He says he's not worried about losing his seat, and he's probably safe because I don't know how long of a cherry stem it would take to attach us to a more liberal part of the state. Or at least my end of the district. We are bordered by San Bernardino and Kern Counties to the south, the Central Valley farmers to the west, Nevada to the east, and the State of Jefferson secessionists to the north. https://sierrawave.net/rep-kevin-kiley-responds-to-gerrymandered-congressional-map/
The liberals opposed to fighting fire with fire are truly unserious people. Are they so smug they don’t realize the rest of us hate gerrymandering too, but we’re at least realistic enough to realize we will never end it by appealing to Republicans’ sense of good government? Good lord people, you sound like children. The only way we ever end gerrymandering is by ensuring it no longer gives Republicans an advantage. It’s like any other arms race.
As for Newsom, his recent popularity can’t help but create parallels to 2016, when many Republicans expressed unease about Trump’s popularity in their party because he was an underhanded scumbag and maybe not even a real conservative. How could voters trust him over solid Jeb or Ted or Marco? Yet GOP primary voters decided the most important thing was “who will pummel my evil enemies the hardest?” If Newsom sets himself up as the fist that repeatedly punches MAGA in the nuts, he could pull off the nomination. Anyone who doesn’t like that result should hope their other wet noodle candidates adopt the “attack Trump and draw fire” strategy instead so they don’t wind up like Jeb.
If voters "like" the independent commission looks like there needs to be a way to massage this. Do note that voters also give Republicans these giant permission slips. Cannot all be laid at the feet of the Democratic Party. Now this is also from a poll and people may have heard what I think of polls vis-a-vis election results.
Nevertheless even if the defensive gerrymander is approved, Liberals need to understand the assignment and finish the job—vote on Election Day.
Frame the referendum as “do you want to deter national GOP gerrymandering or do you want to keep stabbing your balls with your car keys like a chump and use independent commissions to draw our districts?”
Look, I’m probably one of the most passive minded people when it comes to a fight. But NOW is not the time to stand idly by and left bullies kick sand in the face of democracy. Fight with every fiber of your being right now. We cannot continue to let our country erode just because we want to be polite. The country requires it at this time in history.
We all have beliefs, ethics of varying weight. I don't care for theft in general but I stand with Jean Valjean, who was stealing bread to feed his sister's children. People who want to argue these sorts of things in a vacuum should actively be defending the besieged centers of higher learning where that sort of conversation has a place, and defending them at all costs. Their hands are going to have to get dirty.
Or they can go off and shut the fuck up, too, I'm sure they belong to some sort of club that has polite conversation to retreat into where they can bitch about kids these days and whatever they're wearing.
Two people at a table playing poker. One of them always cheats, the other never cheats out of PRINCIPLE. Problem for the one who never cheats. He's betting with OTHER people's money. MILLIONS and MILLIONS of other people's 'money'. He's got two choices. Either he starts cheating too or he hands off to someone willing to cheat. He doesn't HAVE the right to his principles when betting with money that isn't his, because THAT in itself is unprincipled.
Thank you, S.E.R. I believe that the nominally ‘leftist’ or ‘pro-democracy’ critics of Newsom have it all wrong. They should get their facts right about the procedural aspects of the California ballot measure. As Robert B. Hubbell has described in depth, the measure is impeccably set up. It is in numerous ways the opposite of what Texas is doing. The critics’ intellectually and morally lazy positions will not hold up under objective scrutiny.
There just isn’t in a Hungarian or Russian style Potemkin democracy. You’re the window dressing they use to preserve that paper thin stage dressing. You’re really their tool, when that’s what it becomes. What, you’re SAYING some of the right things? Even those really kinda limited, what they allow. Without power to enact, yay, you wrote a dissenting opinion. While they simply ignore you, steal what they want, crush what they want, do what they want.
Yeah, gerrymandering is ugly. But these people are fascists, raping the country. You’re going to have to fight.
My representative is the guy who introduced a bill to restrict mid-decade redistricting. He didn't do it to stop Texas, but rather to stop California. https://kiley.house.gov/posts/rep-kiley-calls-on-house-leadership-to-vote-on-redistricting-bill
He says he's not worried about losing his seat, and he's probably safe because I don't know how long of a cherry stem it would take to attach us to a more liberal part of the state. Or at least my end of the district. We are bordered by San Bernardino and Kern Counties to the south, the Central Valley farmers to the west, Nevada to the east, and the State of Jefferson secessionists to the north. https://sierrawave.net/rep-kevin-kiley-responds-to-gerrymandered-congressional-map/
The liberals opposed to fighting fire with fire are truly unserious people. Are they so smug they don’t realize the rest of us hate gerrymandering too, but we’re at least realistic enough to realize we will never end it by appealing to Republicans’ sense of good government? Good lord people, you sound like children. The only way we ever end gerrymandering is by ensuring it no longer gives Republicans an advantage. It’s like any other arms race.
As for Newsom, his recent popularity can’t help but create parallels to 2016, when many Republicans expressed unease about Trump’s popularity in their party because he was an underhanded scumbag and maybe not even a real conservative. How could voters trust him over solid Jeb or Ted or Marco? Yet GOP primary voters decided the most important thing was “who will pummel my evil enemies the hardest?” If Newsom sets himself up as the fist that repeatedly punches MAGA in the nuts, he could pull off the nomination. Anyone who doesn’t like that result should hope their other wet noodle candidates adopt the “attack Trump and draw fire” strategy instead so they don’t wind up like Jeb.
If voters "like" the independent commission looks like there needs to be a way to massage this. Do note that voters also give Republicans these giant permission slips. Cannot all be laid at the feet of the Democratic Party. Now this is also from a poll and people may have heard what I think of polls vis-a-vis election results.
Nevertheless even if the defensive gerrymander is approved, Liberals need to understand the assignment and finish the job—vote on Election Day.
Frame the referendum as “do you want to deter national GOP gerrymandering or do you want to keep stabbing your balls with your car keys like a chump and use independent commissions to draw our districts?”
The battle is here and the time is now. Any Democratic leaders who can't see that and who won't pitch in need to stand down and get out of the way.
Look, I’m probably one of the most passive minded people when it comes to a fight. But NOW is not the time to stand idly by and left bullies kick sand in the face of democracy. Fight with every fiber of your being right now. We cannot continue to let our country erode just because we want to be polite. The country requires it at this time in history.
We all have beliefs, ethics of varying weight. I don't care for theft in general but I stand with Jean Valjean, who was stealing bread to feed his sister's children. People who want to argue these sorts of things in a vacuum should actively be defending the besieged centers of higher learning where that sort of conversation has a place, and defending them at all costs. Their hands are going to have to get dirty.
Or they can go off and shut the fuck up, too, I'm sure they belong to some sort of club that has polite conversation to retreat into where they can bitch about kids these days and whatever they're wearing.
An analogy:
Two people at a table playing poker. One of them always cheats, the other never cheats out of PRINCIPLE. Problem for the one who never cheats. He's betting with OTHER people's money. MILLIONS and MILLIONS of other people's 'money'. He's got two choices. Either he starts cheating too or he hands off to someone willing to cheat. He doesn't HAVE the right to his principles when betting with money that isn't his, because THAT in itself is unprincipled.
despite the seriousness of the article, I appreciate the 90s Real World reference. :-)
*T*H*I*S*
𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘 𝗨𝗡𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗪𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗡.
"The Democratic Party will lose any of its credibility on defending democracy by going down this path."
What credibility? Their credibility as a doormat?
Right? I said exactly the same thing.
GMTA!
𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝘀
𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳’𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳’𝘴 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.
https://newrepublic.com/article/198782/democrats-torpedo-2026-midterm-election-populists-moderates
And fucking over the minorities that put them in power.
Thank you, S.E.R. I believe that the nominally ‘leftist’ or ‘pro-democracy’ critics of Newsom have it all wrong. They should get their facts right about the procedural aspects of the California ballot measure. As Robert B. Hubbell has described in depth, the measure is impeccably set up. It is in numerous ways the opposite of what Texas is doing. The critics’ intellectually and morally lazy positions will not hold up under objective scrutiny.
Wanna bet that those whining about "norms" and "fairness" won't lose too much if TACO gets his wish and turns the country into a second-rate Hungary?
This
‘There is no nobility in controlled opposition.’
This.
There just isn’t in a Hungarian or Russian style Potemkin democracy. You’re the window dressing they use to preserve that paper thin stage dressing. You’re really their tool, when that’s what it becomes. What, you’re SAYING some of the right things? Even those really kinda limited, what they allow. Without power to enact, yay, you wrote a dissenting opinion. While they simply ignore you, steal what they want, crush what they want, do what they want.
Yeah, gerrymandering is ugly. But these people are fascists, raping the country. You’re going to have to fight.
Yeah this isn't a debate. This is the fucking live or die moment.
People who aren't "comfortable" with this are probably too comfortable.