OK, here's my proposal for our version of radical re-redistricting. Keep in mind, guys, this is just proving a point and should be enough to force the Repubs to the table. The plan is below the fold.
Illinois
* Throw Denny Hastert's home in Kendall County, along with Kane and a sliver of Du Page, in the same district as Henry Hyde. Replace Kane and part of Du Page with the rest of De Kalb and Whiteside from Don Manzullo's 16th. Presto--the 14th is open.
* The 8th, as currently drawn, was supposedly intended to protect Phil Crane--so maybe add a few precincts that got moved to the 10th (Mark Kirk) and give all of McHenry County to Manzullo.
* Push the 11th (Jerry Weller) back into Chicago by cutting out Bloomington-Normal and giving them to the 18th (Ray LaHood). Add in the 10th ward (which was part of the 11th before the last redistricting) and maybe another ward of Chicago.
Colorado
* Add a few Denver precincts from Diana DeGette's 1st to the 7th (Bob Beauprez). In exchange, give DeGette a little more of Aurora. This will end Beauprez' career.
* Give the rest of Boulder County to the 2nd (Mark Udall) in return for parceling the rest of Weld County and a little bit of Jefferson to the 4th (Marilyn Musgrave).
* Give Park County to the 3rd (John Salazar) in return for giving Fremont County to the 5th (Joel Hefley).
Louisiana
* Move a little of New Orleans from the 2nd (Bill Jefferson) to the 3rd (Charlie Melançon).
New Mexico
* Give the 1st (Heather Wilson) all of Bernalillo County. Shift Torrance County to the 2nd (Steve Pearce).
North Carolina
* Split all of Fayetteville between the 2nd (Bob Etheridge) and the 7th (Mike McIntyre). This should make it easier for us to keep those seats in the future. Also give the 2nd all of the Nash County side of Rocky Mount and ship all of Sampson to the 3rd (Walter Jones, Jr.). Send Franklin County to the 1st (G. K. Butterfield)--it's so heavily Democratic that the political balance will be unaffected.
* Send Rockingham County from the 13th (Brad Miller) to the 6th (Howard Coble). But dump off the 12th's (Mel Watt) share of Greensboro there as well while shipping Moore County to the 8th (Robin Hayes).
* Move all of northeastern Mecklenburg County to the 8th while moving part of Mooresville to the 12th. The former move likely ends Hayes' career.
* Move some precincts on Charlotte's north side to the 9th (Sue Myrick) while letting the 10th (Patrick McHenry) have all of Gastonia and shifting Cornelius to the 12th.
* Move Polk and Avery counties to the 10th and bring McDowell and Rutherford counties from the 11th (Charles Taylor) while moving most of the 12th's share of Winston-Salem to the 5th (Virginia Foxx). Also, move Watauga County to the 11th. This makes the already super-Republican 10th even more Republican, while throwing Foxx into a district that heavily favors McHenry. This also eliminates Taylor.
Washington
* Give all of Thurston County to the 3rd (Brian Baird) while letting the 9th (Adam Smith) have all of Tacoma.
* Give a little bit of Seattle to the 8th (Dave Reichert).
West Virginia
* The panhandle is currently all in the 2nd (Shelley Capito). Split it up between the 1st (Allan Mollohan) and the 3rd (Nick Rahall) while giving Fayette County to the 2nd.
Republicans eliminated: Beauprez (CO7), Weller (IL11), Wilson (NM1), Hayes (NC8), Myrick (NC9), Taylor (NC11), Reichert (WA8), Capito (WV2)
Republicans thrown into one district: Hastert and Hyde (IL), Foxx and McHenry (NC)
Democrats shored up: Udall (CO2), Bean (IL8), Melançon (LA3), Etheridge (NC2), McIntyre (NC7), Baird (WA3)
Open seats: IL14, NC5