Lessons from the raw politics of redistricting

Lessons from the raw politics of redistricting

click link

from article


politics of redistricting


By STEVE KRASKE The Kansas City Star





' The thing I love about redistricting fights is that they strip all the bark off the trees.

The raw ambitions of every member of Congress are exposed for all the world to see. Winners and losers stand out clearly. Conclusions are easy to draw.

Which politicians fought for the common good? Who was just out for themselves?

Last week, the right honorables in Jefferson City overrode Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of the proposed boundaries of the state’s eight congressional districts, finalizing a new map.

As I’ve written before, this process is the most brazen, bare-knuckled task in all of politics. Its chief goal in Missouri, and so many other states, is to draw a map that will allow incumbents to easily win re-election.

It’s a sham that results in more ideological members of Congress. Reform is desperately needed.

But I digress. Here’s what we learned, and it was a lot:

•Republicans win — again.

This is becoming a habit for the Missouri GOP. In a bid to fortify then congressman Dick Gephardt’s presidential ambitions 10 years ago, Democrats ceded a lot of turf, and Republicans profited.

This time around, Republicans controlled the process with their big majorities in both the House and Senate.

But that doesn’t diminish what they achieved here. They’ve basically taken a 50-50 state and flipped it into one for six Republican congressmen and just two Democrats.


'