Our goal is to restore fairness to the system…
I believe the technical term is “vulnerable to predation.”
Funny thing is that even in most states they controlled in 2010 Democrats did a bad job of redistricting. In Arkansas Democrats controlled the process and drew a map that FAVORED the GOP, instead of drawing 2 safe dem and 2 safe GOP districts they went for the old 3-1 split that demographics no longer supported and lost all 4 seats. In Illinois because of parochial concerns Democrats didn’t do what they should have when they could easily have drawn 1 more seat. Let’s not even talk about New York where the corrupt Independent Democrats cost Democrats control of the state Senate and where Democrats could have easily drawn 4-5 more Democratic seats (Hi Perter King welcome to representing parts of Queens!)
That’s the problem with Democrats, we are to nice and fair. We need to kick the Republicsns where it hurts. That’s what they do to us.
Redistricting should be done on a national level, using a single computer program, that takes into account only population and natural boundaries. The source code for this program should be publicly available for inspection, I am sure there are enough people with the proper expertise on both sides of the aisle to ensure that there was no partisan data included.
Unlike repugnicans with their gerrymandering and voter suppression efforts, Democrats actually believe in democracy.
Someone has to lead the way out of the slime, and the Democrats seem to be the only ones who can.
While I support the NDRC effort (and will put my money where my mouth is), we ought to amend the Constitution to require states to district (on both congressional and state levels) in a non-partisan manner.
As your mother told you, two wrongs don’t make a right.
The Democratic party living UP to its name.
Yes, sir! They care about democracy. We keep losing and there will be no such thing. So misguided and weak. You want democracy, how about California gets a few more Senators than Wyoming? This isn’t a democracy and it sure as hell isnt fair. Failure to push for gains under this unfair system of government while The Democrats are in power will accomplish absolutely nothing except getting our asses handed to us again and again and again.
The problem with Democrats is that when they have power they refuse to use it. The opposite is true of Republican’ts…
(Emphasis mine.)
In this day and age I’m wondering how is that even possible. Everything is openly partisan, especially the courts, thanks to Republican’ts seeding the whole system with partisans…
So, yeah. I grew up in Central New Jersey. In what was mostly a reliable Democratic county. But, you know, it swung sometimes. Anyway, every year, and I mean every year, for a decade, maybe longer, the Democrats wound up on “Row A” on the voting machine ballot. I’m not sure how, exactly, the election commission controlled that, a roll of the dice, or something, but it turned out, after decade, or so, that the Democrats had rigged the process.
I mention this just to point out that partisans tend to be partisans, and even though I am a Democrat, I know that the Democrats have been corrupt, too. We need to set up a system where the partisans can’t control things.
And, the Republican redistricting could well be seen as “retaliation” for Democrats’ dirty tricks.
…aaaand this is why dems remain losers.
There are absolutely some anti-democratic poison pills in the constitution. Those are really hard to fix.
Republican gerrymandering is so pervasive that it is clear that it was a national push. Another possible advantage of fair redistricting is that it will castrate the wild eyed tea partiers who do not feel constrained by the electorate at all.
But the strategy imo should be driven by numbers. GOP control of the house has been based on gerrymandering across many states, in which GOP has a solid majority of house seats but a minority or slim majority of votes. Given that Democrats have had a majority of the House vote in elections in which they did not get a majority of house seats, consistent fair districting across all states may fix this better than getting a gerrymander in some states. I hope to effing hell they got someone who knows what they are doing running the numbers on this.
My experience working with the PA legislature promoting a citizens redistricting commission is that the Ds are no better than the Rs on this issue. Both want power and incumbent job security. Both know that non-competitive districts (drawn by either party) make it less necessary for incumbents to pay attention to what their constituents want. A legislature that does not have to care what the constituents want, won’t. Citizen Democrats who think the Professional Democrats will do the right thing, even if they don’t have to, should look more closely.
Redistricting should be a math problem, not an incumbent protection and domination project.
There are a number of issues to unpack; however, the biggest issue from my perspective if how gerrymandering by Republicans left the “wild eye tea partiers” with so much power.
Keep in mind, this is a minority of the Republicans and they have not operated with a mind consistent with reality of the universe. It is beyond anti-democratic poison, it is poison to the country with global impact. Today the Republican party holds positions that no other conservative party in the world holds, for example. climate denial. This is what happens with a country held hostage by an extreme minority.
Democrats can worry about fairness, appropriately so; however, they better keep on eye on actually solving a few problems and providing a balance to the extremists.
My point is that that needs to change. And the party of change is the Democratic Party.
Coming from Jersey it would be hard to think that Democrats can’t be corrupt. (Not that I think that Jersey Republicans are any better.)
Illinois is gerrymandered in favor of Democrats. Attempts to have fair redistricting put on the ballot have received far more than the required number of signatures from the public, but the Democratic legislature has always managed to get it quashed. I would favor a clear law or ruling that districts should be created fairly.
I think the truest divide in American politics is between politicians who represent us who live here, and politicians who don’t. If you have to declare residency, you don’t really live here.
I don’t really give a damn about politicians or parties, except insofar as the laws get passed should be good ideas. The best way to make that happen is to have as many politicians representing people who live here, as possible. The best legislative districts to support this, should be as close to 50/50 as possible.
That’s how the maps should be drawn.