A “General Assembly Glossary”
By Norman Leahy | Friday, February 24th, 2012 | Catch-All, Politics, VirginiaAnd now to lighten the mood, Steve Rossie (channeling his inner Ambrose Bierce) offers what I hope is just the beginning of a “General Assembly Glossary.” Snip:
This bill is not ready for prime time.
Real meaning: You really did a HORRIBLE job with this bill! How dare you waste this committee’s time with such a piece of junk? Go back to your office and DO NOT return the rest of session! Alternative meaning: How dare you ask me to vote on this and expose who I really am to my constituents?
This bill is a solution in search of a problem.
Reaction to a bill by committee members who can’t fathom changing whatever the bill is trying change. Alternative meaning: Reaction by committee members suspicious that the patron has statewide ambitions and want to cut him or her down a peg.
Go read the rest, and, for the lobbyists in the audience, suggest a few of your own.
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About the author
Norm Leahy has written about Virginia and national politics online since 2002, beginning with One Man's Trash (OMT), and continuing through Bacon's Rebellion (both the blog and the e-zine), Sic Semper Tyrannis, NBC12's Decision Virginia, Richmond.com and Tertium Quids. He is the chief blogger at "The Score" and a producer of "The Score" radio show as well as being a Washington Post contributor.
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3 Responses to "A “General Assembly Glossary”"
“When in doubt, lean to the green.”
“This is a tough call, there’s money on both sides of the issue.”
“There comes a time in every legislators life when he has to rise above principle and do the pragmatic thing.”
“When you’re up to your ass in alligators, throw them a friend.”
“The Trumbo Trot” — to take a walk around the capital so as not to be in your seat and have to make a vote you don’t want to make. Most recently exercised by Sens. Norment and Watkins on the continuing contracts bill.
“Rule 69″– It’s supposed to mean that the legislator has a conflict of interest on the bill. It more often means the legislator doesn’t want to risk losing any political capital by voting the way he really thinks.
‘Let’s rerefer this to appropriations” translation – we don’t want to be the ones to vote on this bill so we’ll let the appropriations committee kill it because it has a fiscal impact.
“The Closer” – in the House of Delegates, the delegate from the Speaker’s party who gets called on when the Speaker is tired of the debate and wants someone to “call the pending question.” Tom Moss used George Grayson, Vance Wilkins used Steve Landes, not sure who Bill Howell uses.
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