Messing with Texas.
Today, the Supreme Court is holding a 2-hour session to consider whether a Republican-friendly plan to redraw Texas congressional districts in 2003 violated election laws or the US Constitution. (The case is actually four separate appeals, which this article in the Christian Science Monitor does a good job of explaining.)
You may recall that, in 2003, the re-drawn boundaries approved by the GOP-controlled state Legislature helped the Republican Party pick up six seats in Congress. But there’s a sub-plot to the story involving everyone’s favorite ex-exterminator from Sugar Land, Tom DeLay. The ex-majority leader was indicted this fall on money laundering charges. Specifically, he is accused of illegally steering $190,000 in corporate donations to state legislative candidates, who once in office, voted for the redistricting plans, and then disguising its source by sending it through national Republican campaign committees.
The Texas redistricting case gained national attention when, in an attempt to prevent a quorum, Texas Democratic legislators went into hiding—twice: first in Oklahoma and later in New Mexico. DeLay was later admonished by the House Ethics Committee for asking federal aviation officials to track the fugitive legislators.
As today’s case shows, the redrawing of districts is a growing political dilemma in the US. in Some reform advocates have called for the creation of independent commissions to take the power out of the hands of elected officials, while others believe it as a right to be exercised by the majority, just as the president has the authority to appoint judges. It is unclear whether a ruling from the court--expected by July--would affect the November elections.
We'll be watching this case closely...
It's worth noting that Delay moved a large number of Republican voters out of his district. At the time, this move made a great deal of sense: Delay was so secure in his district that he could afford to sluff some sure votes to help other Republicans get elected.
Things have changed since then, and Delay needs every vote he can muster in order to get reelected. Well, votes and some bungled prosecutions. Anyway, the biggest favor the court could do for Delay would be to overturn his redistricting scheme and return those Republican voters to his district.
Alanis' ironymeter must be off the charts about right now.
March 1, 2006 10:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
If Texas ever decides to secede we shouldn't try to stop them...
March 1, 2006 12:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey...we're not all bad...we gave the world Molly Ivins, Ann Richards, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Shiner Bock beer, Bluebell ice cream (the best ice cream in the country...), Goode Company BBQ, Tex-Mex.... We've just been on something of a...um...losing streak...for the past few years.
March 1, 2006 1:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Aw, Kate, it's not a losing streak. You've seen all those bumper stickers that say "Somewhere in Texas, a village is missing its idiot", right?
They got it all wrong. We don't miss him at all.
March 1, 2006 2:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't forget that the white house was granted a voice in this fight to help save the Republican map of Texas. Then, remember that the current Texas Governor Perry was the Lt Gov under former Gov.Bush.
March 2, 2006 3:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Don't forget Bill Moyers. True he was born in OK, but he grew up in and calls Texas home.
And Blue Bell ice cream is not the best in the country; it's the best in the world.
March 2, 2006 3:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Graeters is the best in the world.
March 2, 2006 4:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Good brew, as always, Kate! Although I’d found Maptitude redistricting software previously, this 2003 Nation piece by Sasha Ambransky titled “The Redistricting Wars” acknowledges the affordability of today’s mapping software and actually references the Caliper software product linked to above. I think Maptitude is now up to about $7500 a copy yet the thing that amazes me is the amount of data one has to work with. That $7500 is greens fee level for The Hammer and his ReThuglican minions. There is also Mark Monmonier’s Bushmanders and Bullwinkles: How Politicians Manipulate Electronic Maps and Census Data to Win Elections for a geographer's take on the issue.
March 2, 2006 7:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
Dang, I hadn't thought about that. Still, as a self-described "indicted person" (which kind of smacks of political correct terminology, doesn't it?), who may soon become a more indicted person, I'm thinking he's going to need an awfully big, funny looking district to pull this off.
P.S. Karoshi, I hope you're not working too hard ;-)
March 2, 2006 11:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Looks like them mostly got their heads handed to them. Despite the NYT headline writers attempt to put the best face on it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/02/politics/politicsspecial1/02scotus.html
March 2, 2006 3:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Whether the democrats win the lawsuit or "get their heads handed to them", as some pendejos have stated here, is irrelevant.
What comes around goes around, and while the good citizens of Texas are a little slower on the uptake than most, they will finally figure out that its Texas vs. Mississippi in a race to the bottom and Texas is winning.
Call it Mississippi's revenge; Governor Rick "Goodhair" Perry is aghast at the thought but that's exactly the direction Texas is heading. At least some of the state's politicians recognize that Texas is the living laboratory of the radical right. Their experiments have left the State of Texas on the brink. Go see for yourself what Bush left behind in Texas; it portends the pathetic condition in which he will leave the entire country.
But it may be too late to stop the creation of the United States of Apartheid America; Bush's Haves and Have Mores in their gated communities and private police forces vs. everybody else.
March 3, 2006 7:05 AM | Reply | Permalink