Court rulings on redistricting are raising Democratic hopes.
Idk, this article feels like politico is trying to frame gerrymandering as something both parties do and is just part of “the political game”. Am I crazy to think that the framing of political enfranchisement for minorities as “other side of the coin” is gross?
Of the maps they mention in Florida, Alabama, New York, North Carolina, and Ohio, NY was the only map proposed by Democrats which was struck down. I think this is simply checks and balances at work (other than North Carolina which is antithetical to how it should work).
I think Politico’s take is noting how of the 60% of the state’s congressional districts that were redrawn and gerrymandered to benefit Republicans have been struck down, and with those barriers removed, Democrats have a chance. With North Carolina districts being redrawn by Republicans, it might be 2 steps forward, one step back for Democrats.
That’s how Politico covers everything. I lived in DC when it launched and they all but said they wanted to cover politics like team sports.
Of course both parties do it. Congressional gerrymandering was happening even before Congress existed. The modern GOP looks like the bad guys at the moment because they’re better at it. The GOP got serious about making data-driven redistricting choices in 2010 (project REDMAP) and gained a big advantage in the electoral arms race. The Democrats are playing catch-up. Someday the pendulum will swing and the parties will be in opposite situations.
I’m not trying to say that it doesn’t happen on the other side either. The thing that has me feeling this way is because they paint what I interpreted as legitimate examples of partisanship in the same way they discussed lawsuits for political enfranchisement. It’s more of an undertone for discussing it as political strategy instead of justice
Both parties do it. It’s just Republicans do it at an industrial scale. Even the one district I could think of - MD’s 8th, which used to run from the DC border to the PA border, effectively disenfranchising anyone north and west of Frederick, has been redrawn to something more fair.
… Assuming a constituency without the memory of a goldfish
Also assuming they actually listen to the courts and not just ignore it.
Gold fish have a longer attention span than most modern humans.
Not even joking. It’s like ten vs eight seconds or something.
