Free The iCongressman by Mikael Carlson Page B

divide will only grow worse until it forms a rift
that cannot be healed. Ask Abe Lincoln how much fun governing is when that
happens,” I add to drive my point home.
    “You plan on doing that by yourself?”
    “I can’t. That’s why I need your help.” Somehow I sense she already
knows that’s why I’m here, but I go on to explain my thoughts anyway. She
listens intently as we meander around the Rotunda, and then on to the “Record
of Rights” exhibit where a copy of the Magna Carta is
on display.
    “Before you go down this path, you should know what you’re
up against. Over the last fifteen years, a majority of House districts have
become decisively Democratic or Republican. Three hundred of the seats in the
House are gerrymandered to the point where they are reliably safe for the
incumbent. Changing that won’t be easy, and in fact, will probably be a
complete failure.”
    Congressional districts are redrawn every ten years
following the national census. Gerrymandering is a term first coined by the Boston Gazette in the early eighteen
hundreds to describe a practice where these boundaries are manipulated to
establish a political advantage for a particular party. It’s just another
method politicians have used to reduce the power of the American voter.
    “Maybe, but it’s those members who don’t worry about being
reelected and can apply their ideological instincts without fear of retribution
back home. Members who feel no political need to court voters from the
ideological center aren’t compelled to collaborate and compromise. We need to find
a way to force them to play ball.”
    She reflects on my comment for a moment, and I notice this
woman is very hard to read. She is extremely intelligent and analytical, but
she also doesn’t show an overt willingness to share her true feelings on a
matter. As an old soldier, I have been taught not to trust reporters or
politicians. Now I am dating a journalist and asking for help from a Washington
insider. My world is completely upside down from where it was two years ago.

 

-TWELVE-

 
    SENATOR VIANO

 
    Most freshman politicians in the House are naïve fools.
Since the House is the proving ground for Senate, I didn’t have much exposure
to the laughable tommyrot these political rookies bring to the capital. As much
as Michael Bennit falls into this category, I find myself liking him.
    His back is up against a wall, and some very powerful people
are yearning to crush him. Ironically, some of those people are the same ones
who decided to end my political career. Bennit isn’t the type to go out quietly,
and the fighting spirit he embodies makes him my kind of guy. Unbridled
passion, and willingness to battle the elite in this town, is precisely what
I’m looking for.
    “There are a lot of merits to your plan, Michael. But
remember, these people have war chests as big as Beaumont’s. In the modern age,
politicians devote more time and energy to raising money to run for reelection
than any other singular task.”
    “True, but money doesn’t always buy wins. I spent nothing
and still came within a hundred votes of beating Beaumont,” Michael offers.
He’s right, but his campaign was unique and largely successful because of free
mainstream media coverage. For those not blessed with such an organic level of
curiosity, television commercials are the most effective way to reach the
population. Networks know this, thus air time for commercials is sold at a
premium.
    To afford them, a candidate needs to be well financed. The
result is that fundraising becomes the primary concern for any politician who
ever worried about reelection. It was my Achilles’ heel, and maybe the reason I
find Michael’s proposal so fascinating. But the other piece of his plan is
intriguing.
      “But you’re right, my
colleagues do spend an insane amount of time fundraising,” he continues.
“Because of that, there are few legislative statesmen and women. The number of
people