Democracy is messy and it involves compromise and working with those you disagree to find common ground.
This is not #democracy.
“Some hard-line Republicans have voiced disgust at the prospect of using Democratic votes to install a speaker, or legislate after one is elected.”
#uspols #uspolitics #politics #HouseSpeaker
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/10/24/government-shutdown-house-speaker/
@jackiegardina every one of the hundreds of representatives in Congress was elected to the post.
We literally get the Congress we voted for.
We probably should stop reelecting the people causing this logjam, but here we are. We chose them.
It is democracy.
@volkris I think gerrymandering leads to extremism and undermines democracy. So yes, each of these individuals are elected but they also do not run in competitive districts that require them to compromise. And that’s a problem (for the left and right).
@jackiegardina unfortunately, I think gerrymandering is one of those things that some organizations point to as oversimplification, as they don't want to face the real, much more complicated issue of engaging with voters to change minds.
It's easy to throw one's hands up and just ignore the voters while saying "gerrymander!" when what's really needed is outreach, connection, and even the compromise mentioned above.
So like you said, we need to work with those we disagree with to find common ground. Yes, this is democracy, so those voters who voted for these jerks need to know who they voted for.
An awful lot of people don't know what their representatives do, and that's a real problem.
@jackiegardina the topic of gerrymandering tends to be more complicated than most people give credit for.
Just to mention one additional factor, there's the balance between wanting the more competitive districts potentially electing more moderate candidates versus intentionally creating districts to elect candidates that represent perspectives that one believes need more representation in Congress.
So I don't dispute that a district that is more divided might elect a more centrist representative, even that goal itself isn't necessarily the most important one. It's a complicated discussion.
*BUT!* From my perspective, we are so far from even getting down to that level of worrying about the functioning of the representative system.
I tend to say that it doesn't even matter what political perspectives exist within a district when the voters aren't even informed enough to know whether their representative is even matching their preferences.
It's like, I don't know, debating whether to buy a Lamborghini or a Maserati when really you're broke so neither option is actually on the table.
@volkris I see your point but I also think the opposite is true. Gerrymandering occurs so there is no need to have nuanced policy discussions. If you look at the voting records of representatives who live in more divided districts, you will see a willingness to work across the aisle and you will see more outreach, town halls, and need to defend voting records. In district that are dominated by one party, you don’t see the same engagement or need to explain votes.