Gerrymandering Reform Poised For Win?

>>AN ACTIVIST GROUP IN MICHIGAN IS WORKING ON A BALLOT MEASURE
THAT COULD DO A LOT TO MASSIVELY REFORM HOW CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICTS IN MICHIGAN ARE DRAWN, AND IN MICHIGAN THEY HAVE
HISTORICALLY AND RECENTLY BEEN DRAWN IN A WAY THAT IS DIRECTLY
BENEFICIAL IN A PARTISAN SENSE FOR REPUBLICANS.
BUT IN ANY
EVENT THIS IS WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO DO.
THEY ACQUIRED A
BUNCH OF SIGNATURES NECESSARY TO GET IT ON THE BALLOT
IN 2018 --
>>WHAT WOULD THEIR BALLOT INITIATIVE DO?
WELL --
>>THESE WOULD BE NON-POLITICIANS, THEY CAN'T EVEN
BE FAMILY OF POLITICIANS AS WELL --
>>THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IDEALLY REGULAR PEOPLE, AND A
BROAD MIX OF POLITICAL POSITIONS.
ALTHOUGH I HAVE SOME
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH THAT, BUT THEY HAVE TO START
SOMEWHERE.
IN ADDITION WHILE THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS IN MOST
STATES BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, IT USES SOPHISTICATED SOFTWARE TO
CREATE DISTRICTS THAT LOOK INSANE --
>>GIVING THE PUBLIC A CHANCE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND HAVE THEIR
CONCERNS BE HEARD BY THE COMMISSION.
SO THAT'S THE GOAL,
TO SET THIS UP, IT IS AN EXPERIMENT THAT COULD HOPEFULLY
MAKE THINGS MORE EQUITABLE IN MICHIGAN.
WHY IS THIS A CONCERN
IN MICHIGAN?
WELL --
>>THEY DIDN'T BECOME MORE POPULAR IN MICHIGAN, BUT SIMPLY
BECAUSE THEY CONTROLLED THIS PROCESS YOU SUDDENLY CREATE TWO
OR THREE ADDITIONAL REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMEN, AND THIS IS
SOMETHING WE HAVE EXPERIENCED ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
>>IT'S LARGELY REPUBLICANS THAT DRIVE THIS EFFORT.
FROM TIME TO
TIME DEMOCRATS PLAY ALONG.
YOU SAY WAIT, WHY WOULD THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY WANT TO LOSE TWO OR THREE SEATS IN A STATE
LIKE MICHIGAN?
THERE IS GOOD REASON FOR THAT, BECAUSE THEY
TAKE MORE REPUBLICAN -- THEY DESIGN THE DISTRICTS SO
REPUBLICANS CAN WIN NARROWLY, 55/45, 52/48, ETC., SO THEY CAN
PICK UP MORE SEATS, AND THEY GIVE DEMOCRATS DISTRICTS THAT
ARE 80 OR 90% DEMOCRAT.
THOSE DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENTS ARE
THRILLED BECAUSE THEY ARE NEVER GOING TO LOSE.
THEY HAVE SCREWED
OVER THE REST OF THE STATE AND DEMOCRATIC VOTERS BECAUSE THEY
MADE THEIR DISTRICT REALLY SAFE, BUT AT THE EXPENSE OF HANDING
OVER --
>>POSSIBLY CONTROL OF CONGRESS.
BUT IT'S GOOD FOR THEM
INDIVIDUALLY.
>>THAT IS WHY SOME DEMOCRATS PLAY ALONG WITH THIS.
THAT IS
WHY YOU NEED SOMEONE LIKE THIS GROUP TO COME OUT OF NOWHERE AND
GO, I DON'T HAVE A HORSE IN THIS RACE ABOUT REPUBLICANS OR
DEMOCRATS AND I DON'T CARE WHAT THEIR POLITICS ARE, I CARE ABOUT
THE PROCESS AND THE SYSTEM.
SAYING WE AREN'T GOING TO LEAVE
IT TO THE POLITICIANS, THEY ARE ALL CORRUPT, WE WILL HAVE
REGULAR PEOPLE DO IT, I LOVE THAT.
I THINK IT'S A WONDERFUL
MOVEMENT, THE WOMAN WHO STARTED IT, WE WILL ASK HER TO BE ON
REBEL HEADQUARTERS SOON BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A GREAT, ORGANIC THING
THAT GREW OUT OF MICHIGAN, SO A REPUBLICAN OPERATIVE THEN SAID,
WELL, NUMBER ONE, HE ADMITTED, THIS WAS A RARE MOMENT OF
HONESTY FOR A REPUBLICAN OPERATIVE, HE SAID WOW, THAT WAS
AMAZING, NORMALLY YOU HAVE TO SPEND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO DO
A BALLOT INITIATIVE LIKE THIS, THEY DID IT ORGANICALLY JUST
WITH VOLUNTEERS.
HE'S LIKE, YOU ARE GOING TO PUT SOME OF US OUT
OF BUSINESS.
>>IN THE END THEY WILL PROBABLY GO AGAINST A MULTIMILLION
DOLLAR CAMPAIGN TO STOP IT.
>>LED BY THAT GUY, THAT'S WHAT'S WANT TO HAPPEN.
HE HAD TO ADMIT
THAT'S AMAZING, PEOPLE POWER DOES WORK.
BUT THEN HE WENT AND
TURNED AROUND AND SAID, NOW THAT HE STARTING TO LOBBY AGAINST IT,
YOU DON'T WANT NEOPHYTES WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM
DRAWING THESE DISTRICTS.
NO, YES I DO.
I POSITIVELY DO.
RATHER
THAN THE CORRUPT, SCUMMY GUYS WHO GO INTO BACK ROOMS AND DO IT
FOR THEIR OWN SELF INTEREST AND DRAW PREPOSTEROUS DISTRICTS SO
POLITICIANS PICK THEIR VOTERS INSTEAD OF VOTERS PICKING THE
POLITICIANS, I WOULD 1000 RATHER HAVE QUOTE UNQUOTE NEOPHYTES, IN
OTHER WORDS ACTUAL CITIZENS, DRAW THIS UP.
BY THE WAY THEY
HAVE TO DO IT PUBLICLY, IT WILL BE OPEN, TRANSPARENT, THERE WILL
BE 1000 COMMENTS, DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS WILL GET TO WAY IN
ON IT, IF THEY DRAW A DISTRICT LIKE THIS FOR ANYONE'S BENEFIT
PEOPLE WILL CALL THEM OUT.
WAIT A MINUTE, THIS ISN'T CITIZENS
DRAWING THAT DISTRICT.
IF IT'S A DEMOCRATIC PLAN YOU WILL KNOW
WHAT IMMEDIATELY BASED ON HOW THEY DRAW THE DISTRICTS.
IT HAS TO SURVIVE THAT PROCESS.
IT'S A GREAT IDEA, THIS IS HOW YOU TAKE DEMOCRACY BACK.
>>IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT THE ACTUAL DISTRIBUTION OF HOW
YOU CREATE THE BLAH BLAH -- IT COULD NEED TO BE ITERATED ON,
BUT THE CURRENT SYSTEM IS ALREADY INHERENTLY FLAWED, SO
ANY EXPERIMENTATION IS A GOOD THING IN THIS AREA.
AND I WOULD
ADD ON TO YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT HOW SOME DEMOCRATS GO ALONG WITH
THE PROCESS TO SORT OF SECURE THEIR SEAT AT THE EXPENSE OF THE
MAJORITY, BUT IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE, YOU CAN'T NECESSARILY
FIND EXAMPLES OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES, THAT WHEN THE DEMOCRATS
GET IN CHARGE OF STATES THEY WILL MANIPULATE THE VOTERS INTO
SAFE DISTRICTS FOR THEMSELVES.
AND THAT'S NOT WHAT WE WANT, WE
WANT FOR ROUGHLY THE POPULARITY OF A PARTY TO REPRESENT THE
NUMBER OF SEATS THEY HAVE IN GOVERNMENT AND THAT'S NOT WHAT
WE HAVE NOW.
AN EXAMPLE I WAS TALKING ABOUT WITH SOMEONE THIS
MORNING IS WE JUST HAD THIS TAX BILL PASSED LAST NIGHT, $1.5
TRILLION DISTRIBUTED FROM THE MIDDLE CLASS TO THE WEALTHIEST
AMERICANS, AND WHO MADE THAT HAPPEN?
REPUBLICAN CONGRESS
PEOPLE VOTED FOR IT, THEY GOT FEWER VOTES THAN THE DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATES IN THE 2016 ELECTION, THE REPUBLICAN SENATE GOT FEWER
VOTES THAN THE DEMOCRATS, AND IT WILL BE SIGNED BY A PRESIDENT
WHO GOT FEWER VOTES THAN HIS OPPONENT.
BUT THIS WOULD LEAD TO SOMETHING MORE APPROACHING ACTUAL
DEMOCRACY.

Gerrymandering Reform Poised For Win?

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