Posted on 02/24/2009 8:44:21 AM PST by St. Louis Conservative
Republicans should begin to inform voters in swing states like New Hampshire, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Iowa just how much political clout and federal money a crassly partisan Obama census process would cost the people and politicians of those states. Republicans should encourage bipartisan state resolutions to demand a census free of theoretical projections and guessing. Reapportionment produces as many losers as winners. It is for just this reason that it must be fair. The losers are never happy. Republicans must, as soon as practicable, let voters in states which would be cheated with a partisan census count know what Democrats are planning for them.
Republicans can stop Democrat gerrymandering by controlling one house of a state legislature or by controlling the governorship of the state. Several big states held by Democrats will elect governors in 2010: New York, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Massachusetts. Republicans ought to focus attention on winning as many of these governorships as they can. The Republican disadvantage in state legislatures is marginal. Until the 2006 and 2008 election cycles, Republicans had more muscle than Democrats in these legislatures. An unpopular Obama Administration in 2010 could produce a natural backlash against the Democrat ticket and return control of several state legislative chambers to Republicans. Actually, the Republican task is even easier: Democrats need to control both legislative chambers and, unless they have a veto-proof majority, the governor as well. All Republicans need is one legislative chamber or the governor and enough votes to sustain a veto in one legislative chamber to prevent gerrymandering.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
It's worth noting that the 1990 redistricting process was one of the single biggest factors in the 1994 "Republican Revolution." In my home state of New Jersey, the backlash against a tax-and-spend Democratic governor (Jim Florio) in 1989 put the control of the legislature in GOP hands long enough to have the GOP re-draw the Congressional districts after the 1990 census. New Jersey lost a seat in the House after 1990, and the GOP made sure a long-standing Democrat was never replaced after he retired.
You know, the morons who voted for Obama deserve EVERYTHING that’s coming to them.
Trouble is, the rest of us don’t. And we’re going to have to suffer with the rest of them.
I still have my faith in God, of course, which is sometimes my only comfort these days.
And also a firm belief that Obama won’t be able to deceive people forever.
Ohio isn’t a swing state. Obama won Ohio. In 2006, Ohio elected a new democrat U.S. senator and a new democrat governor.
The federal government shouldn’t give any money to state or local governments, since that isn’t authorized by the Constitution. The federal government gives about 12% of its budget to state and local governments. Congress should eliminate that spending, and, since the federal government would need less money, they would pass an across-the-board 12% tax rate cut. When taxpayers pay less, in federal taxes, state and local governments would be able to change their tax rates, to ensure that they receive enough money.
Now that the census is moving under the White House (an unconstitutional move btw) gerry mandering will begin in earnest. I’m not sure how the GOP will ever get re-elected if they pull this off.
In 1992, Republicans gained nine seats, in the U.S. House, mainly because of redistricting. In 2012, Republicans will gain 10-15 seats, because of redistricting.
Republicans start with a distinct disadvantage in this “battle.” The White House will determine the census numbers and therefore relative representation.
It remains to be seen how the census will be conducted. Now that it has drawn considerable attention, I imagine that the GOP and other independent observers will be following the count closely to make sure no shenanigans are involved. Look for a court challenge if they try to use statistical sampling to count people.
Second, the congressional districts are drawn by the states, not the feds, so while the feds allocate the amount of districts per state, the states themselves get to draw them.
See post #8.
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