Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHolder - "it's going to be my job to make sure we don't lose sight of those other races."
The Courts Wont End Gerrymandering. Eric Holder Has a Plan to Fix It Without Them.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/07/the-courts-wont-end-gerrymandering-eric-holder-has-a-plan-to-fix-it-without-them/
This state is in some ways ground zero for gerrymandering, Holder told two dozen BLOC canvassers who would knock on doors that afternoon for the progressive judge running in the race. Last year they called it a blue wave, and yet you didnt flip one congressional seat here in Wisconsin. Thats not because you didnt work hard or people didnt vote. It was because of gerrymandering. Republicans had so effectively gerrymandered the state that even when Democrats won 53 percent of the statewide vote in 2018, they took only 36 percent of the seats in the state legislature.
For decades, Democrats successfully fought these twin efforts at disenfranchisement in the courts. As Obamas attorney general, Holder led that charge, filing lawsuits against states like North Carolina and Texas that challenged Republican-backed laws curbing the right to vote. But this tactic was handed an enormous defeat in 2013, when the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in Shelby County v. Holder, ruling that states with a long history of discrimination no longer needed federal approval to change voting laws. Last week, the court struck another blow, declaring that federal courts couldnt block partisan gerrymandering. Voting rights advocates face not only a hostile Trump administration but a growing number of federal benches controlled by conservatives. As the GOPs war on voting has intensified, the traditional ways of protecting ballot access are no longer reliable.
So Holder is pursuing a new strategy, trying to elect down-ballot candidates who can deliver fairer maps and voting laws. The NDRC invested $350,000 in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, hoping that a liberal majority on the seven-member court might strike down any egregious gerrymanders in the next round of redistricting in 2021. I dont think that 10 years or so ago, you would have a former attorney general campaigning for a state Supreme Court justice, Holder told me. This is a recognition on the part of the Democratic Party, on the part of progressives, that we need to focus on state and local elections to a much greater degree than we have in the past....I understand people are going to be legitimately focused on the presidential race, as we should be, Holder said. But its going to be my job to make sure we dont lose sight of those other races that are going to be extremely important.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
4 replies, 1209 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (10)
ReplyReply to this post
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Holder - "it's going to be my job to make sure we don't lose sight of those other races." (Original Post)
pecosbob
Jul 2019
OP
The last two decades have seen only ALEC and the Kochs with 'boots on the ground'
pecosbob
Jul 2019
#2
CrispyQ
(36,494 posts)1. This:
This is a recognition on the part of the Democratic Party, on the part of progressives, that we need to focus on state and local elections to a much greater degree than we have in the past.
pecosbob
(7,542 posts)2. The last two decades have seen only ALEC and the Kochs with 'boots on the ground'
so to speak.
Gothmog
(145,482 posts)3. We need to GOTV and win control of some state legislatures
In 2018 Texas Democrats picked up 12 state house seats and need 9 more to take control of the Texas House. The party is targeting a number of seats including two in my county. I just gave to one candidate running for a targeted house seat. We need to flip control of the Texas house to block GOP gerrymandering efforts
FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)4. "But first, I have to go after pot smokers again!"