The issue of "gerrymandering" has long been a controversial political tool used by the majority in State Houses across the country to redraw district lines and boundaries. Some argue these redistricting measures favor the majority and are mere attempts to keep power in ever changing demographic environments.
Gerrymandering is pure self interest and merely a tool to keep power. Nothing more. It is merely undertaken to secure or to maintain political advantage.
States like North Carolina, Maryland, Ohio, Michigan and Virginia have seen these actions sit center stage as political maps are changed and with the new census coming next year the matter certainly could get even more contested.
The Supreme Court was asked to take up the matter regarding the maps drawn in North Carolina by Republicans and Maryland where the maps were redrawn by Democrats.
Chief Justice Roberts was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsouch, Brett Kavanaugh and Samuel Alito in a 5-4 decision ruling that the federal judiciary is not the place of jurisdiction to rule on such political matters "gerrymandering".
Roberts would assert:
"We conclude that partisan gerrymandering claims present political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts. Federal judges have no license to reallocate political power between the two major political parties, with no plausible grant of authority in the Constitution, and no legal standards to limit and direct their decisions."
The result of the Supreme Court ruling to stay out of such matters means that the boundaries drawn by Democrats in Virginia and likely all the other States will stand.
So all those Progressives like Delegate Mark Levine 45th District, Delegate Kathy Tran 42d District and Delegate Elizabeth Guzman 31st District all Northern Virginia Progressives can thank the man they disparaged last September in Judge Brett Kavanaugh in delivering the gerrymandered districts favored by Democrats for the upcoming election cycles in the Commonwealth.
Delegate Mark Levine in his typical racially divisive and inflammatory level charged Virginia Republicans "engaged in racial gerrymandering" and that Republicans "rigged the system". (Newsletter, June 18, 2019 Mark Levine).
Levine championed the courts ruling back in 2017 that went against the Republicans who sought to maintain existing lines drawn but now of course that Levine will not admit that the ruling this week actually weakens the Republic. Levine claimed that the 2017 ruling that he perceived benefited Democrats was "a victory for democracy, voting rights and racial justice". Now however none of that will matter. Whichever Party controls the Assembly and the Executive likely will be able to redraw lines continuously it seems with the flow of power every election cycle.
Levine similar to President Obama and Eric Holder has stated that "elected officials should not choose their voters" yet that is exactly what the Democrats have done in Virginia and they themselves have done so to alienate and consolidate voters based on racial demographics and voting metrics.
The 7th Congressional District is a prime example of this.
The gerrymandering already delivered the 7th Congressional District to Virginia Democrats with the election of Abigail Spanberger (D) who campaigned as a "moderate" in 2018 and defeated Republican incumbent David Brat in large part due to the removal of the heavily conservative Hanover County precincts from the District. President Trump carried the 7th Congressional District in 2016. Spanberger has since demonstrated the Progressive she is by voting with Progressives 90% of the time and Nancy Pelosi 94% of the time. Spanberger has yet to work with Virginia Republicans on co-sponsored legislation in the Congress though pledged she would and just recently endorsed the House impeachment inquiry of President Trump.
Former President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder announced a campaign earlier this year to combat "gerrymandering". Meaning they were opposed to it yet Virginia Democrats appear to actually relish the idea. Eric Holder stated that “For too long, politicians have been able to pick their voters, instead of all
owing voters to choose their representatives,”
#DelegateMarkLevine #VaDems #SCOTUS #Gerrymandering #VA07 #Spanberger #SpanbergerWatch #Holder #Obama #JusticeRoberts #VaGOP #VaHouse #VaSenate
No comments:
Post a Comment