Democracy limping on 3 legs

When the great racehorse Barbaro shattered a leg, his career ended. Democracy also runs on four legs: the two chambers of Congress, the presidency and the Supreme Court. If one collapses, the whole system crashes, and that’s exactly what’s happening now in the House of Representatives.

With 435 members, who represent small districts and face the voters every two years, the House is specifically designed to reflect the popular will. But the “Peoples’ House” has become an American version of the House of Lords — insulated, arrogant, out of touch — and that’s a tragedy for democracy. Barbaro can’t run on three legs — neither can the government.

Here’s the core problem: Technology has allowed lawmakers to draw Congressional maps that virtually guarantee the election of one party in any given district. This year, only about 45 seats are truly up for grabs, which means that in almost 90 percent of the country, voters have no real choice.

Accordingly, Democrats will have a very difficult time overcoming the Republicans’ 15-seat margin next fall, no matter how angry voters are with President Bush. But our concern has nothing to do with partisan results. The very nature of representative government is at stake.

If most lawmakers come from safe districts, they have absolutely no incentive to listen to dissenting opinions. They only have to satisfy the base voters in their own party to stay in office.

As a result, the Republicans in the House are more conservative than ever and the Democrats more liberal. Compromise and moderation have become curse words.

The debate over immigration illustrates how dangerous this trend can be. The House passed a mean-spirited and totally unworkable bill that would turn illegal immigrants into felons and rip apart hard working, tax-paying families. The Senate is taking a different approach, for an illuminating reason.

Senators represent whole states, not gerrymandered districts. They have to listen to everybody, not just party stalwarts. The result: a bipartisan coalition is supporting a reasonable measure that strengthens border enforcement while enabling many of the 12 million undocumented workers already here to seek citizenship.

So what can be done? On the immigration issue, President Bush has constructively supported a reasonable compromise, but unless he exerts a lot more pressure on House Republicans it will never become law.

The problem, however, goes far beyond this one issue. The House itself has to change, and since lawmakers are unlikely to alter a system that gives them so much protection, outside pressure is essential.

Reformers tried and failed last year to pass ballot measures in Ohio and California that would place congressional redistricting in the hands of independent commissions, but those efforts should continue.

The Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a Texas case that raises a key question: is there any legal limit on the power of politicians to set their own rules? So far the justices have said no, but the perversion of democracy is so profound that hopefully, at some point, the judiciary will step in.

Until something happens to make House members more accountable to the voters, the American system, like Barbaro, will limp along on three legs.

Steve and Cokie Roberts can be contacted by e-mail at [email protected].