Gerrymandering: The GOPs only hope? (illegal, polls, illegals, politician)
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I have heard Democrats assert that if not for gerrymandered districts, there essentially would have been very few or no Republican politicians voted into office recently.
Is that true?
If not for gerrymandering, would the majority of Americans have voted for only Democrats, much like in inner cities such as Washington, D.C. and Detroit?
What happens when the U.S. moves to a single party system, where only Democrats need run for office?
If it weren't for gerrymandering, the entire Congress and executive branch would be WHITE.
More Americans did vote for Democrats in the last congressional election cycle than Republicans. Despite running fewer candidates than Republicans (more Rs ran unopposed than Ds), Democrats running for the House of Representatives received about a million more votes than Republicans - yet due to gerrymandered districts, they ended up the minority party by some 33 seats (234-201).
House Congressional seat have been "gerrymandered" for decades by both Democrats and Republicans. That's no secret - House Districts are redrawn after every 10 census to reflect the population.
The Democrats usually win the more Urban areas these days and more rural areas tend to vote Republican. More people live in the Urban areas as a general rule and tend to vote in greater numbers. About the only way to get rid of those Rural Republican votes is to only allow the Urban areas to vote. Each District gets a Representative - that's why there are more Republican Representatives that Democrats currently. These rural districts can swing more than the Urban areas tend to do - they were not contested in the 2012 election by your own statement. All this whining about "Gerrymander" boils down to "those non-urban voters" should NOT have a Representative.
USA Map by voting District 2012 Election Results
USA Map 2012 Election Results by County
Look at the maps of Texas .... there are 254 counties in Texas. Some of those red counties are in a blue congressional district - that's just the breaks. They probably aren't happy about that. On the other hand, look at the rest of the State - it's almost all Red and would be all Red if there were not Gerrymandered districts to aid the Democrats. There are only a couple of small dots in heavily urban areas like Houston, Austin and Dallas. The large blue area in the South begins with San Antonio and goes to the Valley while stretching to El Paso .... this area has pretty much always been a Democrat stronghold, but it doesn't have massive population. That's why some of the districts are so large.
Texas is an odd case in many ways - the perception is that Texas is Deep Red and always has been. Not so - Texas has had only 3 Republican Governors in the modern era (pretty much since the end of the civil war). Same was true of the Senators - I can count ALL the Republican Senators that Texas has ever elected on one hand, that would include the brand new Senator Ted Cruz. Texas is very difficult to run/win a State wide election .... just so big with people spread all over most of the State. Winning an Urban center is not enough.
So how did Texas go from Solid Deep Blue to Red? The Democrats blew it and got too Leftist - the corruption didn't help either. Texas could go Blue again, it spent most of it's history as a Blue State - but it will never happen with the "war" on guns, birth control and late term abortion. Ann Richards (a popular Governor) tried that in 1999 with gun control ..... never had a Dem Governor since.
I believe the REAL divide in this country is between the Urban centers and those who don't live in Urban centers. Denver dominates Colorado, Chicago dominates Illinois, Boston dominates Massachusetts, NY City dominates New York State, Las Vegas dominates Nevada, the California coast cities dominate all of California - same is true in Oregon and Washington State.
I would be all for letting districts be cut up based on population alone and not allowing either side to have any control in the shape of their districts. Congress seats should never be safe.
I would be all for letting districts be cut up based on population alone and not allowing either side to have any control in the shape of their districts. Congress seats should never be safe.
I'm good with that. Nita Lowey is my congressman yet the district she serves covers part of Westchester County then hops the Huson River to cover parts of Rockland County. The two counties have very different needs and it does both a disservice to have one representative for both counties.
I have heard Democrats assert that if not for gerrymandered districts, there essentially would have been very few or no Republican politicians voted into office recently.
Is that true?
If not for gerrymandering, would the majority of Americans have voted for only Democrats, much like in inner cities such as Washington, D.C. and Detroit?
What happens when the U.S. moves to a single party system, where only Democrats need run for office?
The Democrats complaining fail to realize something so obvious...
Look at your own post.
Detroit 90%+ Democrat.
Washington D.C. 90% Democrat.
Etc...
The Democrats have many districts that are 90%+ Democrat in these urban areas. Republicans have nothing like that. Republicans have many "safe" districts, but they don't have the 90%+ districts all over like the Democrats have.
If the districts are drawn fairly...the Democrats will get less seats nationwide than their vote totals nationwide will indicate at first glance as the Democrats dominate many urban areas with 90% of the vote.
I have heard Democrats assert that if not for gerrymandered districts, there essentially would have been very few or no Republican politicians voted into office recently.
Is that true?
If not for gerrymandering, would the majority of Americans have voted for only Democrats, much like in inner cities such as Washington, D.C. and Detroit?
What happens when the U.S. moves to a single party system, where only Democrats need run for office?
Gerrymandering is what kept the dems in control of the house for 40 YEARS.
You use this to ensure you will be re-electd. You move to a system where the Repulicans and Democrats have no allegiance to the "people" but only party leaders
and I think you can already see the result. No reason to compromise, get things done, everything. You just make your political boss happy and youre re-elected
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