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Gerrymander to Gerrymaster
Republicans set a trap for themselves.
NOTE: Within this text, wherever gender is not key to the explanation, I am using the Elverson ey/em construction of the Spivak Pronouns.
In John Dean’s very personal analysis of the Republican transformation after Nixon, Conservatives Without a Conscience, the basic problem is expertly illuminated. He begins the book by almost apologizing for the fact that it is not the book he originally intended. The original plan was to provide a general review of the corruption of the Republican Party complete with analysis and anecdotes from his own direct experience. When he undertook a serious analysis, though, it became clear to him that his plan for the book had to change.
His research was disciplined enough to identify something he saw as a common feature which may actually identify a root cause. Now, root cause is a term of art in engineering. In order to solve a problem properly, the engineer must identify the root cause of the exposed problem. Understanding the symptom is fine but its root cause is critical. If one understands the root cause, one may then craft a solution. Hmm, a solution to the corrupted Republican Party — could such a thing exist?
