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Marie Marie

(9,999 posts)
2. When you can't win fair and square then,
Tue Dec 20, 2011, 12:26 AM
Dec 2011

Lie (Fox news), Cheat (Gerrymander the shit out of your state) and Steal (Electronic Voting Machines). This is why I still worry about which Republican Clown will be their nominee.

duhneece

(4,105 posts)
16. I like the way you link lies to Fox, cheating to gerrymandering
Tue Dec 20, 2011, 10:23 AM
Dec 2011

and stealing to the electronic voting machines that have no way to audit questionable election results (unlike NM's voter-verified paper ballots that are electronically counted but are available for auditing).

 

DCKit

(18,541 posts)
3. Must be a real pain in the ass to campaign in a district that's only 100 feet wide...
Tue Dec 20, 2011, 12:31 AM
Dec 2011

but two hundred and fifty miles long.

TheWraith

(24,331 posts)
8. It is. Believe me, I know.
Tue Dec 20, 2011, 01:23 AM
Dec 2011

I was highly involved in both of the last two State Senate campaigns in my district. 15 miles wide, and 120 or so long.

 

Ferret Annica

(1,701 posts)
4. Gerrymandering should be expressly illegal and qualifies as a cheat to defeat democracy
Tue Dec 20, 2011, 12:43 AM
Dec 2011

this proposal is an insult to people's intelligence and is a raw power grab that should be stopped.

 

lonestarnot

(77,097 posts)
5. Couple this bullshit with some vote flipping and woohoo pugs only way to win, that is cheat.
Tue Dec 20, 2011, 12:45 AM
Dec 2011

They'll cheat one out of their eye-teeth if one lets them.

Nye Bevan

(25,406 posts)
6. Boundaries should be strictly non-partisan
Tue Dec 20, 2011, 12:57 AM
Dec 2011

based only upon natural community borders. That's how the UK does it and it seems to work pretty well there.

TheWraith

(24,331 posts)
7. Unfortunately, no. Take a look at New York's current map.
Tue Dec 20, 2011, 01:20 AM
Dec 2011

Both House and State Senate. I live in a State Senate district which starts on the shores of Lake Erie, and ends up in the Finger Lakes. It's 15 miles wide and 120 miles long. I kid you not.

joshcryer

(62,265 posts)
14. Treasonous.
Tue Dec 20, 2011, 05:05 AM
Dec 2011

Yes, I know the Democrats do shit like that if they can, but this shit is fucking evil.

 

RB TexLa

(17,003 posts)
18. It was a creature created by law. Voting rights act required
Wed Dec 21, 2011, 01:17 AM
Dec 2011

a second "minority-majority" district. And with 7 districts that was the only way to draw one up.

 

BOHICA12

(471 posts)
10. But if you stop Gerrymandering - could you maintain minority districts?
Tue Dec 20, 2011, 01:44 AM
Dec 2011

The Voting Rights Act nearly ensures the use of Gerrymandering.

Lugnut

(9,791 posts)
11. Isn't that ridiculous?
Tue Dec 20, 2011, 03:02 AM
Dec 2011

The editor of our local fish wrapper called it preposterous.


"Republican lawmakers in Harrisburg have redrawn congressional districts in direct defiance of fundamental principles of fair redistricting. Their objective is not to ensure that districts encompass communities of interest. It's not to make sure that communities within districts are contiguous. Their objective is simply to ensure that as many Republicans as possible win congressional seats.

Due to blatant gerrymandering such as that unveiled Tuesday, many members of Congress never have to worry about a competitive election. That, in turn, enables them to govern solely on the basis of narrow ideology rather than for the public good, and to serve narrow interests rather than the broad public interest.

After refusing for years to establish a truly independent redistricting system, the GOP majorities in Harrisburg proceeded to abuse their power with a congressional map that, quite literally, resembles a can of worms - or snakes."



Read more: http://standardspeaker.com/opinion/new-districts-preposterous-1.1245244#ixzz1h3WPoMUQ

BzaDem

(11,142 posts)
12. Not even close. There are maps that use a median on a highway to connect two otherwise completely
Tue Dec 20, 2011, 03:04 AM
Dec 2011

disconnected segments.

In fact, there are maps that put two entirely disconnected segments in the same district, using the justification that both segments touch the same body of water (and therefore it is really "one segment," as long as you pretend that part of the water is part of the district.)

 

SixthSense

(829 posts)
15. I used to live in NY-8
Tue Dec 20, 2011, 07:36 AM
Dec 2011

Try to explain the logic behind this one:



West side of Manhattan plus... a random oddly shaped part of Brooklyn? Why? They are neither physically contiguous nor even in the same county!

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