Ok, I am not a big fan of rant diaries, so I am going to keep the cursing to 50% of an average MSOC post.
Everyone in this country is fixated on the excessive power grabs of the executive branch during the Bush administration, and rightly so. The executive branch has gathered more power while thumbing its nose at the other two branches of government that we used to have (names omitted on purpose). However, the recent ruling by the SCOTUS to allow redistricting willy nilly drives yet another stake into the heart of our democracy.
1812 Gerrymander cartoon of Massachusetts from Wikipedia
I'd say I agree with Kos 95% of the time on his postings, but this one scares me. Whether you agree with Kos or not about whether Dems should redistrict states in a Delayian fashion, you have to admit it's undemocratic. I'm sick of the voters in this country allowing politicians to pick who the fuck votes for them. That's absolutely ridiculous, and sounds more like a dictatorship than a democracy.
follow me over the flip for more...
If there is a worthwhile amendment to be pursuing, it is a complete overhaul of the way congressional districting is done. Allowing politicians to make their own districts has led us, in no small part, to the current state of our political affairs. Do you think these jokers in the House don't know that they are nearly unbeatable in their own fiefdoms? They are laughing all the way to the golf outings with the fatcat lobbyists all the while telling the working man to bend over and sending my friends to a war of choice to die. That's the real story. With accountability that doesn't happen...because
these idiots would have been kicked the fuck out by competetive races in years past.
Do you think these so-called Republicans would be voting for record setting budget deficits and tax-cuts in a time of war if they were in a competetive district? Hell no, they would be voting for the pocket book of the average man...because that's who they get their votes from, not the top 1%. And if they had voted as such these idiots would have been kicked the fuck out by competetive races in years past.
Again, do you think the current Republicans would be following dear leader over the ratings cliff if they were in competetive districts? It doesn't matter because the republicans can stand on TV defiantly bashing gays and flag burning even though polls are showing them losing to dems 47-34 (Rasmussen) on a generic congressional ballot because they know 90% of their districts are safe! I can tell you, in a real democracy a party in a congress with approval ratings in the 20s and a 47-34 disadvantage in the polls should be running around frantically. Of course not here, they know 90% of their districts are safe as they think to themselves..."oh maybe those 2500+ deaths and $500 billion we spent might cost us a few seats...oh darn." Get them the fuck out of there!
So, no I don't think the answer is to play the game and redistrict more states away from the people and into the hands of politicians. I don't think that's ever the way to go. The last thing we need is MORE incompetent "representatives" with the (D) label next to their names. Democrats and Republicans need to see this redistricting for what it is...a redistribution of power from the voting public to the politicians. This is an issue that we should all be able to stand together on. Do we want a health democracy that chews up and spits up bad politicians, or a House of Reps. made up of a set of slimeball politicians who know they can get away with anything?