georgewebb
Heisman
Posts: 9,582
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation: 110
I Root For: Rice!
Location:
|
RE: Racism and the Republican party
texd Wrote:WMD Owl Wrote:If you think the 1994 elections was a sea change, wait until 2010. Because people will be pissed at Obama and will elect Republican candidates that will go to their State Legislatures, get out their pens, and start redistricting. Adios Sheila Jackson Lee, Lloyd Doggett, etc you just got drawn out of a job.
I suspect you're ignoring the level of influence the DOJ has on all redistricting in Texas.
No minority districts in Texas will be going away; more likely we'll have more (it's the current demographic trend). Though don't be surprised to see a black district eliminated to create another Hispanic district.
As far as Doggett going away, until the city of Austin is disenfranchised as a whole, there's not much that can be done to him that hasn't already. Despite the city of Austin being almost exactly the population of a Congressional district and clearly being a community of interest (the standard one theoretically seeks to adhere to when drawing a map), we are trifurcated into districts stretching south and west to San Antonio and Bandera/Kerrville, east to Harris County, and west and southeast to Lakeway and Hays county and Gonzales, Lockhart, LaGrange, and Columbus.
That last one is Doggett's district. Note that the description above is how it stands today, after the court threw out the 2003 map in which the district stretched east of San Antonio and down to McAllen. The 2003 map sought to toss Doggett out in the primary, but he won by a 2-1 margin over a D from the valley (and only losing in two counties out of the nine). The 2005 map is still fairly unfriendly to him, including large swaths of suburban and rural areas, and yet the Rs did not feel he was vulnerable enough to put forth a candidate.
That sort of political gerrymandering is rather disgusting, but unfortunately the Supreme Court has essentially licensed it. First, in trying to strike a blow for equal protection, they elevated the rule of exact proportionality (one-man, one-vote) to become the dominant litmus test for constitutionality of a district. Hence, even if a state wanted to reduce political gerrymandering by saying that congressional districts must be based on counties, or that the state senate will have two senators per county, the Supreme Court in Baker v. Carr said you can't do that. Second, while paying close attention to evidence of racial gerrymandering, the Supreme Court has said on more than one occasion that when it comes to purely political gerrymandering, there is nothing it can do. So the Court has given a green light to the problem while foreclosing at least one potential remedy.
(This post was last modified: 11-18-2008 10:46 PM by georgewebb.)
|
|
11-18-2008 06:56 PM |
|
georgewebb
Heisman
Posts: 9,582
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation: 110
I Root For: Rice!
Location:
|
RE: Racism and the Republican party
erice Wrote:georgewebb Wrote:S.A. Owl Wrote:But I get tired of labels, too. Labels like "anti-American," "pro-American," "real America," "Marxist," "true patriot," and "American president Americans have been waiting for."
Isn't Marxist a good label for someone who supports the economic theories of Karl Marx?
Thank you, Karl Rove. I think you're right -- Karl Marx DID say "that society which taxes its highest income bracket at 39.5% is utopian, while that which taxes its highest income bracket at 36% is a capitalist cestpool."
Why did you address me as Karl Rove? I don't make a secret of my name.
|
|
11-18-2008 06:58 PM |
|
georgewebb
Heisman
Posts: 9,582
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation: 110
I Root For: Rice!
Location:
|
RE: Racism and the Republican party
erice Wrote:I'm sorry... Unless this guy is actually tracking the cars from the inner city to the library, then "I SEE CARLOADS OF BLACK OBAMA SUPPORTERS COMING FROM THE INNER CITY TO CAST THEIR VOTES FOR OBAMA." is a statement based on racist assumptions.
What is racist: the assumption that black people driving to a polling site in Temple Terrace FL are not from Temple Terrace, or that they are voting for Obama?
Is either assumption demeaning?
Does it matter whether the assumptions are statistically accurate?
I have seen much worse screed in the Austin newspaper characterizing all conservatives as obese, fast-food-eating, SUV-driving suburbanites with too many children. My experience is that there are plenty of liberals who are in bad shape, have lousy diets, live outside the central city, and over-reproduce. There may be something to the SUV bit.
|
|
11-18-2008 09:48 PM |
|
WoodlandsOwl
Up in the Woods
Posts: 11,813
Joined: Jun 2005
Reputation: 115
I Root For: Rice Owls
Location:
|
RE: Racism and the Republican party
georgewebb Wrote:erice Wrote:I'm sorry... Unless this guy is actually tracking the cars from the inner city to the library, then "I SEE CARLOADS OF BLACK OBAMA SUPPORTERS COMING FROM THE INNER CITY TO CAST THEIR VOTES FOR OBAMA." is a statement based on racist assumptions.
What is racist: the assumption that black people driving to a polling site in Temple Terrace FL are not from Temple Terrace, or that they are voting for Obama?
Is either assumption demeaning?
Does it matter whether the assumptions are statistically accurate?
I have seen much worse screed in the Austin newspaper characterizing all conservatives as obese, fast-food-eating, SUV-driving suburbanites with too many children. My experience is that there are plenty of liberals who are in bad shape, have lousy diets, live outside the central city, and over-reproduce. There may be something to the SUV bit.
The African-American wife of an African-American dentist that lives down the block from me drives a Toyota Land Cruiser with a "Obama 08" and 'Jim Martin for Senate" stickers on it...
|
|
11-18-2008 10:03 PM |
|
erice
Special Teams
Posts: 798
Joined: Nov 2006
Reputation: 9
I Root For: Rice
Location: Chicago
|
RE: Racism and the Republican party
georgewebb Wrote:erice Wrote:I'm sorry... Unless this guy is actually tracking the cars from the inner city to the library, then "I SEE CARLOADS OF BLACK OBAMA SUPPORTERS COMING FROM THE INNER CITY TO CAST THEIR VOTES FOR OBAMA." is a statement based on racist assumptions.
What is racist: the assumption that black people driving to a polling site in Temple Terrace FL are not from Temple Terrace, or that they are voting for Obama?
Is either assumption demeaning?
Does it matter whether the assumptions are statistically accurate?
I have seen much worse screed in the Austin newspaper characterizing all conservatives as obese, fast-food-eating, SUV-driving suburbanites with too many children. My experience is that there are plenty of liberals who are in bad shape, have lousy diets, live outside the central city, and over-reproduce. There may be something to the SUV bit.
The assumption that they're from the inner city is racial stereotyping. (Unless, as I mentioned, they actually watched them drive from the inner city to Temple Terrace, FL)
As for whether it's demeaning -- while I wouldn't personally say that "inner city" is demeaning per se, what effect do you think he was trying to create by adding this otherwise unnecessary assumption to his diatribe? If you don't think the intent of adding "INNER CITY" to the description was to get his audience even more agitated, I think you're kidding yourself.
As for your comment about fat, obnoxious, multiplying conservatives, I've made the point in this thread and elsewhere that I don't believe either side has a monopoly on bigotry. Take it from this fat, obnoxious liberal who's been pegged as a conservative by some of his oft-presumptuous liberal peers. :muttering:
|
|
11-18-2008 11:55 PM |
|
georgewebb
Heisman
Posts: 9,582
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation: 110
I Root For: Rice!
Location:
|
RE: Racism and the Republican party
JustAnotherAustinOwl Wrote:The other distinction I see is that Democrats tend to hate Republican politicians but, especially on talk radio, it seems like Rs focus also on hating the people who support Democrats, the evil “libruls”, demonizing their fellow citizens.
Why did you use that particular spelling of liberal?
What exactly is the phonetic difference between "liberal" and "librul"? If there is one, what is its significance?
|
|
11-19-2008 12:54 PM |
|
OptimisticOwl
Legend
Posts: 58,540
Joined: Apr 2005
Reputation: 854
I Root For: Rice
Location: DFW Metroplex
|
RE: Racism and the Republican party
georgewebb Wrote:JustAnotherAustinOwl Wrote:The other distinction I see is that Democrats tend to hate Republican politicians but, especially on talk radio, it seems like Rs focus also on hating the people who support Democrats, the evil “libruls”, demonizing their fellow citizens.
Why did you use that particular spelling of liberal?
What exactly is the phonetic difference between "liberal" and "librul"? If there is one, what is its significance?
I think he is equating Rs with rednecks. JMO
I was talking to a redneck friend (he would embrace the designation), and his comment was "Let's give Obama a chance".
I think the supposed hatred that Reps have for people who support Democrats is a stereotype. I don't hate them, I just question their logic, just as they question mine. But I am not a standard Republican, if there is such a thing.
I used to hate Baptists, but i got over it.
|
|
11-19-2008 05:20 PM |
|
JustAnotherAustinOwl
1st String
Posts: 2,441
Joined: Nov 2005
Reputation: 56
I Root For: Rice Owls
Location:
|
RE: Racism and the Republican party
georgewebb Wrote:JustAnotherAustinOwl Wrote:The other distinction I see is that Democrats tend to hate Republican politicians but, especially on talk radio, it seems like Rs focus also on hating the people who support Democrats, the evil “libruls”, demonizing their fellow citizens.
Why did you use that particular spelling of liberal?
What exactly is the phonetic difference between "liberal" and "librul"? If there is one, what is its significance?
A lot of right wingers on the internet like to derisively spell it that way. And a lot of left wingers on the internet describe themselves that way ironically. I don't actually know the origin of it though. I've assumed that it was based on the exaggerated and melodramatic way Limbaugh sometimes says the word, but now that you're actually asking me, I realize I don't have an answer other than "I saw it on the internet".
|
|
11-20-2008 04:28 PM |
|
75Owl
1st String
Posts: 1,956
Joined: Jul 2005
Reputation: 7
I Root For:
Location:
|
RE: Racism and the Republican party
I like to refer to them as Demo ncrats
JustAnotherAustinOwl Wrote:georgewebb Wrote:JustAnotherAustinOwl Wrote:The other distinction I see is that Democrats tend to hate Republican politicians but, especially on talk radio, it seems like Rs focus also on hating the people who support Democrats, the evil “libruls”, demonizing their fellow citizens.
Why did you use that particular spelling of liberal?
What exactly is the phonetic difference between "liberal" and "librul"? If there is one, what is its significance?
A lot of right wingers on the internet like to derisively spell it that way. And a lot of left wingers on the internet describe themselves that way ironically. I don't actually know the origin of it though. I've assumed that it was based on the exaggerated and melodramatic way Limbaugh sometimes says the word, but not that you're actually asking me, I realize I don't have an answer other than "I saw it on the internet".
|
|
11-20-2008 05:55 PM |
|