The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that it is acceptable to redraw congressional districts anytime within a decade, not just after the US Census comes out. Fine. In fact, great! Right now, Democrats have sole control over the governorship and legislatures of Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Washington and West Virginia. We should redraw districts in those states in a way that is most favorable to Democrats - tomorrow.
And after the 2006 elections, New York, California, Maryland and Michigan can also very easily be under the control of the Democratic Party. We should redraw districts in those states in a way that is most favorable to Democrats -- the day after the election.
It's legal. The Republicans have been saying how perfectly ethical it is for the last several years. So, it would be political negligence for the Democrats to not to do likewise. It would be the equivalent of unilateral disarmament.
The reality is we need to get MAD before we get sane. MAD is the acronym for Mutually Assured Destruction. It got us through the Cold War because the Soviets knew that if they launched their weapons, we would launch ours and everyone would get wiped out.
In redistricting we need the same deterrent. The Republicans have already picked up six seats in the US Congress by redistricting Texas. So, the Democrats should pick up that much or more by redistricting every blue state they control.
Then and only then, will Republicans be forced to sit down at the negotiation table and come up with a sane plan for redistricting by impartial bodies so we can actually have real and competitive districts that reflect the true will of the people. That is the end goal. But if you think we're going to get there by politely asking the Republicans, you're so naive it hurts. Anyone who thinks politicians will do the right thing on principle has no business in politics.
You build leverage and you impose your will. If Democrats don't strike back immediately in redistricting blue states as soon as humanly possible, they are pathetically weak and hopeless. We're not playing badminton here. It's crazy to have one side redrawing all their states to their advantage and the other side sitting back and politely getting creamed.
Get up, it's time to get 'em back. Somebody get me a pen, I'm in a redrawing kind of mood.