VPOD 114: Redistricting
By JR Hoeft | Wednesday, April 20th, 2011 | Podcasts* Redistricting. Quite frankly, and this is a shock even to me, but Republicans are being more bipartisan about this than Democrats. It is clear that Saslaw has drawn a line in the sand. So what will Petersen, Deeds, Miller, or Northam do about it? To learn more about what I think, check out my column in the Daily Press.
* Net Neutrality Minute. In the interest of fairness, I invite Comrade Bob to join us and do a reading from Blue Virginia.
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Intro by Rick Jensen.
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Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. E-mail J.R.. Follow J.R. on Twitter.
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6 Responses to "VPOD 114: Redistricting"
It sounds so much better coming from Comrade Bob. Maybe he should be the President’s press secretary. Now I have this thought of an SNL skit where the President is speaking at a press conference, like he normally does. Then goes back into a cabinet meeting and everyone in the cabinet meeeting including the President are speaking like Comrade Bob and planning on converting the U.S. to a communist nation…ah I guess there is a reason I don’t write comedy skits.
Bi-partisan redistricting passed the Senate unanimously. In the House it was killed in sub-committee and did not even make it to the floor.
Republicans got what they asked for, and now they have a problem with it.
Let us live with the die we cast and then get real reform so we no longer have to deal with chance.
Who now will speak against redistricting reform? It is too late to improve things now, but which party prevented the reforms necessary to play out in our current bailiwick?
No, Republicans – at least not this one – doesn’t have a problem with it.
Actually, I kind of welcome it, becuase it shows the true nature of what some of these elected officials who talk a big game about bipartisan redistricting actually feel.
They have gone along with the most stridently partisan plan devised in decades.
So, as I predicted weeks ago, it will be a nice campaign issue in November to help defeat them.
In other words, they’re hypocrites and will appropriately be called out for it.
JR-Come on now. Bi-partisan redistricting didn’t pass. So you think Democrats should adopt it unilaterally and give up their majority in the Senate? Did you think people who ran on term limits — Bob Goodlatte would be a good example — should have left after six years, even though term limits never passed? Gerrymandering is the state of the game this year and both parties did it. Redistricting is “inside baseball” and isn’t going to move any votes. I expect you actually know that.
Oh, no way, Steve. I’m not letting you get away with that. “Both parties did it?” No way.
When you look at the variables, especially regarding compactness, continuity, voting age, race, etc. – the GOP plan matches FAR more closely to student plans and the redistricting commission than that monstrosity that came out of the Senate.
Regardless, I still claim if Deeds, Petersen, and Miller, such vocal proponents of bipartisan redistricting, had the courage of their convictions, then they’d be forcing their leadership’s hand right now.
We’ll have to agree to disagree.
The House drew a plan to give themselves about 2/3 of the seats in a state that’s — at best — 55% GOP. Neither the House or the Senate plan meet the commission’s criteria.
The fact that House Democrats, through stupidity, selfishness and really astoundingly bad leadership, went along with the House gerrymander makes it any less of a gerrymander.
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