As we all know, John Boehner is unwilling to allow an up-or-down vote on a clean spending resolution only because about two dozen of the most right-wing members of his caucus have threatened to oust him as Speaker if he does. This episode is probably the strongest argument yet for why we need to find a way to end the current system where state legislatures are the primary mapmakers in the redistricting process.
Below follows a list of the Republicans who have been identified here and here as being part of this cabal in recent days, along with the PVIs of their districts.
- David Schweikert (AZ-06, R+12)
- Raul Labrador (ID-01, R+18)
- Thomas Massie (KY-04, R+16)
- Matt Salmon (AZ-05, R+17)
- Mick Mulvaney (SC-05, R+9)
- Ted Yoho (FL-03, R+14)
- Jim Jordan (OH-04, R+9)
- Steve King (IA-04, R+5)
- Tom Graves (GA-14, R+26)
- Tim Huelskamp (KS-01, R+23)
- John Fleming (LA-04, R+13)
- Phil Gingrey (GA-11, R+19)
- Justin Amash (MI-03, R+4)
- Louie Gohmert (TX-01, R+24)
- Michele Bachmann (MN-06, R+10)
- Jim Bridenstine (OK-01, R+18)
- John Culberson (TX-07, R+13)
- Ron DeSantis (FL-06, R+9)
- Jeff Duncan (SC-03, R+18)
- Steve Stockman (TX-36, R+25)
- Mark Meadows (NC-11, R+12)
Notice a pattern here? Except for King and Amash, all of these dystopians sit in districts that are R+9 or worse. Which means this country is effectively being held hostage by a small group of wingnuts who can do so with impunity because the only way they will be held to account is if the roof falls in nationally on the GOP. There is something fundamentally wrong when this is possible.
The frightening thing is that some on the fringe (Zell Miller and Rick Joyner immediately come to mind) want to end popular election of senators. The obvious problem with this idea is that it would put those appointments in the hands of legislatures that are, for the most part, outrageously gerrymandered. Which means that the Senate could potentially be as much of a hyperpartisan minefield as the House. Is that what these yayhoos want? You have to wonder.