Sat Jul 4, 2015, 07:35 AM

This is infuriating.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/07/04/1398938/-GOP-proud-of-Dark-Money-RedMap-election-rigging-firewall-that-gained-unearned-legislative-seats

I can't do justice to the story with excerpts of excerpts, please go and read the story about how badly Republican gerrymandering has screwed over the House of Representatives. Here in my home state, according to the included graphic from Mother Jones, it took 2.5 Dem voters to elect a Dem to the house for every Republican voter to elect a Republican to the House. It's no wonder John Boehner has held onto his seat easily every time anyone has bothered to challenge him, when the district has been so packed with Republicans.

Go, read it, and remember why it is vitally important to gain control of the offices that control redistricting, why those are every bit as important or more than actually winning the White House.

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86 replies	Author	Time	Post
This is infuriating. (Original post)	Erich Bloodaxe BSN	Jul 2015	OP
It is frustrating when main focus is on the Federal lvl, when the LOCAL govs control our 1 vote.	Sunlei	Jul 2015	#1
^^THIS^^	BumRushDaShow	Jul 2015	#5
That's been our Democratic party's biggest mistake..	mountain grammy	Jul 2015	#20
our one vote is the only real 'democracy' America has.	Sunlei	Jul 2015	#23
The Russians & Russian Weather would have beaten the Germans...	bvar22	Jul 2015	#58
I agree.	Enthusiast	Jul 2015	#63
Wait. Wasn't it Ronald Reagan who won WWII by himself?	nikto	Jul 2015	#64
Saint Ronald and John Wayne.	Enthusiast	Jul 2015	#68
I was born in 1950, and heard the same stories.	bvar22	Jul 2015	#71
Stalin was the most forceful advocate of a second european front	arely staircase	Jul 2015	#65
Churchill & Roosevelt WERE dragging their feet.	bvar22	Jul 2015	#83
It's a big mistake on the voters' part too.	arcane1	Jul 2015	#51
I'm afraid the party at the national level could have cared less.	Enthusiast	Jul 2015	#62
So true!	lovemydog	Jul 2015	#45
Gerrymandering is the #1 issue	SCantiGOP	Jul 2015	#48
Thanks for the info.	lovemydog	Jul 2015	#49
Local voting is key	SCantiGOP	Jul 2015	#50
One problem is Democratic voters	Yupster	Jul 2015	#70
I don't know that they have much choice. Most of them probably can't afford to go rural.	Erich Bloodaxe BSN	Jul 2015	#75
I agree	Delmette	Jul 2015	#2
The Ground War	Chasstev365	Jul 2015	#3
That is what need to be done for starters.	-none	Jul 2015	#9
This was Howard Dean's strategy in creating Democracy for America	Auggie	Jul 2015	#16
few to none expose the corruption at the local levels and even at state levels.	Sunlei	Jul 2015	#31
Do you know what happens to people...	bvar22	Jul 2015	#86
Good politics however	The Jungle 1	Jul 2015	#4
I think you are overly optimistic.	spooky3	Jul 2015	#7
I'm in one of their gerrymandered districts	Oilwellian	Jul 2015	#28
It's really outrageous. N/t	spooky3	Jul 2015	#38
Last part is flat wrong	Cosmocat	Jul 2015	#8
If the repugs still control state houses, state legislatures and Congress . . .	brush	Jul 2015	#15
And Texas ignored the ten year rule.	NV Whino	Jul 2015	#22
agree , we need the Federal Gov. to makes laws to ban gerrymandering or even better	Sunlei	Jul 2015	#32
Wait, what???	Ms. Yertle	Jul 2015	#52
I think it's the 'over voters' part he means.	Erich Bloodaxe BSN	Jul 2015	#66
Pa's lines are comically bad - federal and state level	Cosmocat	Jul 2015	#6
As I've done before, I STRONGLY urge EVERY Democrat	lastlib	Jul 2015	#10
The Dems need to raise awareness of this...	Gloria	Jul 2015	#13
Somebody in the DLCC may have started waking up. I think.	calimary	Jul 2015	#43
Thanks for that info!	Gloria	Jul 2015	#60
Wonderful	treestar	Jul 2015	#19
Thanks for posting the link.	mountain grammy	Jul 2015	#21
Thank you.	lovemydog	Jul 2015	#55
Agreed. It's hard to celebrate the 4th with no representation.	mmonk	Jul 2015	#11
We focus so much on other ways in which Republicans disenfranchise Democratic voters, but	Erich Bloodaxe BSN	Jul 2015	#30
It turns voting from an act of participation into an act of symbolic protest.	mmonk	Jul 2015	#37
There is no route to defeat them by voting here.	mmonk	Jul 2015	#40
And it gets worse	bottomofthehill	Jul 2015	#12
They think long term. They've been on this tack since the 90s and before that they built up their	freshwest	Jul 2015	#14
There is a glimmer of hope	mwyn8	Jul 2015	#17
And thanks for posting this. Hope - something more precious than gold. Or at least to many of us.	jwirr	Jul 2015	#25
bookmarked	daleanime	Jul 2015	#18
Happy Independence Day Erich. You are completely right about this article. I think, given what is	jwirr	Jul 2015	#24
Thanks. got my flag out this morning	Erich Bloodaxe BSN	Jul 2015	#26
I know - I am going to take the day just to be with family and try to enjoy that.	jwirr	Jul 2015	#29
A powerful element is the fundamentalists and evangelicals.	olegramps	Jul 2015	#27
We are suing in Texas over the gerrymandered districts	Gothmog	Jul 2015	#33
Good news.	Erich Bloodaxe BSN	Jul 2015	#34
The Arizona decision is meaningless in Texas but the earlier opinion on Alabama was helpful	Gothmog	Jul 2015	#35
If districts had to be regular shapes, continuous, and equal in population shenanigans	TheKentuckian	Jul 2015	#36
You need only look at Austin, TX to understand that	AwakeAtLast	Jul 2015	#39
It is infuriating .... the power of redistricting is particularly horrible in MI	etherealtruth	Jul 2015	#41
And yet,	Ms. Yertle	Jul 2015	#53
That was my last sentence	etherealtruth	Jul 2015	#54
It is infuriating but I still get furious with people voting R	yardwork	Jul 2015	#42
Fully agree. The House is super important!	lovemydog	Jul 2015	#44
I know this is nothing new to many, but I hadn't realized until now just how formalized	Erich Bloodaxe BSN	Jul 2015	#46
Yeah, gerrymandering is a horrible way for parties in power to stack the deck	lovemydog	Jul 2015	#47
Republican wins at the state an local levels are due to poor leadership	JDPriestly	Jul 2015	#56
This is what happens when everyone stays home during mid-term elections.	GoCubsGo	Jul 2015	#57
If the troops are not motivated,	bvar22	Jul 2015	#69
I consider voting an obligation.	GoCubsGo	Jul 2015	#82
k&r.	Liberal_in_LA	Jul 2015	#59
i too live in Ohio and we have been gerrymandered to death here!!	War Pigs	Jul 2015	#61
"we have to figure out how to motivate the midterm voter"	Erich Bloodaxe BSN	Jul 2015	#67
You're describing Sherrod Brown.	Enthusiast	Jul 2015	#72
Yes, and I'm glad he represents me in the Senate.	Erich Bloodaxe BSN	Jul 2015	#73
I've been saying this for 10+ years now. Take your state legislature races seriously because this is	stevenleser	Jul 2015	#74
If Democrats got off their ass and voted in the off years we wouldn't	doc03	Jul 2015	#76
Democrats tend to try to motivate voters with positive messages, while Republicans use fear or hate.	Erich Bloodaxe BSN	Jul 2015	#77
NC is gerrymandered all to Hell	dsc	Jul 2015	#78
That sounds worse than Ohio, but we're still pretty close.	Erich Bloodaxe BSN	Jul 2015	#79
Our three Democratic districts are won with 75 percent of the vote	dsc	Jul 2015	#80
Yup, that's the way they do it.	Erich Bloodaxe BSN	Jul 2015	#81
True. A result of the Repubs seizing control in 2010. Previously Congressional count was 7 D/6 R	mnhtnbb	Jul 2015	#85
In 2012, 53% of all Pennsylvanians voted to have a Democrat represent them in the US House	LynneSin	Jul 2015	#84

Response to Erich Bloodaxe BSN (Original post)

Sat Jul 4, 2015, 07:52 AM

Sunlei (22,651 posts)

This is infuriating.

1. It is frustrating when main focus is on the Federal lvl, when the LOCAL govs control our 1 vote.

5. ^^THIS^^

20. That's been our Democratic party's biggest mistake..

23. our one vote is the only real 'democracy' America has.

58. The Russians & Russian Weather would have beaten the Germans...

63. I agree.

64. Wait. Wasn't it Ronald Reagan who won WWII by himself?

68. Saint Ronald and John Wayne.

71. I was born in 1950, and heard the same stories.

65. Stalin was the most forceful advocate of a second european front

83. Churchill & Roosevelt WERE dragging their feet.

51. It's a big mistake on the voters' part too.

62. I'm afraid the party at the national level could have cared less.

45. So true!

48. Gerrymandering is the #1 issue

49. Thanks for the info.

50. Local voting is key

70. One problem is Democratic voters

75. I don't know that they have much choice. Most of them probably can't afford to go rural.

2. I agree

3. The Ground War

9. That is what need to be done for starters.

16. This was Howard Dean's strategy in creating Democracy for America

31. few to none expose the corruption at the local levels and even at state levels.

86. Do you know what happens to people...

4. Good politics however

7. I think you are overly optimistic.

28. I'm in one of their gerrymandered districts

38. It's really outrageous. N/t

8. Last part is flat wrong

15. If the repugs still control state houses, state legislatures and Congress . . .

22. And Texas ignored the ten year rule.

32. agree , we need the Federal Gov. to makes laws to ban gerrymandering or even better

52. Wait, what???

66. I think it's the 'over voters' part he means.

6. Pa's lines are comically bad - federal and state level

10. As I've done before, I STRONGLY urge EVERY Democrat

13. The Dems need to raise awareness of this...

43. Somebody in the DLCC may have started waking up. I think.

60. Thanks for that info!

19. Wonderful

21. Thanks for posting the link.

55. Thank you.

11. Agreed. It's hard to celebrate the 4th with no representation.

30. We focus so much on other ways in which Republicans disenfranchise Democratic voters, but

37. It turns voting from an act of participation into an act of symbolic protest.

40. There is no route to defeat them by voting here.

12. And it gets worse

14. They think long term. They've been on this tack since the 90s and before that they built up their

17. There is a glimmer of hope

25. And thanks for posting this. Hope - something more precious than gold. Or at least to many of us.

18. bookmarked

24. Happy Independence Day Erich. You are completely right about this article. I think, given what is

26. Thanks. got my flag out this morning

29. I know - I am going to take the day just to be with family and try to enjoy that.

27. A powerful element is the fundamentalists and evangelicals.

33. We are suing in Texas over the gerrymandered districts

34. Good news.

35. The Arizona decision is meaningless in Texas but the earlier opinion on Alabama was helpful

36. If districts had to be regular shapes, continuous, and equal in population shenanigans

39. You need only look at Austin, TX to understand that

41. It is infuriating .... the power of redistricting is particularly horrible in MI

53. And yet,

54. That was my last sentence

42. It is infuriating but I still get furious with people voting R

44. Fully agree. The House is super important!

46. I know this is nothing new to many, but I hadn't realized until now just how formalized

47. Yeah, gerrymandering is a horrible way for parties in power to stack the deck

56. Republican wins at the state an local levels are due to poor leadership

57. This is what happens when everyone stays home during mid-term elections.

69. If the troops are not motivated,

82. I consider voting an obligation.

59. k&r.

61. i too live in Ohio and we have been gerrymandered to death here!!

67. "we have to figure out how to motivate the midterm voter"

72. You're describing Sherrod Brown.

73. Yes, and I'm glad he represents me in the Senate.

74. I've been saying this for 10+ years now. Take your state legislature races seriously because this is

76. If Democrats got off their ass and voted in the off years we wouldn't