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When one thinks of New England, they tend to think of charming little college towns, freezing winters and funny accents, but there’s something else that should be added to this list: The region is the most heavily gerrymandered, in favor of Democrats, of any in history.
Redistricting is the hottest story in America just at the moment, as state legislators have fled Texas, some to New England, to stop a vote to change the congressional map in the Lone Star State, and likely give Republicans five more House seats in Washington D.C.
DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST SAYS PARTY LACKS ‘MORAL AUTHORITY’ ON TEXAS REDISTRICTING FIGHT
But when it comes to drawing districts in order to shut out the minority party, which is really what gerrymandering is, New England Democrats have a perfect record: There 21 House seats spread over six states and not one single GOP representative.
Frankly, a Republican would be about as likely to win a House race in 1860 Mississippi as one in New England in 2025.
Democrats will counter that it is a very liberal region, or that no map could be made in a state like Massachusetts to accommodate a GOP seat. But in fact, there are millions of Republicans in New England. President Trump nearly won New Hampshire in 2024 and Maine has a Republican senator (at least sort of) in Susan Collins.
It wasn’t all that long ago that the former Republican governor of Massachusetts became the GOP presidential nominee in the form of Mitt Romney, so it’s not like New England is devoid of conservatives, they just don’t get any representation.
The only other region that comes close to this kind of congressional imbalance is the Great Plains, with only three Democrats out of 18 House seats. But then again, it’s not Republicans who are calling gerrymandering such a threat to democracy that laws must be broken to stop it.
And, to borrow a phrase from a 1980s anti-drug ad, “they learned it from watching you, Democrats.”
These Texas Democrats have run away from their duties to govern in protest of a practice that their party has absolutely perfected, You can’t get better than 21-0.
At the end of the day, redistricting House seats is inherently subjective. In making the maps, lots of things can be taken into account; geographic proximity, race, urban vs rural, and, of course, party affiliation. There is no one gold standard.
In the past, supposed bipartisan or nonpartisan blue-ribbon commissions have failed to create a model of fairness. Now it is suggested that artificial intelligence could do it, but which AI, whose AI, and what will the prompt be? “Draw fair districts?” Who is defining fair? You see the problem here?
Before liberals go to war over the electoral splinter in the eye of the Texas Republicans, they should really remove the plank from the eye of New England and its exclusion of GOP House districts.
No, the bottom line is that the Texas Democrats lost the Texas legislature fair and square, and it is the Texas legislature that gets to do redistricting pursuant to state law.
The only leg that the Texas Democrats might have to stand on is that what the Republicans are doing is so unconventional, so out of keeping with the spirit of the law that criminal civil disobedience is demanded. But if so, why isn’t it demanded in New England, as well?
Before liberals go to war over the electoral splinter in the eye of the Texas Republicans, they should really remove the plank from the eye of New England and its exclusion of GOP House districts.
Democrats have become addicted to the politics of emergency, which calls for wild stunts and breaking the law. They yell and scream that we are falling into fascism and we have to wake up!
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Honestly, telling voters they “have to wake up” is about as effective as me trying to get my 15-year-old out of bed before 7 a.m. on a Saturday.
Most Americans do not believe that we are in the midst of an authoritarian emergency. Some do, especially those who are loud or have prominent platforms, but you don’t see Texas voters in their tens of thousands protesting over redistricting.
Eventually, it is very likely that Texas redistricting will occur, by hook or by crook, and the Sturm und Drang will reach the high heavens.
But just remember, when that happens, that meanwhile, up in old, storied New England, the exclusion of Republicans from the lower house of Congress will continue apace, and nobody, but nobody, will bat an eye.
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