roanoke.com Real Politics / Preston Bryant

JAN. 6, 2003

Call to post

Preston Bryant is a Republican who has represented Lynchburg and part of Amherst County in the Virginia House of Delgates since 1996.

It's that time. This week, the oldest, continuous democratic body in the western world will meet for the 384th straight year to carry on with what everyone calls "the people's business."

It's a proud week. There's a fair amount of pomp and circumstance to be found and enjoyed in the Jefferson-designed capitol. The Commonwealth's colors will somehow appear brighter in the crisp January air than they normally might.

The bugler's call is actually heard starting early in the week, and by mid-week all 100 delegates and 40 senators will have made their way from home stalls to the paddocks for dressing and then on to the track for leisurely warm-ups before stepping into the starting gates.

And it's a championship bunch, too, that's now before the crowd's wagering eyes. If you're on the track it means you've earned your way, having excelled at time trials and preliminary heats and won at least one honest-to-goodness, head-to-head match-up. You've probably so impressed a sufficient number of the keenest, most discriminating race watchers that you've gotten some serious jack backing you. And now you've got to perform.

The track beneath you varies with every race. Sometimes it's an easier run than others. This race, well, the dirt that may now appear smooth promises to be difficult, rutty even, by the time the strong-at-heart get going and it all begins to fly.

The stretch of track ahead, from gate to finish, is a quarter shorter than it was last year or will be next. The shorter the run, though, the more intense it necessarily is. Quick out of the gate at the sound of the bell with a measured clip, and room to build a pace that'll take you to full speed for the last straight quarter. At least, that's the plan.

At the moment, though, it's time to enjoy the pomp. It's too early to file into the gates. Yes, at the moment, it's time to hear and acknowledge and savor the bugler's call to post, and to get used to the track and good-naturedly size up the other riders and runners.

There are two among us who are commanding a good deal of the crowd's attention. One is a veteran who has just come into his own, Bill Howell, the good-spirited, well-liked everyman who's been tapped to be the next Speaker of the House.

He's one to run a smart race. After more than 15 years at the track, he knows the pace to set and the paces to beat. He's conservative and steady. And that's why he's been around as long as he has, why he's moved ahead, and why many believe he has certain staying power.

The other who's got all eyes on him is Mark Warner, our governor. He's a yearling who early on showed promise and then stumbled on tax hikes about three-quarters around the track in his first time out. It's a surer footing that he's still looking for as he prepares for his second run.

This week, Warner, a sometimes reddish- or blondish- or brownish- or flaxen-haired steed will stand tall from hoof to withers when he addresses a joint session of the House and Senate. In his State of the Commonwealth address, he'll talk for a half-hour or more and will, no doubt, recap all the ways in which he's made silk purses from sows' ears in a year of difficulty.

And, to be sure, he has done a good bit of that, and he should take some credit for recovering, at least partly, from his stumbles on a track that's been generally muddy, even sloppy at times.

Like any good young horse, though, Warner, a Democrat, has learned from other runners in the field. So while he claims some credit for some rightward moves, he also ought to acknowledge that the strategy he's apparently adopted for the long haul is one borrowed largely from Republicans. Cutting the size and scope of government and maximizing efficiencies is as old a conservative hymn as anyone can remember.

It's the second Wednesday in January that our state constitution prescribes the General Assembly to meet. That time is upon us.

The run ahead will see a good deal of jockeying. The field will be crowded. Some will start strong and falter, some will start slow and quicken only to peter out, and a few -- truly a few -- will run strong from gate to finish.

And when all is said and done and the race is over and the runners return to their home stalls and reflect on the race that was, a surprising number will call it quits before having to ready themselves for another run in another year. Those will be the older veterans who just don't run like they once did.

For the moment, though, it's time to hear the call to post and take notice of the Commonwealth's flag waving above Capitol Square against the clear Richmond sky. And it's time to take pride in the fact that, once again, as has been the case every year since 1619, there are folks from across the Commonwealth trekking to the seat of government to do the people's business.

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