Gerrymandering

[Kiyoat Husker]

I didn't get it, 'cause your post seemed to be implying I was doing something similar.

Yeah, I thought I got the whole "projecting sarcasm in texts/posts" thing down, but I still manage to piss people off once in a while....  I end up having to use that stupid "/s" symbol.  I get why people use emoji's so much.  I just try to minimize my use.  You know, because I'm an emotionally repressed male that is afraid to seem effeminate or metrosexual.

/s

 

[knapplc]

The Supremes told Pennsylvania's Republicans to kick rocks. 

Pennsylvania’s gerrymandered House map was struck down — with huge implications for 2018

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled last month that the state’s US House of Representatives map was based on a Republican partisan gerrymander that violated the state’s constitution — and struck the map down. But the state GOP made a last ditch appeal to the US Supreme Court, hoping justices would stay the decision.

That effort has now failed. On Monday, the US Supreme Court announced that it wouldn’t put the Pennsylvania ruling on hold — a decision that effectively makes clear the state will get a new House of Representatives map for this fall’s elections.

Pennsylvania’s government now has until February 15 to get a new map through the legislature and signed into law. If they fail to do so — a likely prospect, since the state has a Republican-controlled legislature and Democratic governor — the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will take over the process and institute a new map. (The court has a Democratic majority.)

The new Pennsylvania map has the potential to be a very big help to Democrats’ efforts to regain control of the House of Representatives in 2018, because the state’s old map was one of the most biased toward Republicans in the country.

To get a sense of how powerful Pennsylvania’s gerrymander was, consider that, in 2012, Democratic candidates won slightly more votes in US House elections and Barack Obama won the state. But the state’s 18 House seats didn’t split 9-9 between the parties — instead, Republicans won 13 seats there, and continued to win them for the rest of the decade.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Forgot where I was. Thought this was about Nate Gerry.

 

[TGHusker]

The Supremes told Pennsylvania's Republicans to kick rocks. 

Here is a news article on it as well.   Ruling by Republican appointed and conservative supreme court justice Alito. It is nice seeing that

he wasn't persuaded by the politics of it but by constitutional considerations of equal representation.   

This may send a message to the Dem party to challenge redistricting else where.  In light of the elections in Nov - this could have a big impact.

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/us-redistricting-pennsylvania-supreme-court/2018/02/05/id/841526/

Justice Samuel Alito, who handles emergency appeals from Pennsylvania, rejected the request from the GOP leaders and voters that the court put on hold an order from the state Supreme Court that could now produce new congressional districts in the coming two weeks.

The Pennsylvania high court ruled last month that the map of 18 districts violated the state constitution because it unfairly benefited Republican

 

[Mierin]

No one should want their own way more than they want democracy. Hopefully they rule on this entire thing before anyone dies or retires.

 

[commando]

the GOP looks more criminal at every turn

 

[Mierin]

Ok I'm starting to think MC was right all along.

 

[Kiyoat Husker]

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/02/ohio-senate-bipartisan-compromise-redistricting/552413/

So Ohio Lawmakers have just about agreed to work together in a bipartisan way and end gerrymandering by....... wait for it........including the minority party in the process.

Wait, what?  There's a catch, right?

With near-unanimous support from both Republicans and Democrats, the chamber approved Senate Resolution 5, a measure that would for the first time require bipartisan input and approval for federal congressional maps. The measure is expected to pass the state House today, and it will appear on the ballot in the May primary elections to get final approval from voters.

 

[Kiyoat Husker]

https://www.salon.com/2018/02/12/pennsylvania-republicans-solution-to-gerrymandering-is-more-gerrymandering/

Really, Pennsylvania GOP?

 

[Mierin]

https://www.salon.com/2018/02/12/pennsylvania-republicans-solution-to-gerrymandering-is-more-gerrymandering/

Really, Pennsylvania GOP?

I think the House is full of crazy, dumb people.

I imagine state politicians are even more crazy and dumb.

It doesn't have to be 9/18 but it should be close to that. The mention of shape makes me think of Nebraska's though. The Nebraska state senators gerrymandered but they kept the shapes "normal" looking. It was obvious what they were doing and why, though.

I think another thing that needs to be addressed is politicians affecting poll opening and close times, and the number of polling places. This hugely disadvantages voters in highly populated areas.

 

[Kiyoat Husker]

... The Nebraska state senators gerrymandered but they kept the shapes "normal" looking. It was obvious what they were doing and why, though....

I just keep thinking about it like when you catch a kid in a lie, and rather than fessing up and taking his "medicine", he (she) just keeps trying to get out of it by lying more.  It doesn't work because now you are aware of the lie, and shining a big light on them.  They are just too dumb or inexperienced to realize the folly.  Or, maybe they are just so used to lying and cheating that they don't know how NOT to do it.

So I guess the question for me is: Are the members of the PA GOP dumb, inexperienced, pathological cheaters, or door #4: They are slow-playing the court, knowing that there is little time before the election.  Or door #5: They are calling the court's bluff on the court drawing up a map.  They might think they have a better chance of a legal challenge to that.

Either way, it's disappointing, and the bright light is shining on them....

 

[Mierin]

I just keep thinking about it like when you catch a kid in a lie, and rather than fessing up and taking his "medicine", he (she) just keeps trying to get out of it by lying more.  It doesn't work because now you are aware of the lie, and shining a big light on them.  They are just too dumb or inexperienced to realize the folly.  Or, maybe they are just so used to lying and cheating that they don't know how NOT to do it.

So I guess the question for me is: Are the members of the PA GOP dumb, inexperienced, pathological cheaters, or door #4: They are slow-playing the court, knowing that there is little time before the election.  Or door #5: They are calling the court's bluff on the court drawing up a map.  They might think they have a better chance of a legal challenge to that.

Either way, it's disappointing, and the bright light is shining on them....

I read the other day that they are trying to impeach all of the judges.

 

[Kiyoat Husker]

I read the other day that they are trying to impeach all of the judges.

So, door #6 it is; authoritarian government.

 

[Danny Bateman]

According to knapp's Vox article, they only have until Thursday to get a new map agreed to or the Pennsylvania Supreme Court takes over & implements their own.

It's good to see the bad guys lose.

 

[Kiyoat Husker]

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/pennsylvania-gerrymandering-supreme-court-map-congressional-districts-2018-elections-20180219.html

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday released a new congressional district map to be used for the 2018 elections for U.S. House seats.

Its plan splits only 13 counties. Of those, four counties are split into three districts and nine are split into two districts. By contrast the most recent map, enacted in 2011, split 28 counties.