AL: Republicans to challenge district lines (Rove involved)

[rainbow4321]

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/redir.php?jid=1ce80a187b31ef2f&cat=dc5bac5ce154af20



Emboldened by a U.S. Supreme Court victory for their Georgia brethren, Alabama Republicans announced Saturday that they will soon file a federal lawsuit in Mobile challenging the district lines of the state Legislature.

"It makes no sense that 60 percent of the House of Representatives and nearly 70 percent of the Alabama Senate is occupied by Democrats in a state where 63 percent of the people voted for George Bush," he said.

The suit will be modeled after a similar effort in Georgia, where a federal court ordered district lines redrawn. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld that ruling.

Also among the next moves, Lathan said in an interview after the GOP gathering, is a meeting with Karl Rove, top political adviser to President Bush. Rove has consulted on Alabama campaigns before, most notably as the architect of Republicans' landmarks victories in several Supreme Court races in 1994. Rove also approved a direct-mail piece for the House District 65 race. The flier featured an endorsement of Williams by the president.

[applegrove]

1. That goes without saying!

[bluestateguy]

2. Just watch

They're going to pack all them "Negroes" into as few districts as they can, thus making the rest of the districts ripe for good old boy Republicans to have lifetime seats in the legislature.

[applegrove]

3. See this is the stuff Democrats and all the worriers about voting should

be going after. It is right in front of their noses. But you need a whole oil tanker full of cash to pay the court costs and such. It is an old trick of the slick & rich (as opposed to the rich who have souls). You just threaten to drag your opponents to court if they object to anything. You kill any opposition by the threat of your bigger war chest. If they nickle and dime all these areas - who the hell has the cash to fight it. The Democrats have to save for the next election.

Another reason why the WH wants very much to do away with class action lawsuits and the like (because they non-frivolous ones did level the hell out of the legal sphere).

Grrrrrrrr

[lala_rawraw]

4. This is a hostile takeover

A direct mail piece? Hmmm... okay, state by state Alabama is on radar... organize people!!!!

[QC]

5. This should cause much rejoicing at DU,

at least among the Teeny Tiny Tent Democrats, considering all the calls to purge impure Democrats from the party.

[bowens43]

7. .

never mind

[QC]

8. There's a thread in GD:P right now asserting,

among other things, that Alabamians vote Democratic on the state and local levels purely out of selfish motives and are just a bunch of Dixiecrats anyway.

To those who view their fellow Democrats that way, the loss of Democratic power in Alabama should be no loss at all.

It goes without saying that some Democrats in Alabama are little more than Dixiecrats, but that is not true of, say, Will Pitt's father, the state party chairman, Lucy Baxley, the lieutenant governor, Nancy Worley, the secretary of state, a woman who has fought the good fight to keep elections clean, and any number of other people in the state party. But since many of us here insist upon thinking in terms of stereotypes and oversimplifications, people like them are ignored.

That kind of thinking only benefits the Republicans, of course.

[Kolesar]

9. Ok, there are a few democrats on DU who take such a position

...that you had described as purging. Do you think that that position is at all accepted in the real world of the Democratic Party outside of this silly, little message board?

[QC]

11. One would hope not, but the Kerry campaign effectively

gave up the South without a fight, so this kind of thinking doesn't seem to be limited to a few cranks on a discussion board.

[Kolesar]

12. Ok, I think I see where you are coming from

You must play the hand you are dealt though. The only southern states I saw the Democrats making a play for as "swing states" were Missouri and Florida. This was the ACT planning two years ago before we had a nominee. Someone from Panama City should be able to tell how to do politics in the South, but unfortunately I have to get on my way right now. Ta ta!

[bowens43]

6. Typical, what they can't win, they steal.

Republicans are the lowest form of life on this earth.

[TroglodyteScholar]

10. Full of shit.....

"It makes no sense that 60 percent of the House of Representatives and nearly 70 percent of the Alabama Senate is occupied by Democrats in a state where 63 percent of the people voted for George Bush," he said.

Actually, it makes perfect sense. I mean, this is freaking Alabama -- there's no doubt that many non-Republicans took the leap and voted for Our Great Leader. This is just smokescreen -- a half-assed rationalization for yet another power grab. If there are any Republicans reading this, consider a point: If you're so worried about the size and scope of the federal government, why is it acceptable for these Washington eggheads to meddle with state districts?

[supernova]

13. Shit! This is a Texas repeat!

They're getting ready to do it again in GA and AL.

AARRRRRRGHGHGHGH!

[Zynx]

14. We should go after the New York legislative districts with the same idea.

There are many more Republicans than there should be. Same thing here in Wisconsin.

[trogdor]

15. Gee, I missed that part of the Constitution...

...that says party representation in Congress has to reflect the state's electoral support for the President. Somebody please point this out to me.

[McCamy Taylor]

16. Say what? Steal votes then use this as an excuse to gerrymander?

:mad: :mad: :mad: