US Gerrymandering?

Clodhopper · Post by **Clodhopper** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:24 am

I've been following some of the coverage of the Fiscal Cliff wrangling (on ABC and CNN) and have now seen a couple of references to the gerrymandering of electoral boundaries to create guaranteed safe seats. What we over here would call rotten boroughs, or very close. What's struck me is that this is the first time I have ever heard this raised as a problem in US politics.

Is this a serious issue in the US? Is it really happening, I mean, because it is a VERY serious issue if it is: You would be entrenching nutters, the corrupt and special interest groups... And if it is a serious issue, why haven't we - or more especially you - heard about it before? And yes, the question may be part of the answer there, but it isn't all of it!

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:32 am

It is an American term Link Here

I think I recall some disputes concerning the election of G W Bush..............could be wrong.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 7:33 am

Happens all the time. Republocrats like to make sure their competition is kept from getting a foothold, so they manipulate district boundaries to ensure there is a concentration of either dems or repubs to make sure there's no guesswork. Republocrats hate guesswork. Racist dems claim that it's necessary so that racial minorities are properly represented, but there isn't a racial minority party, so one has to wonder at the implication.

Good forbid that districts should be based on something other than dem or repub majorities. What chaos might ensue if we don't know ahead of time who will win a given district? That's the Republocrat definition of anarchy.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 7:39 am

Amongst the sage wisdom, do I detect some cynicism ?

Ahso! · Post by **Ahso!** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 7:50 am

Bruv;1414632 wrote: Amongst the sage wisdom, do I detect some cynicism ?I think he's baiting me but I'm not biting. It's a go nowhere discussion.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 7:58 am

Ahso!;1414635 wrote: I think he's baiting me but I'm not biting. It's a go nowhere discussion.
Sorry......but you bit

Clodhopper · Post by **Clodhopper** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 8:47 am

Thanks Bruv.

Didn't know that.

Acc: Well, now I understand where you get some of your more extreme rotating eyeball nutters!

I've recently suffered the horror of having my street move from Lib Dem Constituency into a Conservative safe seat. The ONLY good thing about it is getting to abuse Tory party workers...

Surprised. I would have thought this would upset America more.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 10:06 am

Bruv;1414632 wrote: Amongst the sage wisdom, do I detect some cynicism ?I'm as cynical as they come when it comes to politics.

Ahso!;1414635 wrote: I think he's baiting me but I'm not biting. It's a go nowhere discussion.Wow, what an ego! :wah: No, I just expressed my honest opinion. Are you really that much of a partisan that you identified so closely with my rant? *chuckle*

Clodhopper;1414638 wrote: Thanks Bruv.

Didn't know that.

Acc: Well, now I understand where you get some of your more extreme rotating eyeball nutters!

I've recently suffered the horror of having my street move from Lib Dem Constituency into a Conservative safe seat. The ONLY good thing about it is getting to abuse Tory party workers...

Surprised. I would have thought this would upset America more.
Part of the reason is probably because it's been going on for over a century. Do a poll & you'll find that most Americans won't even acknowledge that such partisan favoritism even exists, either because they approve of it or they simply don't know. Some aren't even aware parties exist outside of the Republocrat cooperative.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 10:39 am

Accountable;1414645 wrote:

Do a poll & you'll find that most Americans won't even acknowledge that such partisan favoritism even exists, either because they approve of it or they simply don't know. Some aren't even aware parties exist outside of the Republocrat cooperative.

I think the same applies here, each party shuffles the deck in it's own favour periodically.

We have only two main parties, plus a few also rans.

Many of the lesser parties have a lot of support, but come election day the fear that if you vote outside of the top two it is a vote for the opposition.

Both main parties policies are a bland blend of middle of the road, interchangeable between each other, most is hot air and banter scoring debating and personality points rather than laying out policies that would differentiate them from each other.

They are all polished professional career politicians to varying degrees...............no real life dyed in the wool characters with causes or ambitions for the people they represent, just their own furtures.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 10:57 am

Seems we're not so different in this area, except that your minor parties get elected occasionally.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 11:02 am

The minor parties get elected locally, but when it comes to national elections, it's a two horse race.

Ahso! · Post by **Ahso!** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 12:31 pm

Accountable;1414653 wrote: Seems we're not so different in this area, except that your minor parties get elected occasionally.States and locals have a few Greens and Libertarians.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 1:02 pm

Ahso!;1414670 wrote: States and locals have a few Greens and Libertarians.

That's good to hear. It doesn't happen in this area, at least not yet.

tude dog · Post by **tude dog** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:36 pm

Since 2000 the Peoples Republic of California by law has been officially gerrymandered to preserve a status quo.

Bi-partisan gerrymandering

It still floors me to think that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed placing the redistricting process in the hands of retired judges, which was on the November ballot as an initiative in a special election (called by the Governor on June 14, 2005), Proposition 77. The special election was held on November 8, 2005. However, the initiative was defeated, with 59.5% No votes. All initiatives, including those proposed by the Governor's allies and several independent initiatives, failed.

It wouldn't bother me so much, what people in that once great state does, but their failure affects the rest of the country.