This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It is an excerpt from “UNRIGGED: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy”, by David Daley, out today.
I was never Holder’s biggest supporter, but I admire the work he’s putting in on this subject. Is there a greater affront to representative democracy than election-rigging? Ignorance is a close second, but no … no, there isn’t.
Holder is a corporate Democrat who let the architects of the 2008 depression get away without consequences. But what Holder is doing now shows why the Democratic party needs to keep those corporate Democrats inside the big tent rather than outside of it, even while we don’t hesitate to criticize them for what they did and push them toward more progressive policies.
The cause is a noble one, but unfortunately it is also a weapon. I am engaged as a volunteer here in PA as we try to overcome huge hurdles in creating an independent citizens commission to handle the task for Congressional and legislative maps. Despite SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts arguing the high court has no need to intervene in cases of egregious gerrymandering because reform groups are dealing with it at the state level, PA is particularly challenging.
We have to pass legislation to let an independent commission handle legislative mapping in two successive 2-year sessions and if passed, submit it to a statewide referendum.
That means getting the few powerful political leaders in the legislature who benefit heavily from gerrymandering (the Senate and House Majority and Minority leaders now handle the task behind closed doors per the PA Constitution) to allow our bills to even come to the floor for a vote. Last two-year session - 2017/2018 - we had enough co sponsors to pass the House bill but it was never given a vote…this session it is the most co sponsored of the entire session, but I strongly suspect leaders will - after refusing any hearings or a vote for the past 15 months - argue that with the virus situation, there is just too little time to act.) During the time they have refused to bring up the reforms, they have refused yet again to raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.50 an hour and HAVE passed a bill allowing hunting on Sundays.
But back to Holder…again, his cause is noble, but because he is a Democrat, not a few Republicans are attacking any and all state redistricting efforts on grounds that Holder’s campaign means we are a purely partisan group. (And of course we can always expect the Soros conspiracy that he is giving the cause dark money - totally untrue.)
We are clearly not partisan and the demand for change is hugely bi partisan…2/3rds support in two state polls…23 county commissions have passed resolutions for reform and they are more GOP than Democratic…plus 350 towns and boroughs, and 100,000+ petition signatures.
So, while Holder’s cause is noble, it isn’t always helpful at the street level.
With the virus in full sway, our efforts, which had been driving towards hopefully convincing enough legislators to give us a vote by late June, is on hiatus. For those who are interested in more details, visit fairdistrictspa.com