In this era of shrill partisan bickering, the one issue that draws the politicians of this country together, the one task that is confronted with true bipartisan effort, with sustained and focused attention is not securing the nation’s borders, not Medicare reform, not even increasing Congressional salaries.
No, it is Congressional redistricting that brings our legislators to the bargaining table sober and calm, their wind bags safely at home, their discourse respectful and honest.
Why, you might ask, would something so mundane create this reaction when the threats of economic decline and catastrophic war do nothing to halt the ceaseless point-scoring and self aggrandizement?
The answer is quite simple. However much any individual Congressman might wish to dance on the ashes of the other party’s delegation, the imperative he faces is to preserve his own place in the legislature.
The only way to do this – short of changing one’s views to align with the interests of the district that one represents of course – is for Congressmen to exchange opposition strongholds in their own districts for pieces of territory in their neighbor’s districts that consistently vote against their representatives. This is a true win-win situation for the Congressmen involved.
Even more than the complex problem of campaign finance reform, gerrymandering is responsible for the fact that it is almost impossible to oust incumbent legislators or to win on a third-party ticket in this country.
As one unusually candid and responsible congressman friend commented when asked if he though he would win reelection, “Well, unless they find me in bed with a live boy or a dead girl...”
The terrifying fact is, gross incompetence and bold disregard for the most pressing issues facing the nation are no longer enough to merit removal from state’s highest assembly. Our lawmakers lead long and illustrious careers based on character traits that would have a 7-11 clerk pounding the pavement in a week.
The vast majority of our politicians are not legal scholars, not skilled statesmen, not even wise observers of human nature. Most lack even the most basic understanding of economics, and habitually avoid philosophical debates about the proper role of the state they command. The dirty secret of Congress is that, after all the schmoozing, pandering, kissing babies, and being taken to lunch, representatives haven’t the time to even read legislation before voting on it (much less make solemn deliberations about its merits).
They have become professional election winners who are qualified to do little else.
Allow me to propose a very simple constitutional amendment that will never ever be put into law but which would solve our incumbency problem overnight. Rather than allowing congressmen to carve up the country however they like, the law would state that all congressional districts must approximate contiguous squares with the precise boundaries determined only by state boundaries, major roads, bodies of water, and topographical contours.
These districts would be sufficiently diverse to put the traditional political class out of business. This would allow the return of true representatives, citizens who take a few years from their real careers to serve their fellow men.
This was the idea of a house of representatives in the first place, but without proper control and oversight, the temptation was too strong for our Congressmen to resist.
