I mention the redistricting issue primarily to share a good line from the Journal & Courier editorial board.
One look at a map of Indiana’s congressional and state legislature districts, and one can tell from the lines and odd-shaped districts that those who created it were either drunk or partisan — not that those are mutually exclusive.
Personally, I’m dismissive of Todd Rokita’s redistricting proposal primarily because it comes from Todd Rokita. He has been a very loyal Republican and not unconcerned for his own political fortunes over the years. So, it’s hard to accept that he is taking a non-partisan action simply for the good of the state and out of no concern for his own political future. Maybe he is, maybe I’m maligning him unfairly. But, the past is typically a good place to look for explanations about what is going on in the present.
Maybe we should turn the redistricting process over to a panel of Libertarians and other 3rd party members. An even playing field would be a huge improvement for them, so I think we could trust them to create one.
“Other 3rd party members”? You mean like the Socialists, Communists, Greens, Prohibitionists, Mad Hatters, Party of God, etc? Good idea.
Libertarians would likely drop gerrymandering in favor of spidering, i.e., drawing web-like districts which would give Liberatarians a guaranteed House District.
Disclaimer: I just made that up. Still, Mike Kole and Chris Spangle are probably going to be yelling at me about it.
Just got something from Brian Bosma, as Republican Leader of the Indiana House, to business folks asking for a $ 1000 contribution. It includes this statement “The legislators in 2010 will draw new state legislative and Congressional maps that will dictate election results for the next 10 years. A HOUSE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY IN 2010 WILL MEAN A DECADE OF PRO-BUSINESS, FREE MARKET POLICIES IN OUR STATE. ”
If that’s not a blatant acknowledgement that the current system of redistricting is an absolutely partisan political one, I don’t know what is.
And no, I’m not at all saying that Pat Bauer wouldn’t say the same thing, but maybe in private.