policy than politics. Policy, while less glamorous, can be much more satisfying than the image game of politics. While politics is about pleasing the crowd in the public arena using light shows and speeches, policy is about actually taking care of the crowd by delivering sewer systems and groceries that the crowd needs to survive.

Policy is hard work. It is never developed or implemented in one day, or week, or even month. Effective policy starts at the grassroots level by finding out what is really important to the constituents you want to serve (Constituents -- you know, the people you are serving, the ones who got you to where you are now). Very few successful legislative efforts ever start from the top down. Sure, there are some bills that get signed into law with flashy ceremonies and public backslapping, but those bills fade, get rewritten, and are amended out of existence. They tend to cause more trouble than they are worth. The laws with real staying power start at the bottom of the food chain, with the people who actually have to implement and live with them after they are finished. They also trickle their way up to execution with very little fanfare.

One of the most satisfying statutes I ever worked on was a simple land use designation change for the city of Powell, Wyoming. The Powell fire department had its station house located in a cramped, busy intersection where rolling out the fire trucks posed a public threat of its own. There was no room to grow and no way to modernize the facility to accommodate the changing needs of the community. By federal law the land under the firehouse was granted to the city by the US Bureau of Reclamation with the express limitation that it be used only for a public purpose and that it never be sold. I worked with the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to lift that land use designation to allow the city to sell the property so they could use the revenue to purchase and build a new, bigger and much better fire house in a much more practical location. While I was not the driving force behind the success of the bill, I still feel like I had a direct part in improving the lives of the people in Wyoming.

Compare that success with the last appropriations bill I worked on. You remember it. It was in all the papers. It saved the free world from tyrannical domination. It included energy programs and health care reform and made sure financial dividends were properly taxed. Just four years later every provision in that bill has been superseded by other, later and greater efforts.

Money is a great thing and I have a policy of never turning it down when it is offered to me via legal and appropriate channels, but there is also something tangible about bricks and mortar and a safer community that brings its own unique form of satisfaction.

I think Terry Pratchett said it best. Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Set him on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life.