Lately, I keep reading opinion columns in which the pundit proclaims that the Republicans have gerrymandered the congressional districts across the country to their advantage. So, let me ask you three questions relevant to that charge:
1) Which party controlled the great majority of redistricting after the censuses taken in 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000?
2) Which party controlled the majority of redistricting across the country after the census of 2010?
3) Why is it that there are congressional districts across America that are drawn to have majorities of black or Hispanic voters?
The answers are simple. Following the censuses from 1940 to 2000, the Democrat party controlled redistricting in most states. During each of those efforts at redistricting, the Democrats drew the district lines to their maximum advantage. After the 2010 census, the Republicans controlled the redistricting of more seats than the Democrats for the first time in 80 years. Even though the Republicans were in control, they still had to come up with districts that had a majority of blacks or Hispanics, a process which guaranteed minority representation in Congress but one which also put together in one district populations that voted overwhelmingly Democrat. These districts are required under the terms of the Voting Rights Act which the Congress passed in the 1960s.
Think about these facts. In many states, certain areas are strongly Republican and others are strongly Democrat. If the very strongest Democrat areas, namely the minority areas, are all lumped into one or two districts to get minority representation, then the rest of the state becomes much more Republican on average. When the Democrats no longer control redistricting so that there is no one to arrange districts to protect Democrat candidates for congress, the result is that many more Republicans get elected. This is the "gerrymandering" which the lefty pundits so abhore. Liberal ideology has forced the creation of almost uniformly Democrat districts, so the liberals scream gerrymandering when the remainder unsurprisingly turns Republican.
In the last redistricting effort, there was one state that clear outdid all of the others in arranging congressional districts for purely political advantage for one party. That state, of course, was Illinois, one of the few states that is controlled by the Democrats. Just through redistricting, the Democrats in Illinois shifted almost 20% of the seats from Republican to Democrat.
The sad thing is that this gerrymandering by Republican lie is one of those memes that will get repeated over and over in the media until it becomes the received wisdom of the ages. We ought not let this happen. The truth should be told as often as needed.
1) Which party controlled the great majority of redistricting after the censuses taken in 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000?
2) Which party controlled the majority of redistricting across the country after the census of 2010?
3) Why is it that there are congressional districts across America that are drawn to have majorities of black or Hispanic voters?
The answers are simple. Following the censuses from 1940 to 2000, the Democrat party controlled redistricting in most states. During each of those efforts at redistricting, the Democrats drew the district lines to their maximum advantage. After the 2010 census, the Republicans controlled the redistricting of more seats than the Democrats for the first time in 80 years. Even though the Republicans were in control, they still had to come up with districts that had a majority of blacks or Hispanics, a process which guaranteed minority representation in Congress but one which also put together in one district populations that voted overwhelmingly Democrat. These districts are required under the terms of the Voting Rights Act which the Congress passed in the 1960s.
Think about these facts. In many states, certain areas are strongly Republican and others are strongly Democrat. If the very strongest Democrat areas, namely the minority areas, are all lumped into one or two districts to get minority representation, then the rest of the state becomes much more Republican on average. When the Democrats no longer control redistricting so that there is no one to arrange districts to protect Democrat candidates for congress, the result is that many more Republicans get elected. This is the "gerrymandering" which the lefty pundits so abhore. Liberal ideology has forced the creation of almost uniformly Democrat districts, so the liberals scream gerrymandering when the remainder unsurprisingly turns Republican.
In the last redistricting effort, there was one state that clear outdid all of the others in arranging congressional districts for purely political advantage for one party. That state, of course, was Illinois, one of the few states that is controlled by the Democrats. Just through redistricting, the Democrats in Illinois shifted almost 20% of the seats from Republican to Democrat.
The sad thing is that this gerrymandering by Republican lie is one of those memes that will get repeated over and over in the media until it becomes the received wisdom of the ages. We ought not let this happen. The truth should be told as often as needed.
1 comment:
The issue is PROPAGANDA, The majority of all media does this on behalf of the Democratic Party.
People only believe what Television tells them, Our society is extremely LAZY, The 30 second sound bite repeatd over & over is brainwashing this country. IMHO
Post a Comment