Redistricting and Ruin
2011-07-13 - by
You can draw a straight line connecting the big political stories in Raleigh and Washington this week: redistricting in Raleigh and the debt stalemate in Washington.
Itâs a cliché â but itâs nonetheless true â that under todayâs redistricting system voters donât pick their politicians; politicians pick their voters. And, yes, both Democrats and Republicans do it.
The result is increasingly a system in which the only electoral competition comes in primaries, not general elections.
The further result is that both parties come to be dominated by their extremes. Moderates are squeezed out.
Then you end up where Washington is today.
Both President Obama and Speaker Boehner know how to raise the debt ceiling AND how to solve the nationâs short and long-term budget problems: a balanced package of tax increases (or loophole closings) and spending cuts, including entitlements. It would be an easy and relatively painless fix.
But Boehner is afraid of the extremists in his caucus who have made tax cuts the equivalent of mortal sin. Obama has extremists in his party who will oppose any entitlement reform; unlike Boehner, he has the guts, skill and standing to challenge them.
All of this would be avoided if we just adopted the Pearce Plan. Allow a bipartisan panel of political consultants to draw up the districts. Because itâs in our business interest to design competitive districts for all 13 Congressional seats, 50 Senate seats and 120 House seats.
Then voters get a real choice.
Redistricting and Ruin
2011-07-13/
You can draw a straight line connecting the big political stories in Raleigh and Washington this week: redistricting in Raleigh and the debt stalemate in Washington.
Itâs a cliché â but itâs nonetheless true â that under todayâs redistricting system voters donât pick their politicians; politicians pick their voters. And, yes, both Democrats and Republicans do it.
The result is increasingly a system in which the only electoral competition comes in primaries, not general elections.
The further result is that both parties come to be dominated by their extremes. Moderates are squeezed out.
Then you end up where Washington is today.
Both President Obama and Speaker Boehner know how to raise the debt ceiling AND how to solve the nationâs short and long-term budget problems: a balanced package of tax increases (or loophole closings) and spending cuts, including entitlements. It would be an easy and relatively painless fix.
But Boehner is afraid of the extremists in his caucus who have made tax cuts the equivalent of mortal sin. Obama has extremists in his party who will oppose any entitlement reform; unlike Boehner, he has the guts, skill and standing to challenge them.
All of this would be avoided if we just adopted the Pearce Plan. Allow a bipartisan panel of political consultants to draw up the districts. Because itâs in our business interest to design competitive districts for all 13 Congressional seats, 50 Senate seats and 120 House seats.
Then voters get a real choice.