Originally published in the Daily Press.
August is definitely the doldrums of summer — especially when it comes to politics.
While a lot of folks have gotten themselves excited over the last couple weeks regarding Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy’s personal opinions on marriage or New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announcing that baby formula is now a controlled substance, those issues are a distraction to the problems we have facing us as a country.
The reality is that our economy is as stagnant as a still summer day on the James River.
In the first week of August we learned that, yet again, the economy is growing at an anemic pace — far below what is necessary for a recovery (or what was promised to us when we spent billions on a so-called stimulus) — and that unemployment has gone up again.
Congress has tried to take action — the Republican House of Representatives has passed 32 job creating bills, but they are withering like grass in the heat in the U.S. Senate — all with the threat of a tax increase looming on the horizon. And, the likelihood of elected officials reaching a compromise to break the logjam is about as likely as getting across one of the bridge-tunnels in less than 30 minutes at rush hour.
So, Congress has taken a recess. And August is as dull as ever.
State and local conventions and primaries keep us politically interested almost through June and then there is always an excitement that leads up to Independence Day. But following July 4 and up until nearly Labor Day, politics in the hot, sticky summer leaves a person longing to click off the TV or turn off the radio — particularly when the lies and innuendo are in full bloom.
One particularly noxious weed that has bloomed recently is Nevada Sen. Harry Reid’s charge that Mitt Romney has something to hide in those (as yet) unreleased tax returns. Reid’s accusation rests on information passed on to him anonymously, and despite repeated calls, even from the otherwise restrained Romney to “put up or shut up,” Reid continues to stick by his ugly insinuation.
But it’s all a sideshow.
The release of all of Mitt Romney’s tax returns — or Harry Reid’s for that matter, will not create a single job, pay down a dime of the national debt or get the nation’s budget a dollar closer to balance. And all the words expended, ink spilled and ads aired over this noxious summer tempest will not change the political landscape a bit.
Where we have relief in sight is with Romney’s selection of a VP nominee, which will undoubtedly turn the conversation to the economy and electoral politics and generate some much-needed excitement in an otherwise boring month, as we head toward the national conventions at the end of the month.
The prime time keynote speaker for the GOP convention has yet to be named, and one person not on the speaker’s list includes our own governor, Bob McDonnell — adding speculation that he might be picked as Romney’s running mate. But several other big names are ‘not’ on this list either, including Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
The bottom-line is that August is boring and we might as well go to the beach — if just to avoid the odious references from DC. Fresh political air (well, within reason) is just around the corner and will be here with the first fall breeze.
My column runs every other Wednesday in the Daily Press Opinion pages. Get your digital membership today!
