Former President Gerald R. Ford once famously said, “Our long national nightmare is over.” He made that statement upon his pardoning of President Richard M. Nixon. He was of course referring to the Watergate scandal, the president’s role in that scandal and presumably the public’s rancor, distrust and general disregard for Washington as a miasma of decaying politicians. In the four decades since Ford’s pronouncement, only the pardon has stood the test of time.
For 10 full months in 2016, we will be witness to a virtual banquet of bitter debate about the future political course of the nation as we endure the campaigns of office seekers from the presidency on down. And while some will rejoice at the outcome and others will mourn — perhaps for four years — most Americans will at least experience a measure of relief: the daily diatribes of the campaigns will have ended. Can the transportation industry expect any relief before voting day? The answer is yes, definitely.
While no one is predicting any lessening of ill will between the major political parties, we will at least hear a lot about infrastructure and investing in America’s future. That won’t necessarily result in any action, but we’ll have them on record. And we can all look forward to a dramatic pullback in the pace of regulation. Presidential election years bring good news to those who have to deal with the Washington regulatory regime.
An unwritten “rule” at most federal agencies (loosely translated) says, “It’s time to step on the regulation brakes; we just might have a new sheriff in town come January, and we’d have to undo a new rule.” Perhaps closer to the truth is the reality that a new rule of any magnitude simply cannot clear all hurdles in 12 months. And for that we are thankful.