House Dems Talk Re-districting
There’s talk that Democrats in the state House may try to change House rules to allow for re-districting in time to give a Democrat a better chance at winning the 2nd Congressional District race next year.
House Minority Leader Rep. Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, said he has warned House Speaker Seth Hammett that Republicans will “lock everything down” if there is an attempt to adopt a redistricting plan.
When the Senate changed its rules to allow re-districting to happen easier, a Republican legislator told me that the Republicans would go to the mat and slug it out before they would allow re-districting to happen. A lot would have to happen to re-district in time for the 2008 election (including Justice Department approval), and I am willing to predict that it just won’t get done - which is not to say that the effort won’t be made.
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Yet, again, the Democrats have no shame and aren’t about to pretend they have any. And they aren’t shy at displaying their abundant ignorance to boot.
If and when congressional districts experience population changes and shifts, you wait until the decennial census is conducted and make changes accordingly. You don’t base a district change on the retirement of a single officeholder that occurs in the middle of a decade, unless you are a Liberal who is hell-bent on changing the rules to solidify your lust for power.
This disgusting manipulation of politics is what turns the people into even harder cynics of the system.
Shame on you, Seth Hammett, Joe Reed and your like-minded ilk for corrupting and corroding our representative democracy even more.
Its heinous enough to have Liberal Democrat Sue Bell Cobb and her trial-lawyer minions in the Bar actively seeking to strip the right of the people to freely elect their officeholders of public trust.
Comment by Scorpius — November 11, 2007 @ 6:53 pm
Come on, Scorpius… Our betters would never consider politics when making judicial appointments :)
Comment by Reactionary — November 11, 2007 @ 7:29 pm
They flat out will not have time to get all this done - so not to worry…
Comment by GOPer — November 11, 2007 @ 7:54 pm
What you folks worried about? The dems are not afraid of lame threats by Hubbard. Redistricting yes!
Comment by Jim Ryan — November 11, 2007 @ 8:40 pm
Lets see, we have dare, double dare and waiting for the double dog dare.
Comment by walt moffett — November 11, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
Do the new Senate rules allow the leadership to bypass the BIR for a majority vote on Reaportionment?
Comment by JD — November 11, 2007 @ 10:21 pm
Come now, JD. Since when have the Senate rules mattered when Jim Folsom, Jr. holds the gavel?
Comment by Will — November 11, 2007 @ 11:29 pm
I’m sure the same people upset the Democrats may redistrict were the same ones saying it was okay when the Texas Republicans did it a few years ago.
Comment by Anonymous — November 12, 2007 @ 12:33 am
What TX did was wrong and it set a bad precendent. It was legal - but wrong in my view. But in Alabama they don;t have time to redraw and then have the US Department of Justice approve a new district(s). It is all talk.
Comment by GOPer — November 12, 2007 @ 8:25 am
Scorpius, this is all talk. Calm down. And what did Seth Hammett have to do with any of this other than listen to Hubbard’s threats? Unless I’ve missed something, Hammett hasn’t said a word about this. Much ado about nothing.
Comment by Polibabe — November 12, 2007 @ 10:58 am
JD,
The BIR is a constitutional requirement, thus, as I believe you suspect, a rule change does not allow for a bypass.
Comment by Tommy — November 12, 2007 @ 11:50 am
Even if they had time the only way they can make district 2 swing dem is to reach into artur davis’ district and pull some of his counties thereby making his district more republican. they tried to re district before when riley left congress and tried to make his district more dem and it didn’t work. they would have a problem this time for the same reasons. it is a lot to do about nothing anyway for right now.
Comment by Oz — November 12, 2007 @ 12:09 pm
Maybe Bright wants them to redraw lines so he can actually live in district 2… I know there is no residency requirement but he is going to look like a total carpet bagger running to represent a district he doesn’t live in. But he has bigger issues. If he runs as a dem he will lose the general election as the seat is solid republican and if he chooses to run as a republican, republican primary voters will reject him as they know he leans dem. so residency issue or not - he seems like toast to me.
Comment by Wiregrassvoter — November 12, 2007 @ 12:13 pm
If we do reaportionment, why not create two majority black congressional districts?
Comment by JD — November 12, 2007 @ 6:09 pm
They would have to really gerrymander for that to occur.
Comment by Oz — November 12, 2007 @ 6:10 pm
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Pingback by Daily Dixie: House democrats talk redistricting — November 12, 2007 @ 11:34 pm
[…] While some Democrats may salivate at the idea, the hullabaloo (e.g., there are four editorials here) around Sunday’s Associated Press story is starting to feel more like much ado about nothing. […]
Pingback by Speaker Hammett: Re-districting “Bad idea” » Doc’s Political Parlor — November 14, 2007 @ 8:57 am
I don’t see how anyone can look at the map at the top of this post and not agree the district lines need to be re drawn. It looks like Stevie Wonder drew the present lines.
Comment by bhmhomeboy — November 15, 2007 @ 4:21 pm