Several months have passed since the primary elections in Pennsylvania. And with only a couple months to go before the general elections, Pennsylvania will be facing a turnover in the legislature of impressive proportions. We likely will see at least fifty new legislators in 2007, and pending the November election outcome, that number could be significantly higher.
The results of the primary elections have been described as everything from an earthquake to a tidal wave. These descriptions, however, may be somewhat misleading. They suggest that what has happened in Pennsylvania has been catastrophic. While it’s true the political landscape will be much different in January, I can not bring myself to view it as “an utter failure,” as Webster’s Dictionary defines catastrophe.
I’m not trying to downplay the message that was delivered by the electorate, rather I’m suggesting it needs to be kept in perspective. Dramatic changes in the make-up of the legislature have happened before and they will undoubtedly happen again. Yes, the turnover and defeats are stunning, but they simply reflect the free exercise of a representative democracy.
The legislature will convene, albeit with many new faces. It will function as it has for more than two centuries, albeit likely with new rules and operating procedures. Bills will be introduced and some will pass and become law. Legislators will run for re-election and some will win and others will lose. And so goes the cycle of our government.
So rather than having the press and others portray the changes as catastrophic, let’s consider a description that’s more appropriate… perhaps it’s more akin to a change in seasons, particularly since something is ending and something new will begin. And to describe it further, let’s turn to the words of Dinah Maria Mulock Craik (Mrs. Craik) in her poem, “Immutable”…
Autumn to winter, winter into spring,
Spring into summer, summer into fall, —
So rolls the changing year, and so we change;
Motion so swift, we know not that we move.
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