Promises made, promises kept. That’s been Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell’s model for governance since I first met him. Unfortunately, bipartisan redistricting is one campaign promise he should have left wither on the vine.
First, let’s look at this from a policy perspective: the commission has no authority. It is strictly advisory; so, I’m pretty certain I can predict the feedback the group will get from Speaker Bill Howell and Senate Democratic Leader Dick Saslaw. It likely involves the words “stick” and “it.”
Second, while former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, a Democrat, applauds the approach, and Republicans Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Attorney Gen. Ken Cuccinelli have added their “seconds”, bipartisan redistricting is always something that the party not in power is supposed to applaud. Well, guess, what. They really don’t.
If you look at Waldo Jaquith and the “new” All Politics Is Local (the state’s leading Democratic-leaning blog, by the way), neither is satisfied with the plan, nor is the editorial page of the Washington Post.
At APL, Steve Vaughn writes:
After passing up a chance last year to push his reluctant allies in the House to do something about bi-partisan redistricting in time to matter for this year’s redrawing of the state’s congressional and legislative districts, the governor appointed an advisory panel the other day. Their input, which legislators aren’t under any requirement to pay attention to, might have some impact on redistricting. In 2021.
The fact is McDonnell never favored bi-partisan redistricting. He was a consistent vote against it when he was in the House. But his half measure this year allows him to say he’s fulfilled a campaign promise, without having any effect on the partisan gerrymander that House Republicans have planned.
Having allowed last year’s legislative session to go by without a word in favor of any of the bills that would have reformed redistricting—back when it would have been possible to change the process prior to getting the results of last year’s census—[McDonnell’s] left covering his reputation with this fig leaf. His bipartisan eleven-member commission will advise him on redistricting. Which would be really cool, if he were in charge of redistricting.
And, the reaction from the left is wrapped up by the oh-so balanced Washington Post editorial board:
Does Mr. McDonnell sincerely want to clean up the way electoral maps are drawn, as some states have done? Or is he simply – and cynically – going through the motions of honoring a campaign promise?
Ugh.
The right thing to do here, governor, with all due respect, was to do what you did all through your legislative career – oppose this nonsense.
In 2009, the election was about jobs, not bipartisan redistricting. McDonnell need not have made this promise, and still would have won in a landslide.
Despite the fact that I, as Waldo, also know several really good people on this commission, there is absolutely no reason for the commission to exist. Ever.
As we have argued as conservatives time and again, the way the legislature works on redistricting is exactly how our framers intended it to work. It’s supposed to be a difficult process with partisan wrangling and an incumbents’ protection society. And we, as voters, have every right to hold these legislators accountable for their actions. Regardless of how awesome the people on the commission are, they have no accountability. That’s not good, nor democratic, government.
These sorts of independent commissions have always been a step in the wrong direction.
And this is one campaign promise McDonnell shouldn’t have kept.
Read more about Executive Order #31 and the commission’s makeup.
