Crocodile Tears For Senate Dems (UPDATE: Some Real Tears)

Was it a brazen power grab?  Absolutely.

The problem is we keep trying to pretend like redistricting should be "nonpartisan" so each side will ping-pong terrible maps back and forth in the name of fairness.  Either just let the judges draw the lines or openly accept that to the winner go the spoils.

I certainly don't feel bad for those over in Saslawland who created a map just as partisan as this one and did so with some pretty loose interpretations of keeping districts local.  This is politics, just because (for once) Senate Republicans found the stones to do something that Saslaw would do without thinking about doesn't mean its a "coup."

MORE THINKING . . . the more I think about this, the more I think its a bush-league move.  Maybe the GOP thinks this will help them, and I think that many of the down-the-line GOP supporters are cheerleading this, I fear the law of unintended consequences will hit us one more time.  The optics of taking advantage of the abscence of a civil rights-era senator going to the inaguration of a black president is pretty terrible to start with.  Second, how many times have we complained about Democrats (in Congress especially) throwing bills out there to vote on without proper time to consider it?  We can talk now, can we?  This is a naked power grab and while my initial reaction (which I am leaving up) is the partisan in me, we need some adults to step in and think long and hard about this.  The can of worms we are opening by just redistricting whenever we want is not a good idea.  

This will backfire.

MORE . . . Schapiro says McDonnell is pissed, maybe the Guv can save us from ourselves.

LASTLY . . . I will say this, what the hell was Marsh doing in DC when he serves in a body that is 20-20 that is in session (a friend of mine pointed this out to me).  Who thought THAT was a good idea?  I guess I'm torn . . . I think this is a bullshit move on our part, but the Dems did outrageoulsy gerrymand these districts two years ago its hard to get that upset.  I guess I'm torn between what I think is right (that this is a mistake) and what feels right (that we stuck it to them after they stuck it to us).

Comments

[Lauren]

I would have been okay with this if it had gone through the normal channels and the had Bolling break the tie. Doing it this way was just not the way we need to be seen doing business.

[Chris]

Agreed, as long as we are outrageously redistricting each other its fair game. I'm not a fan of the way this went down.

However, the GOP-drawn seats seem to now be much more compact and locally based rather than stretched every which way to save Democrats.

[VirginiaLibertarian]

Oh come on Chris, take your GOP red-rose colored glasses off and stop trying to justify this from saying that the GOP-drawn seats "seem" to be much compact and locally based. Look at what's going on with splitting up Southside to create the new 25th. Look at how they have to split up Nelson and Albemarle to try to keep them from pushing a State Senate District Blue. Look at splitting Roanoke County into three districts in order to combine Roanoke City with Pulaki and Dublin in order to weaken John Edwards. This is Republican gerrymandering, just like the previous was Democratic gerrymandering, and there's nothing redeeming unless you are first, last, and only a Republican.

As a Republican partisan, this "feels" right, in your gut. As a conservative who respects process and the rules, you "think" this is wrong, in your head. And that's exactly how this is going to play among thinking conservative Republicans. Feeling vs. thinking.

There is a lot of for blowback.

[A.G.Gilmore]

"As a Republican partisan, this "feels" right, in your gut. As a conservative who respects process and the rules, you "think" this is wrong, in your head. And that's exactly how this is going to play among thinking conservative Republicans. Feeling vs. thinking."

Really well put.