The biggest single “WTF” of this year’s legislative session — bigger even than putative Democrat Peter Shumlin’s steadfast defense of tax breaks for the wealthy — had to be the bungling of campaign finance reform. It’s not the biggest in terms of impact, but it’s the widest margin between expectation and result.

Because after all, the Gov made it pretty damn clear how he felt about tax increases he didn’t approve of. (The only surprise there, IMO, was how far the Legislature was willing to take the tax fight. Sure, Speaker Smith and Penitent Pro Tem Campbell caved in the end. But at least they held out ’till the end.)

Whereas campaign finance reform should have been a slam dunk. At the beginning of the session, there was broad tripartisan agreement on a package that was about as meaningful as it could be in a post-Citizens United world. The heads of the Democratic, Republican, and Progressive Parties, mirabile dictu, all endorsed the legislation. So did Secretary of State Jim Condos. And Paul Burns of VPIRG.

So what could possibly go wrong?

Heh.  

Lawmakers in both houses batted the thing around like a cat toying with a mouse, until the victim was so dizzy that it probably welcomed its eventual demise. About eighty-bajillion different ideas were floated, effectively burying the bill under a mountain of competing proposals. Much too much of the debate was occupied with self-interest, not the public interest. Some were more to blame than others, but the result was a big fat zero for campaign finance reform.

In a year when “everybody” was on board with a decent bill.