2011 Repug Gerrymandering

Anyone else worried about how the GOP is going to re-draw districts?

I know the Pubs are notorious for redistricting, but surely the Dems can do it too.

;-)

And they really do outdo the Dems in it: witness the Texas debacle when the Repukes redrew TX congressional districts after 2002 -- changing the original redrawing after 2000.

And when things get out of hand, the redrawn maps can be taken to court.

Gerrymandering goes way, way back in our political traditions. The practice is named after Elbridge Gerry, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

If you "pack" minorities into districts, it assures the election of minority Democrats but favors the GOP in the non-minority districts. If you "share" the minorities with a number of districts, you favor Democrats, but they will be less likely to be minority Democrats. As a result, Democrat-leaning minorities will tend to favor GOP re-districting schemes.

geometric borders, or as close to that as possible & be done with it. Population woul be strictly based on the cenus. If you live in an area where the majority are all one party afiliation & you're not, then you're the minority voter there. All tese damn squiggily lines are just stupid!

Consider this as an academic exercise.

You have an area that, population-wise is entitled to eight seats in the legislature.

The area has an urban core (mostly minority) that votes 90-10 Dem.

The suburbs making a "donut" around the core are non-minority and go 60-40 GOP.

If I am a Dem strategist, I want to divide it up like a pie with eight radial slices dipping into the central city enough to give eight Dem-leaning districts. The districts will probably be represented by non-minority Dems.

If I am a GOP strategist, I want to have the center divided into two 90-10 Dem districts with all of the minorities. The suburuban ring, I divide into six segments of the donut each 60-40 GOP. The result is six non-minority GOP representatives and two minority Dem representatives.

Which alternative will minority Dems be likely to favor?