Texans in Congress Talk About Redistricting
Republican and Democratic members of the Texas congressional delegation are discussing a possible compromise designed to cool off the overheated politics of congressional redistricting by dividing the expected spoils once U.S. Census figures are in and the reapportionment process begins in 2011, two members of the delegation say.
U.S. Reps. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, and Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, told me the plan on the table would split the expected four-seat gain in Texas congressional seats into two for the Republicans and two for the Democrats, shifting the focus of a likely fight from which party gets what to ...
Comments (2)
whillice
The problem is THE PROCESS of redistricting.
I think this bargain Cuellar and Smith cooked up is a terrible idea. Voters are not "spoils." Voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around.
This needs to be handed off to a completely independent redistricting commission who attempts to place voters together based on demographics and geography, not partisan affiliation.
In the 2010 elections, NOT ONE of the Texas Congressional incumbents is in danger of losing their re-election bid. These seats are so partisanly tight the only thing that matters is which team's jersey you're wearing (R) or (D) not whether you're doing a good job for your constituents. And if they're not accountable, we don't have a democracy or a republic. We have a party-ocracy.
And we wonder why partisanship is such a problem in DC? Because our Representatives are not accountable to their constituents, but their parties and their funders.
lwdenton
What is wrong with this picture?
How can we explain why the approval rating of Congress is typically below 20%, but the historic re-election rate for Congress hovers around 94%?
Why do we allow politicians to set the boundaries of the districts? I find the idea of "safe seats" to be abominable. Don't you? Every seat in the Congress should be competitive in every election. Instead, our legally gerrymandered districts insulate politicians from the will of the people. The idea that Congressmen are working deals to "split the spoils" is a sign of soft corruption in the very heart of our political system.
How can ever hope to see Congress attuned to the will of the people if the very system we use to elect our Representatives is skewed in favor of safe seat deals and the incumbent status quo?