The GOP should have a Gerry Mander mascot. Kinda like the GEICO Gecko?
In dismissing analyses of gerrymandering as “sociological gobbledygook,” Roberts seems to be illustrating what he meant in saying that the best way to counteract racism is to not be racist–deny, deny, deny.
Funny how a 70 year old who died in 1814 is the savior of the modern Republican party…
Yet it wasn’t as bad as it could have been for Republicans.
That’s because they may have benefited from a built-in advantage in some states, based on how political districts were drawn, that prevented deeper losses or helped them hold on to power,
Apparently the AP is not aware of the word “gerrymandering.”
The biggest gerrymandering scandal, at this point, is that with few exceptions Democrats steadfastly decline to engage in it. It seems we are psychologically drawn to a political system in which the extreme right holds power and the liberals occupy the role of the iconically virtuous and suffering opposition. This posture isn’t just about the attraction of victimhood and ambivalence about exercising power. It reflects the largely unconscious belief, even among Democrats, that Republicans are the real Americans and entitled to appropriate privilege (i.e. law benefiting Republicans only).
One of the healthy consequences of Trumpism is that Democrats have to a large degree been emancipated from this inferiority complex and really believe in their right to hold power. But there remains one further development: Democrats need to understand not only their equal political legitimacy but their near-monopoly of political legitimacy. Not because we’re so amazing, but because the GOP really is an authoritarian white supremacist movement devoted to the destruction of American constitutional ideals and practices. They simply have no business holding power at this point. Democrats should gerrymander at every opportunity until such time as that changes.
In defense of Chief Justice Roberts, math is hard.
Payback will be when the Dems “gerrrymander” the SCOTUS to 11 justices…
Dollars to doughnuts, BHO will be one of them…
I would be OK if Democrats decided to not engage in the practice if the would more actively oppose its usage by Republicans. The problem with using it in exactly one state is that, not only does it let the Republicans utilize the strategy on a far grander scale, it also allows the Republican the one counter-example to validate their whataboutism. The Dems would be better off waiving that one extra seat they get in MD if that would help them fight gerrymandering nationally.
The gerrymandering in states like Wisconsin and North Carolina is far worse than what Dems have done in Maryland, and whistling past the graveyard here is not doing the party any favors. I’m reminded of how the party scored an own goal by helping the Republicans defund and destroy ACORN.
I think it gives our party leaders too little credit to say that they make these self-defeating decisions because they’re too stupid to understand how self-defeating they are. I suspect that the party leaders are really not trying to win. Their incentive structures are tied into losing elections to the party run by people who can personally help them in any post-political career.
Meanwhile, Donna Brazile has taken a job with Fox News.
Once again,a big shout out to those who didn’t bother to vote in 2010.
During arguments on the Wisconsin gerrymandering case, Chief Justice John Roberts called it “sociological gobbledygook.”
This from a man who sits as the Chief Justice of Supreme Court. The legal system is part of the sociological make up civilization. Law is not an empiric practice.
He must have channeled Scalia at the time…
Explainer:
One of the consequences of a heavily gerrymandered state like Ohio is you hear 3 or 4 Republican politician’s voices to one Democratic politician’s voice. It skews media coverage and over time makes the Democratic Party voices a smaller minority. With local coverage of politics diminishing, all they cover are the committee chairmen,(yes, the men). Rarely do you hear an opposing voice.
The casual voter only sees R’s and thinks everyone is a R.
I had predicted a 50 seat pickup. We got to 41 (if you count NC-09 which would’ve been a pickup but for cheating). Gerrymandering largely accounts for the gap. In OH/NC/GA/FL/TX/WI, we should’ve won 1-2 districts more in each. Those are the states with the most heavily gerrymandered districts.
I present to you, The Jerry Mander:
Gerrymandering implies intent. “Golly, this is just the way the Jenga tower landed” implies that it’s just the way it happens to be.
Remember whose side the AP is on.
Karma, baby…
I nominate the painted turtle.
