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117 comments on Energy Policy Issue Rankings and Bush's Presidential Approval Numbers

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Catskill on July 21, 2006 - 12:16pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
thanks in no small part to Delay style completely bogus gerrymandering of the districts...
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Prof. Goose on July 21, 2006 - 1:50pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
while I would agree with that to a point, it's important to note that the Constitution puts the power to redraw districts in the hands of state legislatures.  Republicans control a lot of state legislatures.  Ergo, if you want the districts to be drawn in your favor, win elections.  Democrats in the states where they have control of the state  legislatures are just as bad about drawing districts in their favor as Republicans though.

There's a great book on the history and technology of gerrymandering by Mark Monmonier called Bushmanders and Bullwinkles.  Quite good.

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Prodigal Son on July 21, 2006 - 3:51pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Exactly. Gerrymandering is a real cancer on our body politic -- there was a book out last year (forgot the name) that basically argued that the polarization we're seeing in America isn't reflected in the poll data -- thus suggesting gerrymandering is what's causing it.

I think a real argument can be made that the US House of Representatives, as an institution, has simply ceased working as it is supposed to. The House was supposed to be the body most representative of the people because it was theoretically 'closer' to them -- but the gerrymandered districts means the median voter that is in effect represented by legislators in these gerrymandered districts are far more partisan than voters as a whole.

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GreyZone on July 21, 2006 - 4:09pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Don't blame the Republicans for this because gerrymandering has been going on since the beginning of the United States. The problem is in how we create districts, not who creates them. Either party can and will (and has the historical record to prove it) manipulate the existing system to their own ends. Fixing the problem is not just throwing the Republicans out and letting the Democrats gerrymander their way instead. Fixing the problem means changing the flaws in the system of how districts are drawn.
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Prof. Goose on July 21, 2006 - 4:11pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
I believe you're referring to Fiorina's Culture War book.  It's an interesting read, but it's been discussed by a lot of people.

Here's an interesting piece here that addresses it:

http://www.thedemocraticstrategist.org/strategist/2006/06/polarized_partisans_probably.php

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Prodigal Son on July 21, 2006 - 4:38pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
That's the book. Thanks for the link that provides a nice rebuttal -- that polarization has been increasing since 1970 is a strong counter-argument to be sure.

However, I don't think one can argue either-or positions here -- clearly the US political system is a complex system with numerous feedback loops. No doubt the increasing polarization that began in the 1970s has led to partisan redistricting which is causing additional polarization.  

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Mad Maxout on July 22, 2006 - 2:06pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Gerrymandering is a traditional practice with Chicago and the political machine. Too bad you can't take a political machine and get it to make useful machanical work. If you could, the Daley Machine alone could power the whole electrical grid including electrified rail and trolley buses!
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