Do-or-die year for Republicans

My column for the West Bend Daily News is online.  It’s called “Do-or-die year for Republicans.” 

The reason that 2008 is the most important election year in decades has nothing to do with taxes, socialized medicine, education or anything else that you might have been told. The reason that this year is so important has to do with redistricting.

In 2010, the federal government will release the latest census data. The release of this information obligates the state legislatures to redraw the district lines based on the newest population data. If the Democrats control the Assembly, Senate and governor, those lines will be drawn to ensure a Democrat majority for the next decade.

It is widely assumed that Wisconsin will lose one seat in the House of Representatives after the next census. If the Democrats completely control the apparatus of government, the scuttlebutt is that they will redraw the districts in southeastern Wisconsin to eliminate a powerful Republican. They will do this by extending Rep. Gwen Moore’s district down the coast and combining Rep. Paul Ryan’s and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner’s districts into a single district. By doing so, The Democrats would write either Ryan or Sensenbrenner out of the Congress.

Beyond that, the Democrats would redraw the Assembly and Senate districts to guarantee a generational domination of the Legislature.

This is why the Republicans must retain control of the Assembly. The alternative is to surrender the state of Wisconsin to the Democrats for a generation.

Despite my frustrations with the Republicans, Conservatives should remember that a decade of liberal rule would be much, much worse. 

1. Having lived through what may very well have been the most acrimonious redistricting fiasco of all time, I can only say this: TAKE IT OUT OF THE HANDS OF THE LEGISLATURE!!

   Sorry for the all caps, but I feel really strongly about this. The last round of redistricting here in Texas left my Congressional district running to the Mexican border, 350 miles away, while across town, another district ran to Houston, nearly 200 miles away. A LULAC suit fixed some of the worst abuses, but that district still runs 200 miles from Austin to Houston.

   Some states are now putting redistricting in the hands of nonpartisan redistricting boards. Anything would be better than what we have now. I’m reasonably sure y’all don’t have anybody as criminally-minded as Tom DeLay (who does?) that would be behind your redistricting, but it needs to be taken out of the hands of the people it will directly affect.

   My understanding is that voters are supposed to choose their representatives. The way things are set up right now, it’s completely backwards—the representatives are choosing which voters they’ll get in the next several elections.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 15, 2008 at 1245 hrs




2. Well then, let’s hope this neo-con virus finally dies and competent Republicans can take back control of their party from the thugs who’ve been pillaging the government for their private fortunes.

   And you’re complaining about gerrymandering?  C’mon Owen, you’re an Aggie.  What about Texas?

   Or maybe you’re just irritable because our current crop of Madison Republicans didn’t do as good a job as the good ol boys in Austin?

   Speaking of which, will you be supporting Glenn Grothman, or his Republican challenger?

   Best,
   Mp

   Posted by Mpeterson on July 15, 2008 at 1508 hrs




3. Mr. Peterson,

   Interestingly enough, in the last round of redistricting, the 10th Congressional District very nearly included both Austin and College Station. That would put some poor Congressperson in a bind every year at Thanksgiving. I won’t say cooler heads prevailed, but at least a little sense was shown in that instance.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 15, 2008 at 1603 hrs




4. A couple points of order:

   - While 2008 can be described as a do-or-die year, the only elections that affect the redistricting are the Senate ones (and then only halfway).  The state doesn’t get the final census numbers from the federal government until 2011.

   - The last two rounds of legislative redistricting have actually been done by the federal judiciary, not by the legislature.  With a few tweaks, mostly to bring entire communities into a single district, they essentially adopted the Democratic-drawn 1980 districts.

   Posted by steveegg on July 15, 2008 at 1827 hrs




5. Steve is right.  The 2010 election is the keeper, particularly the gubernatorial race, which may well be the GOP’s last stand when it comes to redistricting.

   Of course, if I were the Dems and I picked up the Assembly this fall, I’d be redrawing the map next year for 2010.  After all, it *is* the duty of the Legislature and the Governor to draw the maps, and that’s a duty that those parties were negligent in handling back in 2001.

   And I would imagine that conservatives would support that 100%, since such a move restores power back to the appropriate branches of government.  We’re all about honoring the state constitution wherever and whenever we can, right?

   Posted by Recess Supervisor on July 15, 2008 at 1931 hrs




6. And I would imagine that conservatives would support that 100%, since such a move restores power back to the appropriate branches of government.  We’re all about honoring the state constitution wherever and whenever we can, right?

   That we are, which is why we would oppose a reapportionment by the next Legislature.  The state Constitution gives the power of apportionment to the Legislature as it was constituted during the first session following the census and only that particular version of the Legislature.

   I don’t suppose I need to quote Article IV, Section 3 to you.

   Posted by steveegg on July 16, 2008 at 0738 hrs




7. I’m confused. I thought everything was going to plan. Purge all the RINOs, and rebuild the party with pure candidates.

   Was I wrong? Do moderate Republicans serve a purpose after all?

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 16, 2008 at 1236 hrs




8. Was I wrong? Do moderate Republicans serve a purpose after all?

   To obfuscate and confuse, perhaps?

   Posted by Mike Gallo on July 16, 2008 at 1634 hrs




9. apc: Good grief. —and now, every UT/Aggie joke I know is suddenly leaping mind.

   Mike: obfuscation? :^)  Grin.  It probably looks like confusion from inside the neo-con box.  I imagine challenges to the clear and simple purity of black-and-white thinking must be terribly disorienting.  The upside, though, is that common sense works in the real world and not just in Milton Friedman’s (or Karl Rove’s) theoretical models.

   hiho
   Mp

   Posted by Mpeterson on July 17, 2008 at 0825 hrs