There’s Been Another WoodBooger Sighting... But Not in the Woods

Folks around here used to tell stories about the WoodBooger hiding deep in the mountains of the Washington and Jefferson National Forests. City folks call him Big Foot, big, hairy, hard to find, and if you did spot it, nobody quite believed you.

Funny thing is, these days, you don’t have to go into the woods to find one.

You just have to try and find your current Congressman in Southwest Virginia.

Now back in the good ol’ days and I mean the real ones, not the kind folks talk about on campaign flyers,  we use to have tobacco barns curing in the fall, dairy farms milking before daylight, local car lots with hand-painted signs, and downtown stores where folks knew your name before you walked through the door.

We also had something else.

We had a Congressman who worked.

Not talked about working. Not posted about working. Worked.

His name was Congressman Rick Boucher.

If you needed him, you could find him. Not on social media. Not behind a press release. In person. Sitting across from you at a table, listening. You didn’t need a scheduler, to be a BIG donor, or a miracle. You just showed up.  He’d meet with ya!

And when he went to Washington, he didn’t go sightseeing or to campaign fund raiser dinners.

He went to WORK.

Now here’s where it gets interesting.

Because politicians like to say, “Well, everybody works hard in Congress.”

But numbers have a funny way of telling the truth when stories don’t.

Back during Boucher’s years, it wasn’t unusual to see him tied to dozens and dozens of pieces of legislation in a single Congress. Sponsored bills, co-sponsored bills, working across the aisle, pushing things forward. The man stayed busy enough you’d think he owned stock in ink pens writing so many bills.

Now fast forward to today and our current representative, Morgan Griffith.

If you look at the same kind of numbers bills sponsored, bills co-sponsored you’ll find something a little different.

Lighter.

A lot lighter.  Some folks would say, ‘He’s on the draw!’ doing so little work.

Where you once had a Congressman deeply involved across a wide range of legislation, now you’ve got a handful here, a handful there, and a whole lot of explaining why things can’t get done.

And that’s the part folks are starting to notice.

Because it ain’t just about numbers.

It’s about presence.

It’s about whether your Congressman shows up before the ribbon cutting or after the hard questions.

It’s about whether you can shake his hand without needing an invitation.

It’s about whether he’s fighting to bring something home or just sending out another newsletter telling you why he couldn’t.

And around here, people are asking a simple question.

Where is he?

Because the more folks look, the more it feels like chasing one of those old WoodBooger stories.

You hear about him.

You read about him.

See an occasional picture of him.

But try to find him when it matters?

That’s a different story.

And somewhere along the way, folks started putting two and two together.

Hard to find. Hard to pin down. Always talked about, seldom seen when WORK shows up.

That’s how Morgan Griffith earned the nickname.

WoodBooger.

Now I’m not saying the WoodBooger ain’t real.

I’m just saying if you’re easier to spot than your Congressman, something’s gone sideways.

And in a place like Southwest Virginia, where people still believe in showing up, shaking hands, and putting in a hard day’s work…

That’s not folklore.

That’s a problem folks.