Old-Fashioned Politicking
Mary Ann Akers of The Washington Post has this small but interesting article.
The article is about John Boehner and his smoking habit. It appears that the nearest smoking venue to the Capitol is the National Democratic Club. The Capitol Hill Club, which is where Republicans usually hang out, did not get an exemption to the D.C. smoking ban. Hence, John Boehner has been hanging out with Democrats in order to smoke conveniently, mostly with Democratic lobbyists, but also with Democratic representatives, according to Ms. Akers.
Might this lead to an interesting new bipartisanship? I have been an anachronistic fan of the old-fashioned "smoke-filled room" type of politicking. Reading history, it has seemed to me that it is in the behind-the-scenes realm of politics that most, and sometimes the best, political work gets done. Otto Von Bismarck said that making law was like making sausage and that it was better not knowing what went into a law. Well, I like sausage. Looking at law-making in recent times, I cannot see that we are getting better, nor less politically mixed-bag legislation than we used to get.
But perhaps the DC smoking ban will force a new bipartisanship. Finding a convenient place to smoke might enable conversations that would otherwise not happen and form interesting friendships across political lines, between those politicians who have smoking in common. I find this funny in many ways.








Comments
Unintended consequences
Wouldn't that be the most delicious of the unintended consequences of the nanny state?
Joe Knippenberg
Yes,
The whole thing makes me laugh.
Kate Pitrone
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