Texas is gerrymandering again

[Horse with no Name]

and slicing and dicing minority districts so that they will be silenced.

Sigh. There are so MANY stupid Texans who blame all the wrongs in this state on Washington and give all the credit to the republicans in Austin when things are good and they can't see the disconnect there.

Tom Delay tried harder than hell to gerrymander Lloyd Doggett and couldn't. However, in Austin, the bluest city in the state, they gerrymandered it enough to make the representation ALL repiglican.

Help us all. This is ridiculous.

http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/senate-approves-new-congressional-districts-1522969.html

>>>>snip
"Minorities across the state will be offended by this plan," Zaffirini said, echoing criticisms that some minority districts are being packed with more minority voters even as other minority voting blocs such as those in Travis County are being divided.

Seliger said the plan complies with the federal Voting Rights Act and will be approved by the courts.

Even so, Democrats harshly criticized the plan because of the boundary changes in Dallas, El Paso, San Antonio, Austin and Houston, predicting it will be overturned by expected lawsuits. "This plan belongs in the 20th century, not the 21st century ," said Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville.

Seliger said that in Austin's case, where the new boundary lines will force U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, into a new district, there are no districts that are designated as minority-dominated and thus "protected," as there are in other areas, and that affected how the lines were drawn.

[iris27]

1. Ridiculous is exactly the right word.

They are slicing Travis County, which is pretty much Austin, up across FIVE different districts, in order to overwhelm blue Austin votes with enough red votes to make a majority in each district. It is completely asinine!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

3. That, my friend, is the very definition of gerrymandering.

Personally, I find it disgusting. It's wrong to force people into districts that don't represent their values or ideas. It's wrong when the Democrats do it and it's wrong when the Republicans do it.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

2. It looks like they're out to get rid of Ron Paul this time as well.

This map is a sliced up to look like a pizza with everything being divided up by topping type. We are well and completely screwed this time. Even allowing for the fact that some small amount will be redrawn after lawsuits (again!), I still don't see a way to overcome this. :(


Edit: To correct spelling error.

[w8liftinglady]

4. Ron Paul scares the shit out of the lock-step

I may not agree with him 90% of the time, but he has never let party loyalty get in the way of what he believes.
It is so unlike Texas republicans

[Lone_Star_Dem]

5. Their issue with him is his views appeal to the Libertarian mindset

Which doesn't appeal to the Republicans in power. As you said he says things, and even at times votes in ways, which go against their lock-step mindset. Not a good way to endear yourself with the GOP.

If I recall correctly, they're adding some 300,000 new conservative voters to his district. Which in turn will give them a pretty good chance to knock him out in a primary. They basically doing the same to him what they did to Doggett last time. Who knows, he may survive the primary just like Doggett did in 2004. Paul's Libertarian leanings have managed to give him a diverse voter base. I can't believe I find myself in a situation where I'm pulling for Ron Paul, but if it's what the Texas GOP doesn't want, I find myself inclined to support it.

[chalky]

6. I am so pissed about this, I don't know what to say except k&r.

:grr:

[Name removed]

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