Political reform has failed in the past because those who claimed to want change just wanted to throw the other bums out. As long as their bum “brought home the bacon” they remained content. The obvious result of everyone wanting to keep “their” bum was that all of the bums remained.

Scott Brown’s election in to Ted Kennedy’s seat was a watershed event, a warning of what was to come. But the greater indication of a real change was the rejection of Ben Nelson’s acquiescence to the health care plan in exchange for major concessions for his state of Nebraska.  His governor and his voters loudly protested his compromise.

That indicated that the age of pork may be over. The voters make have rejected the old pork barrel politics for the sake of the greater good. In fact the blatant payoffs and coercion used to pass the vastly unpopular bill was as damaging as the bill itself.  By pushing too far the administration has caused rejection for both the means and the end.

It is a common political axiom that one does not want to see how laws and sausage are made.  Perhaps this change will merit a bigger change than just another swing of the political pendulum.

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