There is an old political saw:\u00a0\u00a0\u201cYou scratch my back, and I\u2019ll scratch yours\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s one of the basic definitions of politics.\u00a0\u00a0It takes more than one to get anything done.\u00a0\u00a0Cooperation is the essence of political activity.\u00a0\u00a0That might sound confusing:\u00a0\u00a0competition is also a political essence; competing candidates and views vying for the voter support.\u00a0\u00a0Even within political parties, competitions are held to determine who will \u201cwin\u201d the right to compete with the other party in the general election.\u00a0\u00a0But once the competitions, the elections, are over; politicians aren\u2019t just supposed to win and sit on their\u2026laurels.\u00a0\u00a0They are supposed to try to accomplish what they promised the voters to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And for most political activity, from school boards to the United States Congress, it takes cooperation to get anything done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now in some alternate Greek philosophic world, legislative bodies would discuss the pros and cons of a particular action, reach a consensus based on the \u201cbest idea\u201d, and vote for it.\u00a0\u00a0But in the real world, some folks will never be persuaded by \u201chigh falutin\u2019 debates\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They require persuasion of a different sort.\u00a0\u00a0As opposed to Socratic debate in the Agora, these folks are more interested in the more mundane task of \u201chorse trading\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0That\u2019s a very basic idea:\u00a0\u00a0you need my vote to pass your idea, and I need your vote to pass mine, let\u2019s trade.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s \u201cback scratching\u201d in the most basic sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the reasons that our current political life is so complicated, is that \u201cback scratching\u201d has become a political liability.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Our divisions are so deep and wide, that to cross the chasm to \u201cmake a deal\u201d has become a mark of political treason.\u00a0\u00a0Whatever you think of the \u201cfence straddlers\u201d, like Fetterman in the Senate, or Massie in the House, they both are paying a huge political price for taking positions with the other side.\u00a0\u00a0Massie won\u2019t be back in January,\u00a0\u00a0and Democrats are lining up to challenge Fetterman in 2028.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Before you write Fetterman off as a \u201chulk\u201d in a hoodie and gym shorts, here’s a fact.\u00a0\u00a0He has two Masters degrees, an MBA from the University of Connecticut, and Masters in Public Policy from Harvard.\u00a0\u00a0He ain\u2019t dumb, at least not academically!!).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n President Trump historically has been able to avoid the \u201cback scratching\u201d routine.\u00a0\u00a0His indisputable power over the MAGA voter, the \u201ccontrolling interest\u201d in most Republican primaries, exempts him from returning favors.\u00a0\u00a0His model is:\u00a0\u00a0fall in line with me, or I\u2019ll find someone else who will.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s been demonstrated over and over again this primary season.\u00a0From the Indiana state Senators to Tom Massie in the House of Representatives, to Nancy Mace in the South Carolina Governor\u2019s race, to Republican Senators Tillis, Cornyn, and Cassidy, Trump “primaried them”. \u00a0\u00a0They\u00a0\u00a0all opposed him at some point, and now they are all looking to the end of their political careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But there is a flaw in the authoritarian Trump model.\u00a0\u00a0As much as he would like to govern by simple fiat (executive orders), there are still areas where the President needs to have Congress \u201cpass a law\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0While both Republicans claim (and Democrats concede) that the GOP controls all three branches of government; the Republican hold on the Congress is tenuous.\u00a0\u00a0Should five of 435 Congressmen, or four of 100 Senators, switch their vote from the Republican side to the Democratic side, Republican propositions will fail.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the remainder of 2026, there are (at least) the three Republican US Senators who have nothing left to lose.\u00a0\u00a0Add to them Joni Ernst from Iowa, and “good old” Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, both retiring, and the \u201cregular swing Republicans\u201d, Maine\u2019s Susan Collins and Alaska\u2019s Lisa Murkowski; and there may well be a clear majority against the President\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No one is scratching their backs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So who do we blame for this \u2013 Donald Trump?\u00a0\u00a0He is a big part of the national inability to get things done.\u00a0\u00a0But there is an even greater reason for legislative inaction across the political spectrum:\u00a0\u00a0Gerrymandering.\u00a0\u00a0Legislative districts are drawn intentionally to include a greater preponderance of one political party (or the other). That results in less value in appealing to the \u201cmiddle\u201d of the political spectrum. Ohio\u2019s 12th<\/sup>\u00a0Congressional District, my District and Congressman, is a clear example of this.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prior to the 2022 re-districting, the 12th<\/sup>\u00a0included a part of the City of Columbus, and the \u201cpurple trending\u201d suburban areas of Delaware county; in addition to heavily Republican Licking and Muskingum counties.\u00a0\u00a0It was Republican, but a \u201cclose\u201d district.\u00a0\u00a0In a 2018 special election, the Democrat came within 2000 votes of winning.\u00a0\u00a0But re-districting carved the \u201cDemocrat\u201d out of the 12th<\/sup>, with Columbus and the Delaware suburbs moved into other Districts, and more Red rural counties added.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, Republican Congressman Troy Balderson has no need to reach across the aisle.\u00a0\u00a0In fact, he faces a great deal of pressure to \u201cstay loyal\u201d and \u201cstay in-line\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0After all, there\u2019s always a more \u201cMAGA\u201d candidate out there somewhere should he stray from the Trump line.\u00a0\u00a0The city of Zanesville seems to have an endless supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to fix dis-functional legislatures?\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s not about \u201cMaking America Great Again\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0The new slogan should be, \u201cMake Elections Competitive Again\u201d\u00a0\u00a0(MECA \u2013 well that acronym might cause a stir!!).\u00a0\u00a0Put political value back in problem solving and cooperation, and, politicians might problem solve and cooperate \u2013 who\u2019d have “thunk” it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s just takes a little scratching.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Narrow Margins<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Gerrymander<\/h2>\n\n\n\n