reuters.com
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  • Governor Newsom’s strategy ultimately will rest with voters

  • California Democrats aim to finish legislative action by Friday

  • Trump-backed Texas plan nears enactment as foes threaten to sue

Aug 21 (Reuters) - The California Senate on Thursday was set to act on newly drawn political maps aimed at giving Democrats five more seats in Congress, countering a partisan advantage President Donald Trump hopes to gain from a Republican redistricting plan in Texas.

California Democrats, led by Governor Gavin Newsom, are pushing to achieve fast-track passage of their redistricting effort in the Sacramento statehouse by Friday, just in time to place it on the ballot for a special election on November 4.

  • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    2 days ago

    I’ll believe it once it’s happened and not one instant before. Until then, democrats are just gonna find some procedural bullshit to block it.

  • dogslayeggs@lemmy.world
    0·
    2 days ago

    I’ve already received a political pamphlet in the mail saying this is undemocratic and un-Californian and will result in the worst possible outcome for California. The propaganda machine has already kicked in.

    The thing is, I would normally agree. We voted in a neutral re-districting council law to stop partisan gerrymandering because partisan gerrymandering is undemocratic. However, Republicans are trying to steal the country, and if this is the only way to stop it then I’ll grudgingly accept it.

  • lennybird@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    2 days ago

    This is fighting fire with fire.

    Dems need to start punching the bully back twice as hard, but I’m still not fully convinced they have the media landscape to overcome the false portrayal right wing media will paint this with, or if they can even get out of their own way given the stranglehold Israel has on the party.

    • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      0·
      2 days ago

      This is fighting election manipulation fire with fire. election manipulation

      Fixed it for you. Two wrongs don’t make a right and both major parties taking away the agency of voters and anything approaching a fair chance for third party and independent candidates doesn’t fix democracy.

      Dems need to start punching the bully back twice as hard

      No. The mud wrestling with a pig analogy applies here.

      • lennybird@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        2 days ago

        How’s all that going high working out, Michelle?

        And I guess you shouldn’t reciprocate a punch if I punch you in the face?

        Let’s also be abundantly clear, here:

        • (1) This is blow-for-blow response that seeks to maintain the baseline state of the electorate; don’t blame California for trying to counteract what Texas is corrupting.

        • (2) This legislative maneuver for which voters will have the final say on in California (unlike in Texas, if I understand correctly) has a baked-in expiration time, timed with the next census.

    • Chainweasel@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      2 days ago

      Unfortunately it’s not, Newsom wants to add 5 blue seats to match what Texas is doing, that’s breaking even and it keeps the status quo as it is now, which is already unbalanced and leans hard right.
      If he actually wanted to fight back he’d be going for every blue seat he can.
      Even if other blue states follow suite it won’t be enough, they need to go nuclear with it.

      • Zachariah@lemmy.world
        0·
        2 days ago

        They could go 100% of districts being blue according to this:

        It really sucks because RCV and proportional representation (using super districts) would solve so many problems—especially lesser of two evils voting. But is it better at this point to have as little MAGA representation as possible?

        • AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.worldEnglish
          0·
          2 days ago

          They could go 100% of districts being blue

          The plan ultimately has to be approved by voters, who will have to live with the new districts—and if it reaches its partisan quota by creating spaghettified districts that can’t meaningfully represent local issues, voters will be more reluctant.

              • Zachariah@lemmy.world
                0·
                2 days ago

                Yes, of course. Maybe there are enough California voters outraged by Texas’s bullshit to give the oaky to authorize a full-blue plan for California.

                • dogslayeggs@lemmy.world
                  0·
                  2 days ago

                  There won’t be. California isn’t as blue as everyone thinks. And most Californian voters aren’t aware enough of what the rest of the country is doing to understand why Newsom would be turning back a democratic anti-gerrymandering law.

      • osaerisxero@kbin.melroy.org
        0·
        2 days ago

        The consensus in another thread seemed to be that if CA went for more, that opened up the possibility for a court to say that California’s move was bad but TX’s was still Kosher.

    • habitualTartare@lemmy.world
      0·
      2 days ago

      It’s a slippery slope before nearly every state follows suit. The chain reaction isn’t going to lead to more democratically elected candidates.