Pennsylvania redistricting Plan a Coup for GOP

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/70391.html ^

[bjcoop]

Republicans notched a major redistricting win on Tuesday with the unveiling of a Pennsylvania congressional map that deals a sharp blow to Democrats’ prospects in the state.

The GOP-drawn plan, released by a state legislative redistricting panel, forces two Democrats into an incumbent vs. incumbent face-off for a southwestern Pennsylvania-based seat and shores up more than a half-dozen House Republicans.

[bjcoop]

I'm registered to vote in Centre County because I go to Penn State. However, my home district in Schuylkill County stretches from Pottsville to Easton, to Scranton, to Wilkes Barre. Holden will never lose and it will be a solid Dem seat for at least a decade. It had to be done to help Barletta and Dent. Overall, it's still a very good map.

[SF_Redux]

only Politico and their democrat owners would call it a coup

[television is just wrong]

the dems did this in Cali big time so big you cannot put a republican in office. not a moderate not nothing except a democrat. our voices are silenced. our congressman Rogan who came out against clinton caused me to get joined with an adjoining area 98% hispanic and highly democrat.

[bjcoop]

That definitely stinks. There are a lot worse Dems than Tim Holden who is a self-described blue dog. I wish we could get rid of him since nothing has really been done in Schuylkill County and he is a career politician.

[Paladin2]

So, is Murtha still dead?

[Red Badger]

Holder and ‘his people’ at the Department of Just Us will file suit to block it in Feral court.....................

[bjcoop]

I think options for the courts are limited in this case.

[Tribune7]

Evil Genius Pileggi ping

[rellimpank]

—be that as it may, the Republidums have lost both Colorado and Nevada to court-fixed redistricting—

[Vigilanteman]

It is the jackass party's own damn fault, with a little help from Gleason, the RINO GOP chairman.

The Pennsylvania GOP could have offered nice, neatly drawn districts based on honoring county boundries and other logical lines.

In return for said logic, Pennsylvania's presidential electors would have been selected on the same basis as used in Maine and Nebraska: 2 for the winner of the state, 1 for the winner of each congressional district.

It was a logical, decent plan which would have not only lessened the influence of phony voting in urban areas, but forced the jackass party to compete across the entire Commonwealth rather than merely stuffing ballot boxes in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton and Erie.

But the jackass party and Gleason would have none of it.

[bjcoop]

Charlie Dent is a RINO on a lot-—especially on abortion. He better watch himself especially since he has a lot more conservative territory now.

[Lazlo in PA]

Charlie Dent is a RINO on a lot-—especially on abortion. He better watch himself especially since he has a lot more conservative territory now.

Your right he is a RINO. There is one thing you need to factor in with seeing him unseated by someone to the right. His bread and butter for votes is Allentown/The Lehigh Valley. It is loaded with RINO voters and old union Rats that swing his way. Add to that the fact that we're stacked with lefty refuse from NJ and NY now and it is pretty hard to get someone like Toomey in that seat again. He is also very involved in constituent relations that gets all the oldsters excited to vote for him.

The PA GOP always thinks they outsmart the Rats with these gerrymandering schemes only to have it blow up in their faces. Dent was in charge of redistricting in 2001 and we ended up losing the Bucks county and Philly burbs as solid GOP voting area.

[Red Badger]

That never stopped them before.................

[bjcoop]

Thankfully, the Lehigh Valley hasn’t totally collapsed. Toomey still won both Northampton and Lehigh Counties last year.

[brityank]

Found a map that lays the new districts out:

Click pic for full size.

[Lazlo in PA]

Toomey is well liked in this area. He was a good congressman and he did something smart that I can’t believe others don’t do. He befriended the local right wing morning radio guy Bobby Gunther Walsh and made weekly appearances even when he was at Club for Growth. He was able to stay fresh in peoples minds here. It also helps that outside of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, it usually runs north of 60% GOP voting to offset the stupidity of the population masses of the cities.

[Lazlo in PA]

Geez. Some of those districts are ridiculous. One would almost think the they spilled coffee on the map and went with the stain for a congressional district. The 7th is a real winner.

[Calusa]

The plan is not final – it must be passed by both houses of the state Legislature and then signed into law by Republican Gov. Tom Corbett. But Republicans control all levers of redistricting in the state, leaving Democrats with little power to contest the map.

Even so, will it be tossed out by one of the legion RINO and outright left wing pettyfoggers appointed to the federal bench GHW Bush and Bubba? Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/70391.html#ixzz1gX5Kg9gJ

[Old Teufel Hunden]

My guess is that Altmire will win that primary. Critz cracked me up in that special election. His commercials made it sound like he was a Reagan conservative. It will be tough to beat Altmire. His voting record is pretty conservative.

[Our man in washington]

I know this helps the Republicans, but Congressional maps like that shouldn’t be allowed. The first, second, fourth, eighth, and 14th districts are reasonably sane, but the rest are absurd. Admittedly, the Democrats do this in other states but there should be a mutual ceasefire.