Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

In It to Win It

(8,141 posts)
Tue Jul 6, 2021, 09:19 AM Jul 2021

Republicans weigh 'cracking' cities to doom Democrats

POLITICO via Yahoo News

Kentucky’s GOP congressional delegation entered the redistricting cycle with an unusual request for their state legislative counterparts: leave Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth alone.

The group, which includes Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, wants the state’s Republican supermajority to refrain from cracking Yarmuth's Louisville-based district into three, even if that might deliver them control of all of Kentucky’s six House seats.

“It's been my experience in studying history that when you get real cute, you end up in a lawsuit — and you lose it. And then the courts redraw the lines,” said Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.). “So my advice would be to keep Louisville blue.”

-snip-

Besides Yarmuth in Louisville, Republicans will also have to consider whether to take the knife to the seats of Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) in Nashville; Reps. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) and Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) in Kansas City on both sides of the border and perhaps even freshman Rep. Frank Mrvan (D-Ind.) in northwest Indiana. Also potentially on the chopping block: the city of Omaha, the "cracking" of which could shore up Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) in one of the nation’s swingiest seats.

The decisions they make will shape the balance of power in Congress for the next five cycles. And because Nebraska splits its Electoral College votes by congressional district — changes there could even sway the 2024 and 2028 presidential contests.

19 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Republicans weigh 'cracking' cities to doom Democrats (Original Post) In It to Win It Jul 2021 OP
They cracked Austin with some of the most obviously obvious gerrymandering. marble falls Jul 2021 #1
Gerrymandering becomes fragile when taken to extremes like that. lagomorph777 Jul 2021 #2
Undone by their own rapacious greed. tanyev Jul 2021 #3
This has stood for 20 years. This was the first Gingrich, DeLay experiment at boosting the value ... marble falls Jul 2021 #4
Wish this was the case but its not, Austin crack had put TX in a bad way uponit7771 Jul 2021 #10
It certainly isn't true in every case, but statistically, it becomes fragile in many locations. lagomorph777 Jul 2021 #13
Maybe Democrats should do some cracking of their own USAFRetired_Liberal Jul 2021 #5
I think California has an independent commission so Cali's out In It to Win It Jul 2021 #8
IL Dems are drawing the maps. I doubt it will be extreme...but PortTack Jul 2021 #9
Maryland is far from perfect. jimfields33 Jul 2021 #16
Damn GOP crackers! Buckeye_Democrat Jul 2021 #6
This message was self-deleted by its author tenderfoot Jul 2021 #7
the point of gerrymandering is to draw the "black majority" districts rampartc Jul 2021 #11
I've always wondered wryter2000 Jul 2021 #14
Yep. Buckeye_Democrat Jul 2021 #15
my district is orleans parish and east baton rouge rampartc Jul 2021 #19
Congress and state legislature control lies firmly with the GOP's grasp andym Jul 2021 #12
Sometimes I swear we ought to call their bluffs and move en masse to one of their solid GOP Vinca Jul 2021 #17
The GOP will try to use partisan gerrymandering and we will fight these attempts LetMyPeopleVote Jul 2021 #18

lagomorph777

(30,613 posts)
2. Gerrymandering becomes fragile when taken to extremes like that.
Tue Jul 6, 2021, 09:28 AM
Jul 2021

It then takes only small shifts in the electorate to cause massive shifts in outcomes.

marble falls

(56,358 posts)
4. This has stood for 20 years. This was the first Gingrich, DeLay experiment at boosting the value ...
Tue Jul 6, 2021, 09:34 AM
Jul 2021

... of a GOP vote to eclipse the value of a Democratic vote.

In It to Win It

(8,141 posts)
8. I think California has an independent commission so Cali's out
Tue Jul 6, 2021, 11:10 AM
Jul 2021

Completely explains why we're still dealing with Devin Nunes

Response to In It to Win It (Original post)

rampartc

(5,263 posts)
11. the point of gerrymandering is to draw the "black majority" districts
Tue Jul 6, 2021, 11:35 AM
Jul 2021

to be as close to 100% democratic as possible. the remaining districts can be 51% repub giving the repubs their huge advantage in the house,

taking that process down to the state level gives them a stranglehold on the states and on the next round of redistricting.

wryter2000

(46,016 posts)
14. I've always wondered
Tue Jul 6, 2021, 12:08 PM
Jul 2021

Certainly, 51% wins, but it also seems fragile to me. (A word seen in several posts above.) If you have anything like a weak candidate, they could easily lose what you think is "your" district.

Buckeye_Democrat

(14,846 posts)
15. Yep.
Tue Jul 6, 2021, 12:12 PM
Jul 2021

It's not just the majority black areas, but the effort to isolate more liberal voters in general. Some of the districts in Ohio look bizarre, more like parts of complex patterns called fractals, for the sake of increasing overall GOP reps.

rampartc

(5,263 posts)
19. my district is orleans parish and east baton rouge
Tue Jul 6, 2021, 02:14 PM
Jul 2021

connected bu a 90 mile by 4 block strip along "cancer alley. " we will nave a dem representative forever. but that leaves 4 relatively safe, but much closer, districts for the repubs. sure, they outnumber us, but not 4-1.

andym

(5,441 posts)
12. Congress and state legislature control lies firmly with the GOP's grasp
Tue Jul 6, 2021, 11:42 AM
Jul 2021

Given their control of state legislatures at nearly a 2:1 ratio (30 states).

Legislatures (49 total) 30 / 61% (R) 18 / 38% (D) 1 divided legislature
They don't have the governorship in 7 of those 30 states:

Full control:
State Control (49 total) 23 / 46%(R) 15 / 31% (D) 11 divided states

They have way more power than Democrats at the state level. It's not close and bodes poorly for the USA.

Vinca

(50,168 posts)
17. Sometimes I swear we ought to call their bluffs and move en masse to one of their solid GOP
Tue Jul 6, 2021, 12:52 PM
Jul 2021

districts and stay just long enough to flip it to a Dem.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Republicans weigh 'cracki...