Republicans are quietly rigging election maps to ensure permanent rule

[turbinetree]

David Pepper

The long-term health of American democracy is in peril, to a degree far worse than people imagine. But not where most people are looking.

While many eyes go to Washington DC or Mar-a-Lago, the attack on democracy is actually most concentrated and coordinated in state capitals. Whether it’s gerrymandering or voter suppression or attacks on offices that provide needed checks and balances – the states have become widely undemocratic. As I outline in my book Laboratories of Autocracy, the consequences of this anti-democratic movement are only getting worse.

The past decade in Ohio, where I served in recent years as chair of the state Democratic party, shows how bad it can get – and how quickly.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/28/republicans-are-quietly-rigging-election-maps-to-ensure-permanent-rule

-snip-

The truth is, if another country were taking all these steps, we’d call it out for what it is – an attack on democracy itself. A descent toward autocracy. But because it’s happening in our own state capitols, we too often treat it with less urgency. That needs to end.

It’s time to go on offense for democracy, at the state level, every year. Beginning now.


There are two people right now that could help in this matter, the other 48 in the senate and the other 220 House have done there job....

Senate phone number : Just ask for the senator from AZ and WV.....

Phone Number: 1-202-224-3121.

[PTWB]

1. The political pendulum swings perpetually, back and forth.

[dsc]

6. but with this, it can't

I don't know exactly what Ohio's numbers are so I will use NC. For Democrats to get a simple majority of seats, we have to win every single competitive district. For the GOP to get a super majority (60%) they have to win something like 2/3 of the competitive seats. Competitive is being defined as better than 60/40 so say 59/41 is competitive under this rubric.

[FBaggins]

7. International help?

Like what?

[FBaggins]

10. No. Nothing at all

What do we do when things get hinky in other countries?

Threaten to invade?

What could we do? We tell their government that if they want to stay in our good graces they’ll stop whatever they’re doing that upsets us. Which not only doesn’t work in the current scenario (because there isn’t anyone who can bully the US), but also because it would just be an encouragement for the administration to do something… when they already have the incentive to do something… they merely lack the power.

[samsingh]

3. i know. Where's our outrage?

[Cosmocat]

14. problem is it only about a 1 / 3 of us who give a shit

1/3 of the country WANTS THIS/

The other 1/3 is living blissfully living in a both sides are the same world.

The 1/3 who want this will go along with whatever craziness comes from it and demand everyone else does, too.

It will be far too long gone by the time the "middle' 1/3 tunes in - see Germany and Italy and WWII.

[Caliman73]

4. This is the whole point of the voting rights laws in Congress now.

Bring a standard to State and local elections that make is more difficult for Republicans to cheat. The provisions of the For The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would curtail a lot of the current practices by the Republicans in their efforts to suppress and distort the democratic process. That is why they are fighting it so hard and why they try to call is the "Democrat takeover of elections". What they know, is that when the elections are about policy, they have very little chance of winning majorities. They have NO policies for the average, non-wealthy American. They have survived by suppressing votes, gerrymandering, elections fraud, and other dirty tricks.

Unfortunately, I don't think that it would be possible for the Democratic Party to fund efforts to "go on the offensive" in every state, or the states that are pushing those Republican tactics. We do not have billionaires backing our efforts to raise their taxes to equitable levels. Labor, who has been our biggest ally, has been gutted with Union memberships at an all time low. Our best bet is to put a floor beneath voting, make voting more accessible to more people, and really make elections about policies and ideas, rather than about how much money you can throw at them.

[WarGamer]

23. Even if Federal Election Laws were passed...

they'd have to survive a SCOTUS challenge which wouldn't be a cake walk.

The whole "States run elections" thing is deeply ingrained in the law.

[DFW]

5. Quietly?

More like an all-out assault with all guns blazing.

[msongs]

12. dems fiddle while the usa burns. oh well. priorities nt

[Demsrule86]

17. And what are we supposed to do...we have a bare majority...either we turn out and put more

Democrats in office every election or it gets worse.

[mitch96]

13. "quietly rigging election maps" If the repukes are quiet about how well it works.. it works..nt

[mitch96]

18. "when the fascists come to power. Captive audience/customers. No regulations." Yup, sounds like

NAZI Germany all over again... If we don't look at history we are bound to repeat it...
m

[mitch96]

20. I'm a history buff. War and its prelude always intrigued me.. How Hitler and his ilk

came to power was a complete scam even HE did not believe his luck.. The corporate types in the US wanted to play the same game here in the US back in the 1930's b/c it was
GOOD FOR BUSINESS.. just like in Nazi Germany.. the hell with the people. Look up
General Smedly Butler and the Businessman's coup. Amazing stuff that is replaying right now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Plot
m

[mitch96]

22. War is a racket