For Southlanders, that has proved to be true in 2020.
While the Hamish Walker drama was picked over gleefully by commentators and political opponents, many of his constituents were still reeling at the looming loss of their popular MP and the subsequent upheaval in the National Party.
The installation of Judith Collins as National leader seemed to soften the blow in the blue stronghold of the deep South.
On the road to Southland from Cromwell, a stop at Frankton found a man packing his groceries into the back of his car at New World Remarkables Park whose first comment was that he was a big National fan.
He hoped Ms Collins would steady the ship and "get the Government out of it".
There was a similar current of renewed optimism as the winding, rocky Devil’s Staircase morphed into the lush green pastures of Lumsden and Winton. However, the major scandal that weighed on Mr Muller’s shoulders was not quite so welcome.
There was an air of sadness among those spoken to about the fate of Clutha-Southland MP Hamish Walker.
After sending personal details of Covid-19 sufferers to media, Mr Walker joined his predecessor Todd Barclay in the halls of first-term infamy.
The announcement he would stand down at the September election seemed inevitable, and a weary electorate was left to once again find a new candidate to represent them in Wellington.
The scandal seemed to hit particularly hard in Lumsden.
It was here Mr Walker really made a name for himself as he publicly waged war against the decision to close the Lumsden Maternity Centre.
The closure, which meant pregnant women had to travel further to have their babies, remained the hot topic in town ahead of the election.
Route 6 Cafe and Bar owner Rob Scott said if you asked anyone in the area what the biggest local issue was, that would be it.
"The outcome of that wasn’t too flash. It’s sort of been quite frustrating.
"It almost felt like there was a disconnected Government to the community down here, there’s sort of so many levels to go through before you get to decision-makers.
"It’s a sad outcome for something that was running really well."
That feeling of disconnect was a breeding ground for further frustration.
"Politics has almost sort of become not irrelevant, but the system needs an overhaul to get it back down to the ground.
"You look at the issues recently and the poisonous politics that’s taken over, that toxicity of them playing the political game rather than what they’re there for, representing the people and making things better.
"We had a great MP down here who unfortunately seems to have got caught up in that."
Being a National stronghold sometimes worked against the area, he said.
"National are safe with us, so they sort of don’t fight too hard for you, and Labour think that ‘there’s no point in trying to sort them out because they’re not going to vote for us anyway’.
"So you kind of get left out in both camps."
The maternity issue was one of the reasons Lumsden farmer and Heritage Trust chairman John Titter described Mr Walker’s fall from grace as "tragic".
"He batted for our local community, I think he’s a tremendous young guy,"Mr Titter said while waiting for a coffee.
But, he said, his actions could not warrant a second chance in the role.
He hoped the experience of Ms Collins and new deputy leader Gerry Brownlee would reinvigorate the party faithful.
"Being a farmer, I’m pretty excited."
Roughly 50km down State Highway 6 is the self-described heart of Southland: Winton, population 2200.
At its biggest polling booth, 72% of people voted for National in 2017.
There, the economic impacts of Covid-19 appeared to be exacerbating existing concerns about business viability.
Lace Ups Shoes owner Ashleigh Clare has a pretty good view of the main street through town from behind her store counter.
She said keeping businesses open and, in turn, "keeping our wee town alive" was front and centre of people’s minds.
As well as the lure of online shopping, many buildings needed earthquake strengthening and that could come with hefty bills.
A quick wander up and down the street proved there were indeed a fair a few empty shops.
One silver lining of the pandemic was that it showed people the importance of supporting local businesses, Ms Clare said.
The impacts of Covid-19 were also being felt by the town’s younger residents.
Despite it being the middle of the school holidays, Winton School principal Steve Wadsworth was busy working away in his office.
It had been a long few months for Mr Wadsworth, which included him going viral online after his family filmed a rendition of Can’t Touch This during lockdown.
It was a bright spot during a tough time.
Staff had been closely monitoring the wellbeing of pupils after the pandemic upheaval, he said.
"There was some unsettledness during the first couple of weeks back," he said.
That was another example of the need for more learning support and pastoral care funding, he said.
"Their emotional wellbeing needs to be looked after."
From Winton it was on to the big smoke of Invercargill for the evening.
The Prime Minister and Finance Minister arrived in the southern city a couple of hours later, hosting a cheery Facebook Live from their van on the way to their hotel.
Talk would turn more serious the next morning as the focus shifted to the new word on everyone’s lips: Tiwai.
