Political & Elections

Abyss · Senior Member

RE: To the winner goes the spoils?

soccerguy315 · Guru

there are some districts in this country that are gerrymandered beyond belief... it's ridiculous.

BigG · Guru

You can take a district that is solidly partisan against you and divide it among several districts where you are predominate in an effort to capture all districts. The danger here is that swing voters can cost you several districts in an election.

Concentrating the opponet in a few districts gives them that few but can virtually guarantee you the many.

It really depends on whether you are losing or gaining Congressional districts in a state and your degree of certainty about the lost or gained seats.

Like medicine, gerrymandering is an art and a science.

Abyss · Senior Member

BigG wrote:

I think the most effective gerrymander is to concentrate ones opponets in a few districts, then draw the rest to significantly favor your side.

Thoughts?

I thought that was the only strategy of gerrymandering.

You want your opponent to have 90% of the vote in his district - where you have a cool 60%.

nbachris2788 · Senior Member

Razorsharp wrote:

Partisanship is precisely how congressional lines should be drawn. Otherwise you are left with the reality of drawing the lines based on race, ethnicity or other improper methods.

What makes non-race-based partisanship any better than race-based partisanship?

BigG · Guru

I think the most effective gerrymander is to concentrate ones opponets in a few districts, then draw the rest to significantly favor your side.

Thoughts?

How can it not be fair when it is done by both parties in turn?

Abyss · Senior Member

This golden rule is the most fair rule to ever exist. He who has the gold makes the rules.

hayden · Senior Member

We can't expect fairness when the stakes are so high.

And the stakes are getting higher and higher, as even more money floods into the political process.

pmrlcomm · Senior Member

An informative article I found...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101221/ap_on_bi_ge/us_census2010_count

pmrlcomm · Senior Member

Surely there has to be a fair way.

Razorsharp · Guru

Partisanship is precisely how congressional lines should be drawn. Otherwise you are left with the reality of drawing the lines based on race, ethnicity or other improper methods.

pmrlcomm · Senior Member

That would be much preferable compared to this partisanship. Granted, it could have been the Dems...a matter of timing. Don't like it regardless of the party in control.

Cardinal Fang · Senior Member

In California, we voted to have an independent commission draw up election districts.

pmrlcomm · Senior Member

http://www.wlwt.com/politics/26206309/detail.html

So the Republicans get to break the stated of Ohio from 18 Congressional districts to 16 because they won in November. Likely they will look to split up heavy Democratic districts and redraw the map to their benefit. I know this is the way it is but does anyone else just see this as wrong? I'm not suggesting I have a better plan but talk about encouraging partisanship...