The Texas Redistricting
Politicians picking and choosing their voters.
That's how the Washington Post termed it in their editorial last tuesday
The Soviet Republic of Texas (washingtonpost.com).I've followed the Texas redistricting story as have many others - largely for its entertainment value. In that facet, we were well rewarded. Beyond this I considered it a marker for how hard the game was going to be played, an indicator of how much cover the republicans figured they had, the hubris they were willing display in this political season vs. another. Finally I vaguely considered the actual results that would come about; gerrymandering a state the size of Texas could mint enough new republican seats to put the House of Representatives out of reach of a democratic majority for 10 years. Further it would probably make Tom DeLay speaker.
When I was taking classes, I signed up for courses that promised to read Plato, or Alfarabi, Locke and Rousseau, Popper. I avoided like the plague courses that had names like "the american election, or "state and local budget processes". The occasional Max Weber or E E Schattschneider would pass across my field of cognizance, but that was it. I tried not to converse with fellow students who indicated they were "pre-law" such people, I believed, were likely cannibals. Therefore American politics and elections; theory and practice, is a bit of a mystery to me. "one man one vote" I say, then I wait for the laughter. Trying again I say "Elections suffer from preference transitivity, as a means of group choice. They nod and explain that is why the system ought be gamed as much as possible, it's just good political economy.
After the redistricting plan passed I figured it was a done deal and the story was over. Then Joby Fortson's odious memo surfaced and sparked a week long re examination of the Republican plan in the media, [Yahoo! News - Texas Aide's E-Mail Ridicules Democrats] , [GOP Report Feeds Furor Over Texas Redistricting (washingtonpost.com)] and raised the possibility that an appeal of the plan might gain some traction.
The idea for redistricting had been to roll out of office a number of democratic congressmen who were in districts that had gradually gone republican, but who were still getting elected because they were Texas old boys in good standing, and they had seniority and committee chairs. The plan was to get the conservative content of a few districts up past the tipping point, and to try to look pious while doing so. My sister Ann recalled a person on Morning Edition talking up that very line NPR : Texas Redistricting Plan Passes the plan passed in the state legislature because the democrats were the minority party. Fortson's memo lifts the veil from this; saying the unsaid, disclosing its overt political zero-sum-gamesmenship, its forced and visibly contrived nature. Showing its real purpose being to artificially increase and freeze the national status quo.
In a line the Washington Post quotes in their 10 Oct 03 story (above): This is the most aggressive map I have ever seen," Joby Fortson wrote in the analysis, which he e-mailed to congressional aides. "This has a real national impact that should assure that Republicans keep the House no matter the national mood. . Democracy republican style.
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