We get what we vote for

A Virginia legislator who co-sponsored a proposed law that would have allowed abortions up to the moment of birth  - indeed, in testimony one legislator admitted it would allow abortion even if the woman was already in labor - and would have allowed doctors to let some babies just die even after birth, now says she made a mistake and that in fact she had not even read the bill.

State Senator Dawn Adams admitted to her constituents(in writing), "I made a mistake, and all I know to do is to admit it, tell the truth, and let the chips fall where they may. If you follow my newsletter or have written to me to ask about my votes, you know that I do my best to read and research every bill I vote on. But I did not read a bill I agreed to co-patron and that wasn’t smart or typical. I will work harder and be better for it.”

That she didn't read the bill first is not really surprising - many politicians have done the same thing. They rely on aides to read and advise, or even just sign on because its something the party they belong to wants. Remember when Nancy Pelosi said of the Affordable Care Act, ""We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it." (Yeah, I know, she added "away from the fog of controversy." But the message is still that we would not understand its implications before it was passed, which still seems pretty irresponsible.)

Just because it's common does not make it right, though.

But will voters remember?

It may sound cynical, but having been involved in politics in a variety of ways for years, I have come to the conclusion that a substantial number of voters - maybe even a majority - don't really study the issues or candidates before voting. They vote based on who's popular, whom their friends or social set support, whose name they know, who spent the most money for ads, or simply because the candidate belongs to a particular party for which they have always voted.

We saw that in New York where Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a horrific abortion-expansion law passed by a now Democratic-controlled legislature. Even some pro-choicers have been expressing shock at the extreme nature of the abortion bill - but Cuomo was clear about his aims, and many people (myself included) warned about what he was going to do. Yet the voters still elected him, and gave the Democrats control of the legislature.

So an elected official in Virginia supporting - even co-sponsoring - a bill she never read seems par for the course. And her being reelected if she runs again would not be at all startling.

A careless, uninformed politician is simply a product of a careless, uninformed electorate.

Pax et bonum