I can't believe NPR called this segment today, 'Calif. Redistricting Likely To Have National Impact', since that's not exactly the message of the person -- in this case, a professor from Calif. -- had to say:
John Ydstie (NPR): Can you imagine that over the next decade or so, reforms like this could unlock the gridlock in our national politics?
Bruce Cain: Not by themselves. I mean, on the margin they can help. But I think most political scientists believe that the gridlock is based fundamentally on deeper forces -- either public option, the way the media operates or money.
So essentially, Ydstie was looking to 'wrap this up' with a superficial kind of label frequently found in the mainstream media -- and the professor came out and told him, well, no it's a bit more complicated than that because of the role played by other factors including interestingly enough, 'the way the media operates or money'.
My, how refreshing. Why don't we fire Ydstie and hire that professor to present the news? He's obviously got a firmer handle on what is and is not likely to have a national impact.
