The Supremes said that Texas' mid-decade redistricting was legal. Time for Dems to
follow suit.
"Look for several states to rejigger congressional districts in the wake of the Supreme Court's 7-2 ruling upholding the Texas legislature's 2003 decision to draw a new map," advises Kiplinger Forecasts. "The Court made it clear that states can rewrite boundaries whenever they want, not just after the Census every 10 years. That means the congressional landscape in Washington can change every time one party gains control over a state's government. Although the Supreme Court's decision is a big victory for Republicans, and specifically for former Senate Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas, who engineered the redistricting, redistricting by other states may have the GOP ruing the day."
"New maps may well put more Democrats in the House of Representatives, possibly enough to tip the balance of power from Republicans to Democrats. We expect Illinois, New Mexico, New Jersey and New York to wind up with Democrats in control of both the governor's mansion and the state legislature after the November elections. So redistricting in those states might shift enough seats to the Democratic column to give that party a majority."
Richardson could earn lots of netroots and grassroots brownie points by pushing for redistricting in his state. New Jersey and New York could yield a treasure trove of new Dem-leaning seats. And Illinois, while it has passed on such redistricting in the past, could hopefully be prodded to redraw its maps.
We didn't make the rules. Tom DeLay and the Republicans did. We're playing in their world.
And then, once the absurdity of partisan gerrymandering is seen by all, we can work toward a system of non-partisan redistricting. Ultimately, that's what's best for democracy.
But that won't happen until we sweep the Republicans out of power.
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