Congressmen testify at Texas redistricting trial

[Judi Lynn]

Congressmen testify at Texas redistricting trial


BY APRIL CASTRO
Associated Press Writer

AUSTIN - A proposed plan to put more Texas Republicans in Congress would be detrimental to the seniority of the state's congressional delegation, veteran Democratic incumbents testified in federal court Friday.

In the second day of testimony in a redistricting trial, Democratic Rep. Chet Edwards of Waco and Rep. Max Sandlin of Marshall each described to a three-judge panel the influence wielded by senior members of Congress from either party.

"Seniority is everything in the U.S. Congress," said Sandlin, chief deputy whip for the Democratic Caucus.

Edwards, a 13-year House veteran who is the ranking member of the Appropriations Military Construction subcommittee, described how seniority dictates power to pass legislation in Congress. He said as a senior member of Congress, he's been able to pour more federal dollars into better housing, health care and daycare on military installations in Texas.

Eliminating the seats of senior Democratic members from Texas and replacing them with rookie Republicans would strip the state delegation of much of its influence in determining policy that affects Texas, he said. (snip/...)

http://www.lmtonline.com/news/s5.htm

[RichV]

1. They have a point and all

but does that have anything to do with the legality of the recent redistricting? If they're gonna get it struck down, they're gonna have to use legal arguments rather than this "inside baseball" stuff. Even though they have a point.

on edit: subject-verb agreement

[Bandit]

2. Pretty lousy argument

I have to stay in power because I'm very powerful. :crazy: How they figure any Democrat would have more power in a Republican Congress than a Republican Congressman would have is a fools argument. They better do better than this. No wonder the Democrats are losing elections in America if this is how they reason.

[mbperrin]

4. We need to redistrict because Democrats win elections

is a GOOD argument? That's why the redistricting was done. Having senior Democrats on plum committees is better for Texas than having nothing freshman Republicans on committees. However, California and Illinois should be jumping for joy as their delegations get the big time shift in power!

Face it, Tom Delay, the architect of this whole thing, isn't exactly a brain surgeon!

[Judi Lynn]

3. Here's more info. from a different source, the Houston Chronicle

(snip) Dec. 12, 2003, 9:24PM

Remap will turn away minorities, judges told
By R.G. RATCLIFFE and CLAY ROBISON
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

AUSTIN -- A Republican congressional redistricting plan would reverse years of civil rights progress by discouraging minorities from voting, Democratic congressmen and politicians told a three-judge federal court Friday.

"Maybe we're going to have the Voting Rights Act, and you can go down and vote, but your vote isn't going to count," U.S. Rep. Max Sandlin, D-Marshall, told the court. "If you do this, you're going to set back our clock 50 years."

Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk said the new redistricting map offended "every sense of decency and fair play and common sense" and, if allowed to stand, would make minorities lose interest in going to the polls.

Minority voting power was the focus of the second day of testimony in a lawsuit challenging the redistricting plan passed by the Republican-dominated Legislature in October. (snip/...)

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2291733

[UTUSN]

5. Kick for Important Story

And how come Tom "Scum" DELAY got out of being subpoenaed on the grounds that he is a congressman who should not be compelled to testify unless the information he has is unique. Since he was INTIMATELY involved in the whole scoundrelism, his info would certainly be unique to the situation.