Speaker Hammett: Re-districting “Bad idea”
Someone closer to the situation than most of us told me two weeks ago that re-districting for a more Democratic AL-02 in time for the 2008 elections would be a Herculean task, “and the people that it would take to be committed to such an effort don’t really care that much whether a Republican or Democrat represents CD 2.” Simply put, the necessary movers and shakers had “no real motive or desire to help out Bobby Bright or Nancy Pelosi.”
And I think that’s what we are hearing in last evening’s article from Bob Johnson at Associated Press.
“Trying to redraw the boundary lines for the 2nd District during the next regular session is a bad idea,” Hammett, D-Andalusia, said in a statement. “We don’t need to waste time on things that divide us. We need to figure out ways to work together.”
Hammett said he was not aware of anyone currently working on a redistricting plan. He said he would like to see the House concentrate on finding funding for Medicaid, which is expected to face a funding deficit. Other priorities for the coming session include passing the state’s education and General Fund budgets, and ethics reform legislation, Hammett said.
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.
I like the sound of what Hammett is saying: let’s get beyond beating each other over the head with any available stick and try to address some real problems.
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The present district lines are a “real problem”. Why can’t our Legislators figure out a way to work together and redraw the district lines?
Comment by Bhmhomeboy — November 14, 2007 @ 10:04 am
The unsaid thing in all of this is a desire by many state types to get know nothing, do nothing Harry Annie Smith out of office.
Comment by Anonymous — November 14, 2007 @ 11:09 am
Don’t know which is worse, a legislature that does just barely enough to keep things kinda-sorta running or a legislature that sets out to DO SOMETHING.
Comment by walt moffett — November 14, 2007 @ 11:37 am
I’ll put up with re-districting if it cuts HAS out of the district and we don’t have to hear her crap anymore. Actually I take that back I want to see her run so that she can get taken out behind the woodshed.
Comment by William Wyatt Wallace — November 14, 2007 @ 12:03 pm
Dem strategy shot down in flames.
Comment by Anonymous — November 14, 2007 @ 2:23 pm
I think re-districting right now just before the census occurs again in 2010 is one of the biggest wastes of time we could take on in the legislature. We would have to do it all over again in the next couple of years so why ruin an entire session by bogging it down with attempts by a handful of people to get some sort of political gain by changing the lines on the playing field? It was wrong when Republicans did it in Texas and it would be wrong for Democrats to do it Alabama. We have enough problems and gridlock without adding this issue into the session.
Comment by Cam Ward — November 14, 2007 @ 3:53 pm
Does Hammett get any credit for getting out front on this?
Comment by Roy — November 14, 2007 @ 4:24 pm
Credit? He was forced to back down from the plan after being called out on it by Republicans.
Comment by Anonymous — November 14, 2007 @ 5:06 pm
He should. He acted as a grown up and avoided partisan games.
Comment by walt moffett — November 14, 2007 @ 5:11 pm
Anonymous in comment 8, on what basis do you say that Hammett was for this plan? Do you have a link to a news story that shows he was in favor of it? I would be very interested in seeing that. Thanks!
Comment by Danny — November 14, 2007 @ 5:18 pm
Hammet gets credit for being played by Republicans and the mainstream Alabama media.
Comment by bhmhomeboy — November 14, 2007 @ 5:34 pm
The Speaker should get a lot credit for not resorting to petty partisanship, in the slim hope that he can get the House to focus on the business of the people of Alabama.
See, in private Repubs desire that the Dems do this, so they can get everyone up in arms about nothing — its their stock in trade.
Comment by WiregrassGuy — November 14, 2007 @ 7:53 pm
“See, in private Repubs desire that the Dems do this, so they can get everyone up in arms about nothing — its their stock in trade.”
Wiregrass, what are you snorting? Repubs actually desire that the Dems leave the friggin’ district lines alone. Dems are great at creating solutions that never had problems and being quick to blame Repubs when their stunts backfire.
Just like the elected judges issue, Dems are losing the support of the voters, so they resort to shananigans to try to keep their grip on power. If you can’t win it, steal it—that’s their modus operandi.
Comment by Scorpius — November 14, 2007 @ 10:40 pm
Let’s see Anonymous #8 and Scorpius, Hubbard “warns” Hammett not to do something that wasn’t going to happen anyway. I think WiregrassGuy has the real story. And the only one “played” was the media.
Comment by Polibabe — November 14, 2007 @ 11:07 pm
Poli, Joe Reed is/was chomping at the bit to submit new lines and so were some other Dems like Spicer. Don’t act like the Repubs created the issue out of thin air. They just responded with due haste when the shenanigan brigade let their misguided intentions be known.
Comment by Scorpius — November 14, 2007 @ 11:22 pm
This issue would have blown over and nothing would have come of it but the Republicans saw an issue and jumped on it and made it bigger than it really was. This was smart political positioning.
Comment by William Wyatt Wallace — November 14, 2007 @ 11:45 pm
Agreed that Rs knew this wouldn’t happen but the huffing and puffing of some Dems like Spicer and Reed made it all too easy for Rs to come in and make an issue of it to their advantage. I don’t blame the Rs at all. Nice play on their part.
Comment by JT — November 15, 2007 @ 7:10 am
I think it is a smart move by Hammett. The House routinely passes good legislation that is usually killed by the Senate. I would hate to see the House have a complete shut down like the Senate did last year. This might cause the House members to begin to behave like Senators. Then we would never have any hope that the legislation in the “Covenant” would ever pass.
Comment by Margaret — November 15, 2007 @ 8:14 am
Republicans like the lines just like they are. The question is why.
Comment by Bhmhomeboy — November 15, 2007 @ 10:08 am
what would they not like thelines. out of the 7 house members 5 are republican and win re election easily. and when bud cramer leaves office that seat will likely go R as well. Why would they not like the current district lines?
Comment by Russ — November 15, 2007 @ 2:29 pm
Why indeed. And why would Democrats not do anything about the lines? That is the question.
Comment by bhmhomeboy — November 15, 2007 @ 4:16 pm
Who set the districts as they are now?
Comment by Margaret — November 15, 2007 @ 5:13 pm
bhmhomeboy is a nut. dems set the lines and lines are drawn, usually, only every 10 years after each census. I hate to tell you bhm, but the majority of this state votes republican in federal elections and there would be no way to draw the lines legally in order to elect a mjority of dems to federal office from this state. the only way to do that is for dems in alabama running for federal office to make themselves and their policies more appealing to voters. i guess they have failed at that so far, huh?
Comment by JT — November 15, 2007 @ 7:40 pm
Hey JT. I think bhm lacks knowledge rather than being nutty. Some of his posts show he just doesn’t know much about what has taken place in the state. First, he talked about when the Republicans were in charge about the drawing of district lines when the state legislature draws the lines and has been controlled by the Dems for about 150 years. Second, when he said that the Republicans should help bring down taxes on the poor, he didn’t seem to know that Riley wanted the minimum salary to be $20,000 in order to pay taxes but that Hubbert and the Dems brought the number down to $12,000. Also, I don’t think he is alone in this lack of knowledge as most people pay no attention to what legislation the folks in Montgomery support or kill.
Comment by Margaret — November 16, 2007 @ 9:01 am