https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-c...SKBN1JL1QN

"The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to Texas Republicans by reviving electoral districts drawn by the state legislature that had been thrown out by a lower court for diluting the influence of black and Hispanic voters...."

(06-26-2018 11:58 AM)bullet Wrote:  https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-c...SKBN1JL1QN

"The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to Texas Republicans by reviving electoral districts drawn by the state legislature that had been thrown out by a lower court for diluting the influence of black and Hispanic voters...."

Lemme get this straight. Libs believe everyone should be colorblind except when gerrymandering districts to favor people of color?

The issue was that they're somewhat gerrymandered against that group. Republicans currently hold 69.4% of Congressional seats despite only receiving 57.2% of votes. Not the worst case of gerrymandering in the country, but not exactly representative of the population.

(06-26-2018 12:49 PM)Gakusei Wrote:  The issue was that they're somewhat gerrymandered against that group. Republicans currently hold 69.4% of Congressional seats despite only receiving 57.2% of votes. Not the worst case of gerrymandering in the country, but not exactly representative of the population.

Still reminds me of when my mom managed a Sears catalog store 30 years ago.

One day she would get a letter from some government agency advising against discrimination in hiring.......tactics like quizzing potential employees their about their race. The next day she'd get a letter from some government agency asking how many blacks, samoans, and eskimos she had on staff.

Couple of thoughts.

1) Isn't it funny that the only time "gerrymandering" becomes an issue and is lawsuited all the way to SCOTUS is when it's the GOP doing it? How many times have the demmies gerrymandered in their favor? But I guess that's OK.

2) I've always thought it was "to the winner goes the spoils". If Republicans won elections redistricting should be just like law-making. You win, you get to decide what passes and what doesn't. You write the laws and pass them when you have the majority. Same for maps.

(06-26-2018 12:54 PM)TechRocks Wrote:  

(06-26-2018 12:49 PM)Gakusei Wrote:  The issue was that they're somewhat gerrymandered against that group. Republicans currently hold 69.4% of Congressional seats despite only receiving 57.2% of votes. Not the worst case of gerrymandering in the country, but not exactly representative of the population.

Still reminds me of when my mom managed a Sears catalog store 30 years ago.

One day she would get a letter from some government agency advising against discrimination in hiring.......tactics like quizzing potential employees their about their race. The next day she'd get a letter from some government agency asking how many blacks, samoans, and eskimos she had on staff.

Funny how that works. Race MUST NOT BE A FACTOR in hiring...

Unless that person doesn't get hired, then race is a factor.

(06-26-2018 01:00 PM)BadgerMJ Wrote:  Couple of thoughts.

1) Isn't it funny that the only time "gerrymandering" becomes an issue and is lawsuited all the way to SCOTUS is when it's the GOP doing it? How many times have the demmies gerrymandered in their favor? But I guess that's OK.

Let's not pretend like most Democrats are smart enough to gerrymander. When they have the opportunity, they'll set up a bipartisan commission to create a fair map. When Republicans have the opportunity, they go for the throat.

Quote:2) I've always thought it was "to the winner goes the spoils". If Republicans won elections redistricting should be just like law-making. You win, you get to decide what passes and what doesn't. You write the laws and pass them when you have the majority. Same for maps.

I don't like the idea of Gerrymandering, regardless of who's doing it. It misrepresents the population of a state, even if the viewpoints or voters in that state/district change.

(06-26-2018 01:00 PM)BadgerMJ Wrote:  Couple of thoughts.

1) Isn't it funny that the only time "gerrymandering" becomes an issue and is lawsuited all the way to SCOTUS is when it's the GOP doing it? How many times have the demmies gerrymandered in their favor? But I guess that's OK.

2) I've always thought it was "to the winner goes the spoils". If Republicans won elections redistricting should be just like law-making. You win, you get to decide what passes and what doesn't. You write the laws and pass them when you have the majority. Same for maps.

You're right... The party in power gets to draw their own lines.

(06-26-2018 01:08 PM)Gakusei Wrote:  Let's not pretend like most Democrats are smart enough to gerrymander. When they have the opportunity, they'll set up a bipartisan commission to create a fair map. When Republicans have the opportunity, they go for the throat.

Maryland's 3rd congressional district.

(06-26-2018 01:08 PM)Gakusei Wrote:  Let's not pretend like most Democrats are smart enough to gerrymander. When they have the opportunity, they'll set up a bipartisan commission to create a fair map. When Republicans have the opportunity, they go for the throat.

I don't really know Massachusetts enough to comment, but seems like maybe they're smarter than I gave them credit for. Here's a good one from Texas:

(06-26-2018 01:11 PM)TechRocks Wrote:  

Maryland's 3rd congressional district.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland's...l_district

Current Representative: John Sarbanes (D–Towson)

By the way, the last Republican to hold that district, John B.P.C. Hill, left office March 3, 1927, 91 years ago.

The last time Maryland went GOP in the presidential election: 1988, 30 years ago.

The state definitely leans left. But gerrymandering and the GOP!

(06-26-2018 01:08 PM)Gakusei Wrote:  Let's not pretend like most Democrats are smart enough to gerrymander. When they have the opportunity, they'll set up a bipartisan commission to create a fair map. When Republicans have the opportunity, they go for the throat.

More winning

(06-26-2018 01:30 PM)umbluegray Wrote:  The state definitely leans left. But gerrymandering and the GOP!

This is what I took exception to:

(06-26-2018 01:08 PM)Gakusei Wrote:  Let's not pretend like most Democrats are smart enough to gerrymander. When they have the opportunity, they'll set up a bipartisan commission to create a fair map. When Republicans have the opportunity, they go for the throat.

(06-26-2018 01:34 PM)TechRocks Wrote:  This is what I took exception to:

(06-26-2018 01:08 PM)Gakusei Wrote:  Let's not pretend like most Democrats are smart enough to gerrymander. When they have the opportunity, they'll set up a bipartisan commission to create a fair map. When Republicans have the opportunity, they go for the throat.

You took exception to me thinking most Democrats are too dumb/spineless to gerrymander?

You proved me wrong in that they're not. I don't approve of the practice on either side.

(06-26-2018 01:34 PM)TechRocks Wrote:  

(06-26-2018 01:30 PM)umbluegray Wrote:  The state definitely leans left. But gerrymandering and the GOP!

This is what I took exception to:

(06-26-2018 01:08 PM)Gakusei Wrote:  Let's not pretend like most Democrats are smart enough to gerrymander. When they have the opportunity, they'll set up a bipartisan commission to create a fair map. When Republicans have the opportunity, they go for the throat.

Yeah, I saw that. I was wondering what planet that comment came from.

(06-26-2018 01:39 PM)Gakusei Wrote:  

(06-26-2018 01:34 PM)TechRocks Wrote:  This is what I took exception to:

(06-26-2018 01:08 PM)Gakusei Wrote:  Let's not pretend like most Democrats are smart enough to gerrymander. When they have the opportunity, they'll set up a bipartisan commission to create a fair map. When Republicans have the opportunity, they go for the throat.

You took exception to me thinking most Democrats are too dumb/spineless to gerrymander?

You proved me wrong in that they're not. I don't approve of the practice on either side.

Yes, I took exception to you thinking most dims are too dumb/spineless to gerrymander. Dims have been playing the game a long time and identity politics in all manners is a huge part of it.

Just calling out bs when I see it.

(06-26-2018 01:43 PM)TechRocks Wrote:  Yes, I took exception to you thinking most dims are too dumb/spineless to gerrymander. Dims have been playing the game a long time and identity politics in all manners is a huge part of it.

Just calling out bs when I see it.

Fair enough. I'll give them a bit more credit going forward.

(06-26-2018 01:34 PM)TechRocks Wrote:  

(06-26-2018 01:30 PM)umbluegray Wrote:  The state definitely leans left. But gerrymandering and the GOP!

This is what I took exception to:

(06-26-2018 01:08 PM)Gakusei Wrote:  Let's not pretend like most Democrats are smart enough to gerrymander. When they have the opportunity, they'll set up a bipartisan commission to create a fair map. When Republicans have the opportunity, they go for the throat.

Well Democratic leaders have proven they are pretty stupid in the last 3 or 4 years, especially when it comes to computers, but they have always gerrymandered as much as possible. G. is either trolling, lying or is just an incredibly blind partisan.

Texas Democrats' 1990 was the classic. They had to triple the number of voting precincts in Harris County (Houston) to handle the gerrymander. Went from 600 precincts to 1700. Democrats kept losing in the courts and kept redrawing maps that didn't work. They had a majority of representatives in Texas nearly a decade after their last statewide win. North Carolina Dems had one in the 90s (or 00s) that snaked almost completely across the state to pull in Black areas.