There’s a moment in time for politicians and other people in the public eye when they discover their position has diminished. They may hold the same job, retain much of the intellect and talent that got them there, but along the way something shifts – and they realize they don’t have the same degree of influence they’ve been accustomed to.

For our governor, Glenn A. Youngkin, it may have begun with a problem with one his appointees to the governing board of the University of Virginia, Bert Ellis. He was an alumni of the school and appeared to be politically and ideologically aligned with the state’s leader. But, Ellis, some would say, had a habit of saying the quiet part out loud, and his outspoken nature led the governor to ask him to resign in March. Ellis refused. (He was later removed and replaced.)

In April, the governor asked one of his party’s candidates for lieutenant governor to step down. He cited allegedly explicit posts on a social media account as a reason. The candidate, John Reid, also refused. His decision to stay in the race was supported by the current lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle Sears, asserting her role as the de facto leader of the party.

This week, the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee rejected several of the governor’s appointments to the Boards of Visitors, the group that oversees Virginia’s public colleges and universities.

Democrats on the committee weren’t impressed with his picks.

In a letter to the Rectors of the Board of Visitors for every public university in Virginia and the Virginia Community College, stated they “will not confirm individuals who do not possess the judgment, character, or willingness to follow the principles articulated in this letter.”

Like a duck whose quacking grows fainter as it drifts downstream, Youngkin’s voice carries less weight than it once did. In politics, as in nature, the loss of influence can be a gradual thing – until it becomes impossible to ignore.