Hippity Hoppity

Thinking about the curious stage name of Sunday’s rabbit guy, it did make me wonder why he chose his descriptive moniker, Bad Bunny. My understanding is that’s not what he was dubbed upon entrance into the world. Wouldn’t he rather be a Good Bunny? As my parents often told me, “It feels good to be good.”

So, too, with politicians. Wouldn’t they rather be good elected officials than bad? Wouldn’t they rather be good representatives of their constituents than represent them badly? Wouldn’t they rather lead in a good direction than in a bad one?

To be a good representative or leader in government is not that difficult. Like my baby granddaughter knows from reading The Bunny Book, the difference between good ones and bad ones is in where they hop.

A good politician hops around his or her district, listening to constituents – whether they are supporters or not – showing up at events, keeping in touch, finding out what the people need, seeking their advice on how best to represent them.

A bad politician hops around raising money for the next election.

A good leader hops across the aisle to get to know representatives from other parties and with other ideologies.

A bad politicians hops into meetings of his or her own caucus to decide how to defeat “the enemy on the other side.”

A good leader hops home to family, friends, and church services, to keep grounded in what matters. A bad leader hops in bed with special interests.

A good elected official hops promptly onto the floor of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. or to a state capitol building, to vote. A bad elected official uses the privileges of the office to galivant around the world on the taxpayers’ dime.

A good politician hops around to meet members of the government’s other branches, to show deference and build respect. A bad politician hops onto social media to criticize the efforts of those branches (often without understanding them).

A good leader pays attention to what is in the best interests of the middle majority of sensible, responsible people in their district. A bad leader sucks up to the fringes of his party or ideology.

A good representative represents and leads the people. A bad representative hops to the tune set by party “whips” and other party officials.