States are currently scrambling for redistricting to be completed with a near-immediate midterm election. Although you’re most likely to hear of gerrymandering being done by Republicans in mainstream media, most instances are happening from Democrat-run state.
You’ve probably seen the spaghetti-on-a-wall map drawn in Illinois which nuked several GOP-held seats. Oregon, Maryland, New Mexico, and New Mexico are also pushing the envelope. They have squeezed every Democrat seat into their redistricting programs. In states with “independent commissions” run by academics, Democrats have stacked the deck as well, with California’s blue-bolstering map being an example.
We can now add New York. The 22-4 D-to-R map has been released by the state, which eliminates four Republicans, even though it lost one congressional seat to the Census.
BREAKING NEWS: Here is the NY Dems complete congressional proposal. Credit to @zach_solomon1. This is a 22D-4R gerrymander – and a pretty effective one. https://t.co/QleEKPMJy8 pic.twitter.com/yd7Iqx6DPh
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) January 30, 2022
Jerry Nadler’s district 10, shown up close in the second picture, is maybe the worst gerrymander in the country, though, there are some others vying for the title. It’s specifically meant to dilute the vote of Orthodox Jews, many of which vote Republican. Getting outside of New York City, things aren’t much better, with disjointed, hacked-up districts meant to compact Democrats into deep blue bastions.
You can see that the New York map is being criticized from the right. They point out the hypocrisy behind Democrats’ complaints about gerrymandering, even though they fully participate. But I’m going to give you a different take: Democrats are right to do what is best.
Gerrymandering refers to the use of the spoils from war. If you have the power in a state to draw the lines, the expectation should be that those lines are drawn to consolidate power because elections aren’t a game. These outcomes have real implications for the people who live there. It is not right to believe that one party has the best ideas, which are essential for the well-being and health of the nation.
Besides, there isn’t a Democrat alive right now that cares about some Republican calling them a hypocrite. What’s that kind of hand-wringing accomplishing, exactly? This is the answer: fight fire with fire. Instead of fighting fire with fire, many GOP-led state are falling into fetal positions. Redstate reports that both Florida and Missouri Republicans have tried to give up on redistricting. Texas’ new map actually strengthened the position of 12 of the 13 existing Democrats instead of going fully the offensive, and that’s one of the maps Republicans are telling us we should be happy about.
Either the GOP will wake up to realize that gerrymandering is irreversible, or it can continue watching as Democrats win seats even before they are cast. This is the embarrassing Republican response. It’s long past time to learn the lesson that it’s not 2004 anymore. Democrats don’t value bipartisanship especially when it comes to power distribution.
Be bold or stay home.
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