It's All About Accomplishment

Question:

At least the President is acknowledging that the Federal Government must invest billions of dollars to help the low income survivors of Katrina "get themselves back on their feet", and he seems willing to find the money to pay for their health care and create an array of innovative housing and jobs programs.

Meanwhile our Governor is getting lots of national press by continuing to promote himself as a candidate for President and pushing for tax cuts. He will no doubt get lots more press (and raise more money from out of state contributors)when he announces that he has failed because he is a "red speck" in a blue state. Talk about setting yourself up to win the blame game.

Meanwhile the Democratic Legislative Leadership has been working hard all summer to get ready pass legislation to spend the Governor's proposed tax cut on a new jobs program and comprehensive health care reform that will help the low income residents of Massachusetts. And neither one is getting any positive press for "doing the right thing"at all.

Hecate's Answer

Well good for you for at least acknowledging that the President is doing the right thing "at last". Hecate wonders if he has any political capital as a lame duck to convince his conservative supporters to fund the programs.

As for the press covering your Governor every time he opens his mouth, that's because he opens his mouth often. His staff brainstorms clever quotes over the newspaper headlines every morning, and then arranges "press opportunities" for him to opine. It's a win win, because even when the clever quote is particularly insensitive or stupid and prompts a strong reaction (i.e. his proposal to phone tap local Muslim leaders) he gets a second day of press "clarifying" his original remarks.

As for the Democratic Leadership not being acknowledged for their hard work over the summer, that's because they've been keeping their negotiations with all the key stakeholders quiet, which Hecate thinks is too bad for their public image as Leaders but problably good for the policy making process.

Anyway neither of them care as much as you may think they should about their public image. The Speaker has to care what folks in his district and 159 legislators think about him, and the Senate President only has to care about 39 other senators and the folks in his district. And they don't have to worry about a national image at all!

For them, it's all about accomplishment.