The rules are changing and congresspeople need to figure this out

[CreekDog]

And that probably starts with owning, using, typing and web browsing on their own Blackberries (rather than having staff do it).

Because the landscape they are in is changing:

The concept of representing your "state" has changed. By now, most of us have no more loyalty to our state than to our county --it's simply a place we live for a period of time. While we might care how a bill affects our state, for most of us, we care more how it affects the country overall. There are exceptions, but the days where most of us or many of us vote based on allegiance to our states --that's over, long over.

The electoral utility of pork is also ending. I think the numbers of people who vote differently simply based on bringing projects home are dwindling. As for bringing in money to build subways, freeways and create parks --that's expected, though appreciated. Bring it back home and people say, "that's great, just like we expected." But are you going to get many people in another party to vote for you because you moved a federal facility to a town in your district? I doubt it. Even if people were inclined --they won't remember who did it --that is if they even know in the first place! People aren't voting on that stuff anymore. The days of having "Senator Pothole" are pretty much ending.

Playing the middle is becoming a loser's bet too. Recently, leaders seem more likely to be elected based on taking positions and sticking with them. There are some people who play the middle ground pretty effectively, but that terrain is shrinking. People who play the middle are risk averse anyway so as this happens, they'll be looking for more solid electoral ground and that's not in the middle. And why is this changing? The middle used to represent some sort of vaunted wisdom, choosing carefully among the options and not based on party. Well, that's antiquated by now. There are so many activists engaged now that when they send someone to DC, they don't want that Congressperson or Senator deciding for them, they want their rep to do what is expected. People who send liberals expect them to vote that way, likewise for conservatives. Moderates, once lauded for their independence now face an ambush of criticism from both sides when they inevitably disappoint everyone in the space of a month or two. Moderate is so over. Moderate means not having conviction, it means believing in something, but not too hard, it means being against something, but not all that against something. It's seen as a game now, as weakness or lack of conviction. Moderates like to be liked, but nobody likes them anymore --or so it must seem.

The rules of the game are changing and if the old players don't learn that, new ones will.