I’ve heard this at least three times now since Ray LaHood announced his retirement. Announcers will be talking about the 18th District and casually mention how convoluted “Lane Evans’ 17th District” is. I heard my friend Dan DiOrio reference it Friday morning, and the insinuation was the 17th was drawn so strangely solely because of Lane Evans, who not coincidentally is a Democrat.
I’d just like to remind everybody that the GOP had a large hand in drawing up the ridiculous congressional districts in Illinois, and that the gerrymandering is not limited to Lane Evans and the Democrats.
So don’t blame it on Evans and Dems. There were lots of hands involved in drawing that so-called map, and both sides are equally to blame.
3 responses so far ↓
1
Vonster
// Jul 30, 2007 at 6:11 pm
And Stoner, I already told you I don’t like Kuntry music so what’s with the “redneck” link? You’d be LOTS closer than me.
Very childish.
2
Precinct committeeman
// Aug 15, 2007 at 4:47 pm
2000 Legislature is controlled by Democrat majorities. Redistricting commission is composed of equal dems and repubs. They come to a tie over what map too use, Dems draw theis repubs draw theirs, Tie breaker is held draw a name from a hat to sit on commission( Dem or Repub name) Dems win, break tie and impliment tyheir drawn map , how do repubs influence the maps state of federal unless you think Haster and Yates put a bug in the ear of the dems to make the make friendy to so and so not friendly to the other guys. ( Plausible)
3
BJ Stone
// Aug 16, 2007 at 5:22 am
From this story: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0611.morris.html
…comes this excerpt:
And while Republicans had made the most of states where they had unilateral control, even when Democrats had more influence they often brokered deals to protect incumbents rather than seeking to gain more seats. “Some institutional power within our party didn’t want a national redistricting strategy messing with deals within their states,†said a Democratic strategist involved with the redistricting effort. “The Republicans didn’t have as much of a state boss mentality.â€
Nowhere was this more evident than in California and Illinois, two states where Democrats controlled the entire process. While Republicans in Pennsylvania and Michigan were producing take-no-prisoners maps, in perennially blue Illinois, state Democrats made what one Democratic redistricting lawyer describes as a “crappy deal†with Speaker Dennis Hastert. Mindful of the money Hastert brings to the state in earmarks, Illinois Democrats produced a a map that generated at least two fewer Democratic House seats than it might have.
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