The “dumbing down” of complex policy issues into partisan shorthand attacks is a characteristic of today’s politics that I am working to change.  

I believe that Connecticut does a better job managing our political landscape than the federal government and certain other states.  Speaker of the House Matt Ritter (D-Hartford) and House Minority Leader Vin Candelora (R-Branford) set a civilized tone in the CT House of Representatives, and the dialogue is usually substantive.   CT has a lot of which to be proud.

And yet, we are not immune.

Taking votes on the CT House floor is not easy, even in the best political climate.  The issues are often nuanced; one might support parts, but not all of a bill; one might support the purpose of a program wholeheartedly, but the state cannot afford it.   Legislators must often balance competing priorities.

The problem with today’s politics, even in Connecticut, is that sometimes the substance of these complex policies is distilled down to a one-dimensional cudgel that either party uses to hit the other over the head. 

Even hot button words in the title of a bill can become political grenades.  If a bill title contains the words “Reproductive Rights” and a legislator votes against it, I have seen it used as “proof” that this legislator is not pro-choice, regardless of what the underlying bill says.  If a legislator supports a bill with “Gun Control,”, that alone can be used as “proof” that such person opposes the Second Amendment.   The title words “Trust Act,” “Transgender,” “Women’s Sports,” “Voting Equity,” “Voting Security,” even “Freedom” can all carry political risk - regardless of what the underlying bill says.

This sounds like an exaggeration, but sadly, it is not.  I heard one House member say to another on the House floor this year: “I can’t vote ‘no’ on this Bill.  The title says ‘Elderly.’   If I vote no, next election my opponent will say on a campaign mailer that I hate the elderly.’”

At the Special Session in November, I voted against establishing a temporary $500 million “side-fund” created for the Governor to use largely at his discretion.   The fund was originally intended to make up for shortfalls in SNAP and other important funding due to the federal government shutdown which had begun on October 1.  The “side-fund” would last only until February 4, 2026, until the legislature reconvened and could appropriate funds in the normal budget process.  I supported that proposal.

However, by the time the bill went to a vote, the shutdown emergency for which the bill was originally created - was over.  Yet, the bill proceeded. At the time of the vote, the bill’s proponents could not demonstrate any specific monetary deficit, any program terminating, any quantifiable decrease in SNAP benefits before February 4, which would justify a “side-fund,” departure from our standard budgeting practices.  The “side-fund” was also in my view, a clear violation of the fiscal guardrails which I had promised to uphold.    I voted no, along with other legislators.   I recently read a partisan shorthand attack which obfuscated the issues underlying this vote, calling it simply a vote “against SNAP benefits.” 

The problems with this dynamic are obvious. Policy involves tradeoffs, and one-liners don’t explain those. Knee-jerk reactivity gets in the way of simply asking questions, getting the facts and understanding the issues.  Finally, the dumbing down dynamic is a race to the bottom – who can be angrier, who can make the content of a bill seem more extreme, and who can make the “other side” look worse.

So, what is the solution to this “dumbing down” of our state democracy? I welcome your input.

I believe that part of the solution is to resist the trend.  I am committed to doing that.  As a State Representative, I believe this means asking questions, casting votes on the substance, providing full information to the people I serve, and trusting them to digest it.  It is a privilege in all respects to represent the 149th District, including the fact that its citizens care, read, engage, and generally digest the issues at a very high level. Thank you for the privilege of serving you.  We should cultivate this ability to look deeper than the latest partisan attack, both in our community and in any and every district in our state, thereby resisting the race to the bottom.    If the alternative is the continued “dumbing down” of our democracy, we have no choice but to resist.