I always liked Germany.
They freaking remember, and are rightly appalled.
Well, Germany does have a significant right-wing movement, too …
Well, I said ‘if they start acting out their fantasies of being a brownshirt on the streets’ that should happen. I’m very sorry you are so charitable to the Nazi state. I hope others don’t feel the same way when it comes to Nazi acts of violence. They aren’t interested in your peaceful protests. I also said I’m fine if they peacefully demonstrate or whatever.
Fired up, ready to go!
I think most Dems are waiting for 2018 candidates, because they don’t trust the DNC. I sure as hell don’t, it’s earned mistrust. My money went directly to Roy Cooper and Bernie last time.
The DNC is really acting crazy lookign for money- the enthusiasm is there obviously, there’s a reason they’re not getting it.
I mean some analysis on the new maps here in NC is that Democrats could win by 9% statewide and still fail to take the state legislature, so. . . yeah.
Wither, Democrats!
*Mitch’ell of House McConnellor stalked into the grand Capitol, his black leather boots, sewn from the finest children’s hides, rapping rhythmically on the well-worn marble floors. Without looking up from beneath his enormous, sweeping hood, he lashed one sable-gloved hand out to the side, spreading a thin dusting of acrid-smelling reagents in the ancient chamber’s air. Whispering eldritch words of ancient power, he cast his spell. . . *
“Ah, yeah, so I’m casting Wither Democrats IX; all Democrats in the chamber will need to make a Fortitude Saving through against +28.”
“Jesus, Mitch, we’re all getting sick of your min-maxed bullshit, Ugh, fine, give me some dice.”
Gotta hand it to Republicans They get it done at the local level while Defeatocrats are busy protesting and forgetting to vote in the midterms.
Stacking the deck is more than just getting out the vote, though.
I get that districts have to be drawn somewhere, but is there some sense in which gerrymandering can run afoul of the law? Or is it ‘above’ the law in the sense that it’s the very procedural business of lawmakers?
Put another way – is gerrymandering just another level of the game, or is it cheating?
Both. Our system is shit because it allows and encourages exactly this kind of garbage. Constituents don’t choose their representatives, politicians choose their constituents.
Burn it all down, make multi seat proportional districts with either ranked, or single transferable votes. Enough with gerymandered FPTP bullshit.
Gerrymandering is legal when the lines are drawn for legal reasons. This is something that the Republicans looked at a long time ago and “properly” took advantage of the opportunity. That’s why despite a majority of the vote being expected to routinely go for Democratic candidates, the majority of winners is expected to be Republican. It’s perfectly within the law in most circumstances, despite it being distasteful and feeling “unfair” to those who don’t vote Republican.
As Craig suggests, it’s a messed up part of the system which would likely require a functional Congress to fix.
And yet that is precisely what we can’t have so long as Republicans exist!
I like to believe in fairy tales like a functional Congress. The GOP Congresspersons likes to believe in fairy tales like they aren’t destroying the fabric of our society while simultaneously claiming to be fixing it. See? We’re not so different!
One time I met a Republican who had long hair that flowed in the wind while he collaborated with a system of institutionalized racism in America.
The GOP lost interest in democracy a long time ago, presumably due to the demographic trends in the US. Now, they believe only in power.
I suppose there is a chance the Supreme Court will step in, but I am not optimistic.
Thing is, if/when dems gain control and get to re-draw those gerrymandered lines, instead of making them reasonable, based on cities/neighborhoods, etc, they’ll do the exact same thing the GOP has done, but in the dems favor. They won’t vote to change gerrymandering forever, they’ll just use it for their own purposes. Now, I’m more in favor of the dems purposes, but gerrymandering period is wrong. It goes against the spirit of one person, one vote, even if it doesn’t break the law at this time.
That chance sailed when turtle boy got away with his disgusting act of not holding a hearing for Garland.