ProPublica - "How Dark Money Helped Republicans Hold the House and Hurt Voters"
A nice investigative article discussing how Republicans continue to act as nothing more than the political arm of corporate America.
http://www.propublica.org/article/how-dark-money-helped-republicans-hold-the-house-and-hurt-voters?google_editors_picks=true
In the November election, a million more Americans voted for Democrats seeking election to the U.S. House of Representatives than Republicans. But that popular vote advantage did not result in control of the chamber. Instead, despite getting fewer votes, Republicans have maintained a commanding control of the House. Such a disparity has happened only three times in the last century.
* * *
Republican strategist Karl Rove laid out the approach in a Wall Street Journal column in early 2010 headlined "He who controls redistricting can control Congress."
The approach paid off. In 2010 state races, Republicans picked up 675 legislative seats, gaining complete control of 12 state legislatures. As a result, the GOP oversaw redrawing of lines for four times as many congressional districts as Democrats.
How did they dominate redistricting? A ProPublica investigation has found that the GOP relied on opaque nonprofits funded by dark money, supposedly nonpartisan campaign outfits, and millions in corporate donations to achieve Republican-friendly maps throughout the country. Two tobacco giants, Altria and Reynolds, each pitched in more than $1 million to the main Republican redistricting group, as did Rove's super PAC, American Crossroads; Walmart and the pharmaceutical industry also contributed. Other donors, who gave to the nonprofits Republicans created, may never have to be disclosed.
= new reply since forum marked as read
as she is prone to do.
She showed a core of about 5 states, Pa, Michigan, Virginia, Ohio, and I think Wisconsin, where they were able to pull this off.
The President and Bob Casey won Pa by over 5 percent, we have nearly 1,000,000 more registered democrats than republicans, democratic house candidates have FAR more votes than republican candidates, and out of 18 congressional districts we ended up with 13 repubicans and 5 democrats.
The disparity was nearly the same and even worse in the other states.
That is the House, right there.
And, because of 2010, and also because we had long had some of the worst gerrymanded districts in the country in place already, the Rs had a mortal lock in the state senate, a majority in the House and the governor.
In Pa, FIVE people set up the districts - the leaders from both parties in both chambers and the governor, in essence.
Oh, and for the record, it is the republicans being partisan jackasses, and it is the DEMOCRATS worrying about their own skin. YES, democrats put a snit when it goes to vote, but there are PLENTY of them who know that the districts, both congressional and state level, protect THEM.
