Gerrymandering is not necessarily a bad thing. Elections have consequences.
Posted on 11/02/2005 1:36:02 PM PST by calcowgirl
ifornia a city in Ohio?
It has been screwed up for a very long time. This will help, but I would like to repeal the 17th Amendment, too.
Don't have a Cal, man !
ROFL! I just requested that the mod fix that. My mistake.
NO on 2,3,4 and 5 in Ohio! They try to dress this crap up and call it reform. It's still Demwit crap!
"After Republicans won control of the Texas legislature in 2002, they redrew congressional lines with the help of then-House Republican Leader Tom DeLay and used the new lines to pick up five seats in Congress. Republicans in Georgia also redrew congressional lines after gaining control of the legislature."
Yup, no bias here. No mention that the TX legislature did NOT draw the lines for the '03-'05 Congress but liberal 'Rat JUDGES did. No mention that the GA 'Rats drew monstrously gerrymandered lines designed to disenfranchise the Republican-voting majority and that this is correcting an injustice to make the lines resemble the ones drawn for the '90s.
This is obviously a scam intended to keep the RATS in power. Who would compose these "independent" commissions? And how would they be appointed.
It is interesting that they have proposed this only after Texas was properly redistricted.
Yes, the deck will be stacked according to the people who get to appoint the "independent" commissioners.
Don't be so quick to dismiss the idea that voting districts should be drawn without trying to predetermine the makeup as to which party will end up with a safe district.
Safe districts mean no turnover for years. Whether the guy in a safe seat is a Dem or Rep, the longer they are there the less responsive to the district they become.
If the commission was truly impartial and the districts followed logical lines like rivers, town boundaries, etc, we would get better districts.
I am not signed up for the LA Times to put up a link but if someone else can, please feel free.
This is an excerpt from the article and the governor's quote.
"He cited Proposition 77, which would strip the Legislature of the power to draw voting districts and give it instead to a panel of retired judges. Schwarzenegger conceded that some Republicans are upset with that, worried that it could diminish the party's clout depending on how the new boundaries are drawn. 'What do I care? It doesn't make any difference to me if there are more Republicans getting a seat or more Democrats getting a seat,' the governor said."
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-forum29oct29,1,1822725.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california
(snip)
Schwarzenegger sought to demonstrate his sincerity in striving to fix what he calls a "broken system" by stressing that he doesn't care if his own party is upset with him.
He cited Proposition 77, which would strip the Legislature of the power to draw voting districts and give it instead to a panel of retired judges. Schwarzenegger conceded that some Republicans are upset with that, worried that it could diminish the party's clout depending on how the new boundaries are drawn.
"What do I care? It doesn't make any difference to me if there are more Republicans getting a seat or more Democrats getting a seat," the governor said.
And that's the right attitude to have. This isn't about advancing or hindering some faction's political fortunes. It's about doing away with a conflict-of-interests that's been poisoning our political system for a long time now.
Oops, sorry. I meant that to be posted to calcowgirl in post #1. I'm getting sloppy. :-)
Why would you want a redistricting plan that put even more Republicn seats in jeopardy? Do you really want DeLay to come back to work as the minority leader?
You aren't the only one that thinks that.
Ballot item creates GOP split
Doolittle opposes proposition on redistricting, but activists, other Republicans back it.
Sacramento Bee, September 11, 2005
"I think people know I am a pretty strong and loyal Republican," the 54-year-old, eight-term congressman said. "This proposition is bad for the Republican Party."With only nine of the 20 members of the California Republican congressional delegation lined up behind Schwarzenegger's redistricting initiative, Doolittle represents the majority view but feels a bit lonely on the front lines.
It may come as a big surprise to California Republicans backing Schwarzenegger's initiative, but Doolittle is convinced that the California measure has unwittingly become part of a nationwide Democratic plot.
"Democrats are doing this because they think this is a way they are going to take away our majority in Congress," he said.
Grass-roots redistricting initiatives are also under way in Illinois, Michigan and Florida, he said. If the California initiative isn't nipped in the bud, Doolittle forecasts a flowering national movement.
"The speaker of the House, the entire House leadership, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee and the chairman of the Republican National Committee all think (Proposition 77) is a disastrous idea," Doolittle said.
The Ohio measure, which recently qualified for the November ballot, is being pushed by Democrats and labor unions [and endorsed by Schwarzenegger]. According to Ohio Republicans, they could lose six of their 12 seats in Congress.
McCain is now running an advertisement on TV stressing that Voters will get to approve the districts. What he doesn't tell you is that the new districts will be used before the voters approve them. If they are disapproved, those elected with the (disapproved) district lines will remain in office and the judges go back to the drawing board. After that, newly drawn districts will again be used before they are approved, and, if disapproved, resulting election results will stand. Theoretically, these new districts could be used in multiple elections, never being approved by voters (in fact, being disapproved!).
Gerrymandering is not necessarily a bad thing. Elections have consequences.
So how do you expect it to be any worse than what the legislature draws up?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.