Outgoing Congressman Leach sees parties as "mirrors" of each other

Outgoing Republican Congressman Jim Leach, a longtime advocate of campaign finance reform, says the state of politics in America is “awkward.” “The two parties are mirrors of each other right now. They’re governed in congress by the edges,” Leach says. The vast majority of Republicans and Democrats in the country are “towards the center” rather than “at the edges,” according to Leach. Leach says the Iowa method of drawing congressional district lines should be applied nationwide — so that a nonpartisan agency maps out the districts and Iowa legislators cannot “gerrymander” the districts to favor either party. Leach says it’s time to “get the money out of politics” and to rebuild the primary process to “broaden” participation from all viewpoints, not just conservatives in the Republican party and liberals int he Democratic party. Leach was defeated this past November by Democrat Dave Loebsack. “You never want to lose, but on the other hand I think I’m probably the least disappointed of anyone that didn’t come out on the winning side,” Leach says. Leach, who is mulling job offers from universities and colleges, made his comments during an appearance on Iowa Public Television.