text: Gerrymandering isn't the only thing that has unbalanced the system. The Republicans' complete abandonment of longstanding political decorum in exchange for short-term political gain has as well. As Charles Blow writes in today's NY Times, "Democrats have grown too soft. They are still trying to fight a gentleman’s war in the middle of a guerrilla war. Their efforts to reach across the aisle keep being met by hands wielding machetes; their overwhelming impulse to take the high road ignores the fact that Republicans have already blown up the bridge on the high road." Playing by Marquess of Queensbury rules when your opponent is wielding machetes will get Democrats nowhere but killed. In today's toxic political environment hardball is the only game in town. You either play it or you lose. Everyone gets their hands dirty but one side wins. That careful, measured approach you so admire has gone out the window. It is now just a quaint relic of the past and it's not coming back.