Judging by their first months in elected office, it looks as if state Rep. Talibdin El-Amin and state Rep. Jamilah Nasheed both could be headed for long political careers. Both have shown early promise as active legislators taking populist stands and effectively communicating their efforts to the public via the media, as best expressed by El-Amin’s recent appearance in Jet for his bill demanding that Missouri apologize for slavery, which could soon be parlayed into a coveted Oprah spot.
Young by any measure and very new to the political game, both should be forgiven a few early lapses in judgment and strategy. In the case of Nasheed, however, these early lapses are beginning to pile up, according to several of her colleagues. Whatever her popularity in her district – and she certainly is the darling of the North City black consciousness contingent – if she wants be effective in the Legislature, then she should take to heart what is being said about her by some of her fellow black Democrats.
Learn the rules. Nasheed recently was quoted in the Suburban Journals grousing about a colleague’s failure to introduce a bill she had sponsored in his committee, when she had not initiated the simple House procedure that enables bills to be put onto a committee agenda. She also tacked onto a bill an amendment that already stands as a state statute. Oops.
You shouldn’t scream at colleagues on the House floor. But scream at them all you want in your or their offices. That’s why those doors (conveniently) close.
Make your word your bond. Whether from indecision or miscalculation, she is developing an early track record of promising a vote and then not delivering it. Just ask state Rep. Jane Cunningham and her pro-voucher friends. This is a path to legislative doom.
Watch that ego. Her popularity in her district is not a matter of concern to her colleagues. Only accountability, leadership and power matter in the Legislature. She should check an early tendency toward arrogance.
You can’t legislate by protest. While putting her face forward on the St. Louis Public Schools and Pinnacle inclusion issues plays well in her district, those protest movements might be better served by finding figureheads that don’t need to get legislation passed in Jefferson City, where radical activism is no way to form necessary alliances.
To thyself be true. No one would deny that she is a protégé of attorney-activist Eric E. Vickers, and that’s fine, but some observers are saying (even if mistakenly) “puppet” rather than protégé, which is not a useful perception for a young legislator.
El-Amin and Nasheed both have proven natural ability as politicians and apparent commitments to the community. Some attention to form and detail now could make an enormous difference in the future good they are able to do.