John Burris: Politics From The Inside Out

Talk Business and Politics – a well-respected publication built by an even more respected Roby Brock – enjoys a reputation for factual reporting and elevated political commentary. I’m happy to announce that I’ll be joining the team and hope to not tarnish that reputation.

The goal is a simple one: to provide political commentary on the process and the people shaping our public policy using insights, knowledge, and relationships formed over six years of service in the Arkansas legislature.

I hope to not disappoint.

For a first column (I’ve been advised I only get one), it seems appropriate to reflect on the people and events that helped shape my opinion of our state government and people who work within it or around it.

Politics can show us the bad in people, but more times than not, it shows us the good. For now, let’s talk about the good; there will be plenty of time for the bad.

Good people can make all the difference. In 2006, I was a manager at Wendy’s in Russellville. By 2009, I was the youngest member of the Arkansas House of Representatives. That’s because one of my drive-thru customers was Michael Lamoureux, then a state representative and now soon-to-be Chief of Staff to Gov.-elect Asa Hutchinson. We developed a friendship and he talked me into running for office. Blame him for anything that has happened since.

In political office, one can meet good people and make lasting friendships. During my first term in the House, the Republicans were only 28 strong, and we lost most every fight. It was a little bit like playing on a football team where the quarterback stuttered and the center was ticklish.

With not much else to do, a group of fellow “young turks” and I found ourselves enjoying whatever trouble we could cause for the powers that be. I won’t embarrass them by naming them, only because they’ve gone on to be Speaker of the House, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and a Budget Director for the next Governor. Friends must protect friends, of course.

Politics can allow you to spend time with people whose paths you would otherwise never cross. Paul Berry and Don Tilton are both self-identified gray-headed Democrats. They can’t help it, so I don’t blame them. They’re also fair, honest and enjoy political banter. We’ve spent many evenings together in the backroom of Doe’s. It was a decent way to spend my twenties.

Politics can help you realize that sometimes smart people can just look at things differently, and that’s ok. I don’t always have to agree with Bart Hester, Nate Bell or Andrea Lea. We agree on most things and I know they’re sincere. That’s enough for me.

Politics can also help you appreciate a person with whom you have little in common. In 2013, I watched Greg Leding – one of maybe three openly proclaimed liberals in the General Assembly – serve as the first ever Democratic Minority Leader. Caucus leader is a tough job; I’ve done it. It’s even tougher when your personality inclines you to just make things work. It’s a valuable yet always underrated quality.

Politics can make it very easy to misjudge a person, for whatever the reason. I spent four years working with Jeremy Gilliam (the next Speaker of the House). I’m embarrassed to say that I may have always underestimated him. He’s risen to the occasion in a tremendous way. Don’t make the same mistake I did.

Politics provides us with a chance to remember that no matter how tough an exterior or how wonderfully lauded a leader may be, emotion and human nature still play a role. I would have pardoned my own son too, after all.

Finally, politics can allow a person, or more specifically a group of people, to do some tremendously good things for our state. I’ve consistently been amazed that despite the drama, the personalities, and the chaos, what comes out on the other side of the policy-making process is almost always fine. It may not be exactly what I or others wanted, but you know there are always more debates to come.

Arkansas will continue to have its political debates. We’ll see the good and the bad. I look forward to observing from a different seat and offering some basic commentary and thought on what’s happening – as long as Roby will allow me.