Are State Legislators to Blame for Washingtons Partisanship?
posted by Josh Goodman After a fitful, month-long rise from the grave, bipartisanship in Washington has once again been pronounced dead (on Friday the 13th, no less). Democrats say they offered Republicans an open hand, but were met with a clinched fist. Republicans say it was the other way around. Before too long, though, I expect we’ll hear folks begin to blame another group: state legislators. Why state legislators? They’re the ones who draw congressional districts. They’ve had the habit recently of adopting incumbent-protection plans that create districts that are either heavily Democratic or heavily Republican. The theory goes that partisan districts produce partisan representatives. Too many congressmen are more worried about primary challenges than general election challenges, so they stick to the fringes of their party and avoid bipartisanship. If state legislators would just draw more swing districts, the theory goes, Washington would work a whole lot better. I’m certainly not
