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Democracy is flawed because it allows Republicans, whose policies don't work and are unpopular, to influence elections unfairly. This must be corrected by the 2016 elections. Republicans foolishly try to deceive people into thinking they are popular, when in actuality, they can only win by cheating.
Yet, the last I looked the GOP picked up 2 seats in IL.
OK so how is the districts in NY and CA the result of GOP manipulation then?
But thank you, I did not know that NY now had a citizens body to draw the lines.
We do in NY but the recent vote had a proposed Amendment which would allow the government and legislature to re-draw the lines. Looks like the Democrats want to gerrymander New York (not that we need to).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arjay51
And is it your stupid contention that the democrats has never gerrymandered or reset boundaries to serve their own agendas?
Even you cannot be that biased as to claim that. But of course, for your side it is (supposedly) and act of fairness, but when the other side does the exact same thing it is cheating.
Perhaps you should read something other than your masters talking points to learn some truth.
Strawman. That poster uttered no such thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caleb Longstreet
ZZZZZZzzzzzzz, Both sides do this when they are in power.....this is nothing new....
While this is true, it is a false equivalency.
Democrats do not gerrymander to the same extent Republicans do. Democrats' Gerrymandering is really only outrageous in parts of Florida, Illinois, and Maryland. Republicans do it in every state they can get their hands on, including the purple states.
Democracy is flawed because it allows Republicans, whose policies don't work and are unpopular, to influence elections unfairly. This must be corrected by the 2016 elections. Republicans foolishly try to deceive people into thinking they are popular, when in actuality, they can only win by cheating.
"In three critical areas, Republicans long fought for reforms that would prevent one party from dominating the House of Representatives, and in each of these three areas, Democrats, smug about their chances of making the rules of political elections forever, fought and defeated these reforms in the areas of term limits, minority party rights in House operations, and gerrymandering." [Emphasis mine]
"Gerrymandering, or drawing legislative district lines to create as many districts that the majority party can win as possible, was practiced for many decades by Democrats over the objections of Republicans."
Umm...the Senate district lines are the same as they were in 2008 when the Democrats gained many seats, and the House district lines are the same as in 2012 when the Democrats gained a few seats. Unfortunately, the Obama bootlickers can't blame anyone but themselves and their leader for their historically poor performance, and it is historic. The GOP will control more House seats than any time since 1928, more state legislatures than any time in the party's history, and will likely have 54 seats in the Senate; only four times since 1928 has the GOP won more seats (1982, 1996, 1998, and 2004). Barring another Democratic wave in 2016 and a tremendous turn in fortune for our current lame-duck President, the GOP may be in the process of regaining their pre-Great Depression strength, albeit probably temporarily if current grassroots political trends continue*.
As for gerrymandering, studies have shown there is nothing to suggest that the post-2010 gerrymandering was significantly outside the historical norm; district lines have been gerrymandered for generations, and often favored Democrats as well as Republicans (some states' lines even now favor Democrats). Furthermore, the Republicans retaining the House while narrowly losing the popular vote is not uncommon with "fading majorities". The same thing happened in 1996 with the GOP and in 1942 with the Democrats - were those results also due to unprecedented gerrymandering? In 1952 the GOP actually managed to flip control of the House while losing the popular vote (albeit increasing their share more than the Democrats and only got a 3 seat majority).
*This is significant because the GOP has generally been weak since 1930. Even when they won the Presidency in 5 out of 6 elections from 1968 to 1988 the Democrats controlled every other center of power in the country, excepting a low-to-mid 50's GOP Senate majority from 1980 to 1986. The GOP did manage to take both Houses of Congress in 1994 and hold it until 2006 their majority was never very large, peaking at 55 Senate seats and 234 House seats. Even with that weakness there were 6 years of a federal GOP trifecta for the first time since the 1920's (they made a complete wreck out of it of course but that's beside the point). The Democrats managed 257 House seats and 60 Senate seats after 2008, and controlled more than 250 House seats (i.e. more than the GOP had any time after the 1920's) from 1982 to 1992.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Opin_Yunated
Republicans do it in every state they can get their hands on, including the purple states.
A lot of this is due to opportunity or the lack thereof, considering that Democrats didn't have have their hands on any purple or red states other than Colorado and West Virginia, and both of those are now under split control after the 2014 elections.
Democrats do not gerrymander to the same extent Republicans do. Democrats' Gerrymandering is really only outrageous in parts of Florida, Illinois, and Maryland. Republicans do it in every state they can get their hands on, including the purple states.
Wierd, just 6 years ago the Democrats managed to hold the house and just 2 years later had lost it....bigtime.
Must have been GERRYMANDERING during that short 2 year period! lol.
Gerrymandering only affected a few House races, not the Senate, governor, or state senate races, where Republicans ran roughshod over Democrats.
Republicans gained 7 (as of now) seats in the US Senate, and retook the majority.
Republicans gained control of 3 more state senates, now controlling 34.
Republicans now control 31 governor seats.
Republicans have 23 trifectas (control of the entire state government), compared to the Democrats' 7.
In the last 3 election cycles, including what Democrats consider a "victorious" 2012, the Democrats have lost 743 state legislature seats, and the Republicans have gained 811.
You can assuage your pain with fairy tales about gerrymandering, but redrawn US House districts do not explain all those statewide electoral beatdowns, New Mexico being under Republican control for the first time in 60 years, Arkansas (Land of Clinton) having not one single Democrat in the US House or Senate...for the first time ever, Nevada (Land of Reid) flipping to Republican control, etc etc etc.
Maybe it explains a few of the pickups in the US House, where the GOP will hold their highest majority since 1929, but that's all.
2014 was a straight rebuke of the Democrats, nationwide. It wasn't based on specific districts. It was an old fashioned beatdown, not unlike the one that got handed to the GOP in 2006, and all you liberal folks were declaring the GOP dead, buried, and forgotten.
And stuff like Scott Walker, winning his 3rd election in 4 years, in the state where progressivism was born, under constant assault from both the education and labor union super powers...yeah, that's a statewide election and in Wisconsin. You just can't hide behind gerrymandering's apron. It's a load of nonsense.
The GOP only won the Senate due to low Democractic turnout. The Democrats, if not pick up more seats, will take back the chamber in 2016.
Why low Democrat turnout?
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