Texas Redistricting Talks Begin

The Monitor ^ | 11/11/2002 | Steve Taylor

[pbranham]

Here we go. Should be fun.

[lelio]

Redistricting is like setting up a tenure position for your party. It stinks and gives us people like my rep Baghdad Jim McDermott. He'll never ever loose his seat.
If the procedures were more public with daily available maps then maybe the process would be more fair. Right now it is all smokefilled back room stuff.

[deport]

I doubt this gets off the floor but looks like it is being thrown out to see what sticks and what deals are available.

[Redbob]

NOT redistricting is worse yet.

It gives you the situation we now have, with Texas voting GOP by a vast majority, and yet having a majority-Dimocrat House delegation. A huge number of Texas citizens are poorly-represented as a result.

[anymouse]

Texas ping.

[Dog Gone]

I'm glad they're talking about it. We could swing up to six seats from the Rats to the GOP.

I wasn't aware of the 2/3 requirement, though. I thought we could simply ram it through.

If it means cutting a deal with a Democrat to make it happen, I'd still be in favor of it. NO WAY should Texas be sending more Democrats to Congress than Republicans. It's time to gerrymander those districts in our favor for a change.

[Dark Wing]

Let the Games begin!

[Slyfox]

A GOP-drawn plan would likely overturn the current 17-15 majority Democrats enjoy in the Texas Congressional delegation,
as well as gut the Dallas seat currently held by ranking Democrat Martin Frost.

I'll drink to that.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

DG, I talked with two State Reps last week and they say the entire party was talking about it at a Wed/Thur meeting in Austin. They didn't think they could get the 2/3 needed in each house to pull it off, but perhaps it can be done.

I think we need 2 dims in the Senate and 12 in the House to go along with us.

[SwinneySwitch]

"Because Latinos now comprise one-third of the Texas population they should be at least one new Latino-majority district.”

I thought they were Hispanics? My DemonRat "Latino" CD 15 congressman was unopposed this year! I wish that the redistricting would be drawn with common sense and not gerrymandered to give unfair advantage to one party, race or ethnicity!

Viva la Revolucion!

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Texas ping

[Dog Gone]

We need to bribe and extort the needed Rats to make this happen. There must be some conservative Rats who might even be enticed to switch parties to save their hides.

[Bigun]

I wasn't aware of the 2/3 requirement,...

There has LONG been a SENATE RULE requiring 21 of 31 votes for a bill to be taken up OUT OF ORDER. Presumedly this rule COULD be changed by THIS, or any other, senate. I am unaware of ANY such house rule and would appreciate a cite if anyone has the time.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

There has LONG been a SENATE RULE requiring 21 of 31 votes for a bill to be taken up OUT OF ORDER.

The 21 of 31 is not a Senate Rule it is a Lt Governor ploy. The power of the Lt Governor comes not so much from the Constitution as it does the Rose Bush Debate that opened every session for the last 40 years, and accounts for the 2/3 vote needed to bring something up.

In talking to the two Reps last week they were convinced that to revisit re-districting they would need a two thirds vote in each house. I have no further information.

[MeekOneGOP]

Bumpers ! I'm at my Dad's down in the Piney Woods of East Texas on the Lake. Otherwise, I could do a Texas pingaroo.....

:O)

[Bigun]

Ah! The infamous SB-1, The Rose Bush Bill. Yes, I am well aware of that mechanism but personally think that 130 years is long enough to spend on such a thing!

I think 130 years of "conditioning" is in play with regard to what I'm hearing on this so far.

The fact that we will now have control of ALL the leavers of government hasn't yet sunk in methinks!

[Texas_Jarhead]

MALDEF are a bunch a race hustlers. They don't give a damn about America or Texas. All they care about is their own mezkin power.

[hopespringseternal]

Most of these guys aren't just racists, they are rat-fink marxists, unaware that their cause is long dead.

Perhaps hispanic republicans could counter these crypto-anarchists with their own organizations. Most of these Hispanic/Latino/Mexican special interest groups are miles away from their target group in root political beliefs and survive solely on identity politics.

[Illbay]

Sure, give 'em an extra seat in the valley.

Just so long as, when the dust clears, the final count is more like 21 Pubbies, 11 Dems, which is much, much closer to the political reality in this state, where Dems hold no statewide offices, are a minority in both houses of the Legislature, no U.S. Senate seats, but have a majority of the U.S. House seats.

That's just WRONG.

[deport]

Just in case you missed this one....