Posted on 11/11/2010 6:08:16 PM PST by ocr1
(In the first half of this essay, Gerrymandering 101, I explained how gerrymandering works and why it’s so ubiquitous. Here in the exciting conclusion I name and shame the ten most gerrymandered districts of the current 111th Congress — plus 20 bizarre bonus districts not mentioned in the title.)
(10.) North Carolina-12
This is what most people imagine when they think of a gerrymandered district — what I call “Gerrymander Classic.” NC-12 looks very much like the gerrymandered districts of the 19th century, but taken to extremes. As bad as it is, NC-12 at least looks like a congressional district, with meandering lines, consistent width, and hand-drawn appearance. As we’ll soon see, modern gerrymandering is often another animal altogether, with jarring shapes and artificial boundaries that are not just offensive to the eye but somehow feel like an insult to rationality.
(9.) Florida-20
(Excerpt) Read more at pajamasmedia.com ...
LOL!!!!!
Wow! While in Winston Salem, I would NEVER imagine I’d be in the same Congressional district as parts of Charlotte!
That’s insane!
I hope the republicans in NC return the favor after all these years. lol They should make everything Greensboro, on to the East ONE Congressional district, and give the rest of the seats to the Western part of the state. Except for Asheville. Maybe can somehow find a way to give it to Maryland.
I expected NC12 to be in the top ten, for sure... only slightly surprised that it’s #1. Written specifically to guarantee that Mel Watts enjoyed a long a happy stay in Congress.
Oh no, I just realized Horneytown is in District 12.
Typo — #10... not #1.
They may remedy that soon...
Great job done by the person who researched and assembled this.
Most people have no idea.
I’m in NC -1, Butterfield’s district.
I had no clue a Republican was even running against him until just a few days before the election, never saw a sign, never met the candidate and I am involved in the county GOP. He had little money, little support and a large spread out area to cover.
The elections of prolife Catholic father of 10 children Bobby Schilling in Illinois 17 and Col. Allen West in Florida 22 are proof that gerrymandering can be defeated.
Interesting story, but too much emphasis on shape IMO. Shape is a symptom of the effort to predetermine the outcome of elections. Some shapes are simply a function of geography. For example, the Florida Keys have to be in someone’s district and tacking them onto FL-18 where they begin to stretch out from the coast makes sense.
The Voting Rights Act was created to help Blacks and Democrats. In some states, the principle of ethnic representation is being used to create Hispanic districts (IL-4) and American Indian districts (AZ-2). All of this is backfiring on the Democrats. These districts have become sacred cows and will thus be maintained in perpetuity ensuring that their representatives have jobs for life and can probably pass on the principality to their descendants. These people are above reproach and are now radical leftists if not outright Communists. They have the seniority and numbers to be the power brokers in the Democrat caucus and may well become the face of the party. This will help drive “traditional Democrats”, blue collar, middle class, working families into the ranks of the Republican Party.
Republicans will largely control the redistricting process next year. They will use their power to correct some of these absurd anomalies, but they will also create some of their own. The result will be that the Democrats will be shoved into ethnic and urban enclaves (except in the Northeast and West coasts). The representatives of these districts will not be the face of America. They will be Red Diaper babies, ethnic and interest group advocates, and other oddballs and malcontents. Good luck with all of that, Democrats. You have sowed the wind, now reap the whirlwind.
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