America needs more congressmen. Hundreds and hundreds more congressmen.

Engorgio Congress!

More, more, more!
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Pretty much everyone hates Congress. So it may surprise you to hear that we need more congressmen. Hundreds and hundreds more congressmen.

I have argued before that as long as the GOP remains in thrall to partisan extremism, the Democrats must use procedural warfare — within the bounds of the Constitution — not just to reclaim power over the next four years, but also to remake the American political system once they have attained it. That system as it exists comprehensively disadvantages Democrats in national elections and governance. Finding remedies for this problem means pursuing statehood for D.C. and Puerto Rico, enacting a huge expansion of voting rights and access, and breaking California into as many as seven different states, most of which can be achieved with simple acts of Congress and none of which require amending the U.S. Constitution.

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David Faris

David Faris is an associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and the author of It's Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics. He is a frequent contributor to Informed Comment, and his work has appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and Indy Week.