John Hood calls out Republicans on gerrymandering
Submitted by James on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 12:36pm
It’s a Republican gerrymander, pure and simple.
Hat tip to Ed Cone for pointing in the direction of the Carolina Journal, where John Hood calls a spade a spade in the case of Republican redistricting shenanigans. He's a little late to the party, but has arrived nonetheless. Hood deserves full credit for taking this principled stand.
A Broken Redistricting Process...
There is no doubt that is a gerrymander, but there is also no doubt that it is the product of a racially based redistricting process created by democrats, a process that conservatives must abide by.
Unfortunately the Supreme Court found that the Voting Rights Act trumps the NC Constitution's firewall against gerrymandering.
NCGA:
Democrats used race to break the NC firewall against gerrymandering and in doing so broke NC's redistricting process.
Although my preference is that we allow ourselves to be guided toward limiting gerrymandering via our Constitution and tradition, I accept that there is a benefit in the path to that goal that travels through exposing to democrats seemingly blind to the racism inherent in the redistricting process they created. Until we all agree the current democrat forged redistricting process is racially based and inherently wrong it will not change and gerrymandering will remain a staple in NC politics.
Until we all agree
What world do you live in? Do you actually imagine an outcome in which "we all agree" about anything? Hell, we can't even all agree that the world is more than 6000 years old. We can't even all agree that corporations shouldn't have more rights than individual human beings.
The path you've chosen is a dark one, Mr. Frog. Exposing Democrats in pursuit of some future attempts at fairness will do nothing to change things anything. That path simply perpetuates the "fuck you" frenzy I asked about, and amounts to nothing more than simple revenge.
Thanks for finally answering my question.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
Self Recognition...
James:
"Perpetuates" That you use the term indicates you recognize the issue is not one that began with this past November's elections.
The question becomes: What is the base problem?
I argue that the problem is that our redistricting process was broken by past democrats when they instituted a process of sanctioned gerrymandering via the VRA. The republican NCGA are forced to abide by that process. That the results are unpleasing to democrats I hope enlightens them to basic racism in the process they crafted, a racism they chose to ignore due to the political gains they received from the process.
I believe we all agree that racism is evil. If as a result of being at the receiving end of their own redistricting process democrats recognize their redistricting process is evil due to it being based on racially drawn districts, then it seems to me that we can all agree that the process itself needs to be changed.
The path from evil is fraught with the darkness of self recognition, or as you put it:
You should deal with it.
What is your point?
I expressed from the outset of this discussion that I share your view about the underlying problem. Making the point again and again is pointless.
At issue is the extent to which Republicans exploit that underlying problem or try to minimize it. It's clear from their own words (when microphones exposed their hypocrisy) that Republican have chosen to exploit it.
What do you mean by saying I should "deal with it." I am not in charge of anything. Republican destructors don't listen to me. They are diving full steam ahead to achieve advantage from a situation that even you would describe as morally bankrupt. You are giving them cover.
Progressives have no say in this matter. We have been as critical of Democratic corruption as we have Republican hypocrisy. We have not given an inch of cover to bad actors in the Democratic party, resulting in no political capital on either front.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
That we agree is heartening ...
You retain the power of resistance.
Some power
I've been resisting Blue Dog Democrats and rabid Republicans my whole life, having switched my registration to unaffiliated on multiple occasions. It doesn't matter whether progressives resist something or not. We are living in the wrong country if we want to have any power.
No resistance on the part of progressives is contributing to Republican extremism in this matter. This is good, old-fashioned retribution, pure and simple.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
dump the voting rights act
it is time for all the lefties to dump the voting rights act and have compact areas for districts . This crap now is pathetic even absurd to see 4 congressional districts go through High Point
The lefties aren't in charge of anything
Aren't now, never have been.
Art Pope bought the General Assembly and half our Congress seats. Maybe you should talk to him.
Let us know when you get 'er done.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
This may be one of the few times I agree with John Hood. . .
. . . on anything.
He's absolutely right about this. This should be done by an independent commission - which has nothing to gain or lose by the results. This seems like a no-brainer to me.
As for Democrats having to sit back and take it, and Republicans getting their turn (as I have seen suggested in different arenas), heh.
WTF ever.
Hood also deserves credit
for something he wrote back in February. Unfortunately, I can't post a link to it, because it's no longer there.
Anyway, I wrote about some GOP shenanigans back then, and I also issued a challenge. I'm not saying John was responding to my challenge, but he wrote a very strong condemnation a day or two later. But I didn't catch it until several days after that, and, by then, my diary had scrolled off the front page. So I didn't acknowledge it. But I should have.
split precinct
My precinct is now split for the first time and the split is not the same for the house and senate. The senate split basically cuts the precint in two while the house split only cuts out a large predemonitely black and hispanic apartment complex and moves them into a district that is already safe for Democrats.
These two splits along with the fact that we have three municipalities in our precinct is going to make for some confused precinct workers but I doubt the republicans have budgeted money for training.
This topic -- split precincts -- needs to be getting more attn
This is where any real problems with voting in NC comes into play.
If the NC GOP addressed this problem by not splitting precincts in their maps -- esp. in the way you describe -- then they could actually get a little high ground in the "protect voting integrity" debate that inexplicably swirls around photo ids.
NC GOP: This a genuine opportunity for you to one up the Dems.
NC Dems: Attack these GOP maps on this basis. People who are paying attention to the voter ID debate also get this issue.
Media: Press this story.