This is a Big, Big Deal-Josh Marshall Talking Points Memo

[daybranch]

66. Better late than never

Where was all this concern when we Buckeye democrats were working so hard to elect President Obama for the good of the country while necessarily reducing the effort we could put into amending our state constitution to stop the political gerrymandering. It is amazing to me that when gerrymandering allowed our state legislature to send 3 republicans for each democrat to the US House of representatives although more voted for democrats than republicans, this inequity only became noted after its effects on national issues and Obama's agenda became evident. We warned Organizing for America here i Ohio that we should put effort into this as well as the Obama campaign but they never listened and gave little to no help to us even as we worked so hard for Obama and Sherrod Brown, our democratic senator. While we tried to explain the possible impacts of the amendment failing. and its connection to Obama's agenda, we began to see an organization that while a bit supportive of the progressive ideas that had brought Obama into the presidency was displaying those traits of cognitive dissonance we usually associate with republican leadership. Who would have thought that the organization of progressives would become more of a cu]lt of personality with a single minded focus on a progressive leaning pragmatist. We democrats became so enamored of a good leader that we failed to recognize that we must always be democrats with a small "d".
Now the elections are over and what are we to do? Fortunately we recognize how the republicans gerrymandered Ohio and other states to maintain control of the House of Representatives and obviously they do not have to listen to the people in those gerrymandered states. But gerrymandering is wrong- no matter where it occurs- Illinois, Florida, Texas, Wisconsin , Ohio, or California to name some states. We are democrats favoring democracy throughout our country and therefore must stop gerrymandering by either party.
Where we lost once by insufficient effort and divided attention, we have started anew. In Greene County, Ohio, democrats are signing up to work and to win. Check out how we are organizing if you want to start organizing in other counties and other states to kill this evil gerrymandering. If you have an OFA organization nearby ask them what they are doing and if such efforts are in the President's agenda and if so when, and if not why not? Lets be Americans and get er done.