Dan Balz, a political correspondent for the Washington Post, shared his political perspective about what happened in the November elections and what will happen in the future on Capitol Hill.

Balz has worked for the Washington Post since 1978 and has been following national politics ever since.

Throughout the lecture, titled “What next for Washington and the states?”, Balz explained that the country is in a difficult position.

The state of the political system is broken and in need of repair, he said.

“We live in a time period when politicians are mean spirited and try to win at any cost,” Balz said. “We live in a period of extreme political volatility.”

Politicians have moved their focuses to being reelected instead of doing what is best for the country. After the midterm election in November, the Republican Party retook many of the seats in significant states.

Balz said this happened for three reasons.

The economy is still down, the stimulus package was not successful and the health care bill passed too hastily, Balz said.

However, as the Republicans retook some of the seats, President Barack Obama will look for reelection in 2012. After being a phenomenon during the 2008 election, Balz said it will be hard for Obama to get that back again.

“After two years in hard times, it has taken a toll on the relationship between the president and the people,” Balz said. “The voters see a different politician now but they want to see the politician from 2008.”

For the county to make significant movement forward, the legislators need to find a way to work together; however, this election has only further separated the parties, Balz said.

“They have dug in more to the left and more the right despite the voters being in a mood to see their leaders compromise,” Balz said. While some areas on the agenda may see some compromise, there are many areas where it is hard to imagine any cooperation, Balz said.

This includes health care reform, immigration reform, the energy bill and the economy. The philosophies are so starkly different it has created a major roadblock in agreements, Balz said.

As for the state government, Balz said, state-to-state, everyone is in a dire fiscal sate with everyone hemorrhaging money.

“It is not an easy time to be a governor. The federal stimulus money is running out, and the states will be in trouble unless the economy starts to turn around,” Balz said. “And the politicians have not responded in the way voters see sufficient.”

Balz spoke as the sixth lecturer of the Edgar Speaker Series Monday night. The series is sponsored by former Governor Jim Edgar to provide lectures for the Eastern community.

“Guest lectures are an important part of an education, not as important as the classroom but still necessary,” Edgar said.

Edgar said he chose Balz because he is one of the few national journalists who still find the state governments important.

“I got to know him while I was governor,” Edgar said.

Throughout the day, Balz spoke with a journalism class, had lunch with President Perry and spent time visiting with Edgar.

Balz has spoken a few times before, but the Washington Post has ground rules that do not allow him to speak with companies. “So very often, when I do speak, I speak at universities, but it is fun to sit down with the students,” Balz said.

While covering politics for the last 30 years, Balz said he has learned to make use of his time. “Over time, you know who are the wise ones are and who the blowhards are and who the solid citizens are,” Balz said.

To research, he does a lot of reading and interviewing.

“You have to stay on top of things. You have to cover all bases and not just talk with one entity,” Balz said. “Time has given me a perspective with politics.”

However, he said he does not push too far into interpreting the system. “It’s invigorating. It’s a vocation which you are always learning,” Balz said. “The country changes and will always continue to change.”

Kayleigh Zyskowski can be reached at 581-7942 or kzyskowski@eiu.edu.

Dan Balz, a political correspondent for the Washington Post, talks about what is next for politics in the nation and state levels on Monday night in The Theatre in the Doudna Fine Arts Center. (Jordan Boner

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