Most Cranky Time of Year

by Gongwer News Service
December 11, 2009

If this is the most wonderful time of the year, who forgot to tell state officials?

This is the time of year for good cheer and fellowship everywhere, for peace on earth and goodwill to all men, and God bless us everyone — and boy, you sure can’t tell it from the attitudes in state government.

Based on the last several weeks, this holiday has clearly become the most cranky time of the year. Tempers are strained, patience everywhere has been starved not just worn thin, polite barbs are being tossed aside in favor of just plain barking barbs. The overall attitude has become more sour than turned eggnog.

Proof? Well, start with the Senate Republicans. A couple members running for the 2010 nomination for secretary of state — Sen. Cameron Brown (R-Fawn River Twp.) and Sen. Michelle McManus (R-Lake Leelanau), along with Sen. Wayne Kuipers (R-Holland) — huddled with Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R-Rochester) to hash out differences regarding bills involving Ms. McManus’ Campaign and Elections Oversight Committee.

Sergeants ended up closing the door to the room as the volume of conversation crept up between them all, but even with the door closed, reporters could clearly hear Ms. McManus keeping up her end of the discussion. And then at the committee meeting following, Mr. Brown made a very public point about when Mr. Kuipers introduced his bills — which are, frankly, aimed at the GOP bete noire ACORN — compared to when Ms. McManus introduced hers.

More proof? Well, the administrative conferences of the Supreme Court are not shouting matches, but more like lawyerly scrums where most of the members are talking at once, over each other, through each other, around each other. During a conference this past week, court members elicited so much controversy over the makeup of a committee that reviewed potential court rules and when the proposed rules were initially published for review, it was a little mystifying to anyone not intimately involved why there would be such concern on a proposal on publishing proposed rule amendments.

Then, finally, there was Governor Jennifer Granholm’s short response to a question about tax revenues to restore cuts in the current budget. In sum: ask Senate Republicans, who, as was pointed out above, are a bit cranky themselves. Of course, based on the comments of Speaker Andy Dillon (D-Redford Twp.) about the tax proposal Senate Republicans passed, oh a couple months ago now, House Democrats aren’t much cheerier.

This is not to suggest that people don’t get along, that bipartisan agreements can’t be forged occasionally (look, for example, at what happened this week on legislation to finally ban workplace smoking). But those instances are increasingly the exception rather than the rule.

And anger and bitterness and sarcasm and public cynicism have been an increasing part of public discourse as the years progress. It is the political way now, cooperation and negotiation seen by all sides as weakness and betrayal of essential views, whatever those views might be. Just look at how different organizations, both left and right, are willing to feast on their own for the slightest deviation. The fact that negotiation and cooperation are often the only courageous path is simply ignored.

Plus, well, these are not happy times, not when the economy continues to struggle, not when two wars are still underway, not when people both want changes to the health care system and yet are uncertain how to proceed, not when everyone, it seems, tells them life is rotten and it’s not their fault, it’s someone else’s fault, and so on and so on.

Perhaps crabbiness and surliness in public officials are really a virtue. It makes plain what people suspect. It allows for honest discourse. Well, it allows for honest something, discourse usually being the last thing to follow honest comments.

Yet…there is hope. The state saw revenues go up slightly in November. Economists hope the economy will begin to turn around. Looks like we’ll have a white Christmas.

And the public really, really, really wants lawmakers to find ways to cooperate and agree on matters. At least that’s what the public says, even though this is the same public that often shows it can’t agree with itself.

So what can we yet hope for this festive season from our officials? A merry, happy whatever? Or should we should we all just clam up, spike the wassail and grumble?

For nearly 50 years in Michigan, Gongwer News Service has provided independent, comprehensive, accurate and timely coverage of issues in and around Michigan’s government and political systems. For subscription information, including a free trial, visit Gongwer online.