Posted on 12/22/2011 12:13:09 PM PST by Hetty_Fauxvert
California's congressional Democrats ran a secret effort this year to manipulate the independent citizens panel that drew the state's new political districts, foiling the intent of those who sought to remove the redistricting process from the control of party bosses.
Democrats met behind closed doors at the party's Washington headquarters, hired consultants, drew their ideal districts and presented maps to the panel through proxies who never disclosed their party ties or “public interest” groups created specifically for the purpose. In many cases, the panel responded by doing just what the Democrats wanted.
The New York-based nonprofit investigative foundation ProPublica released findings Wednesday from a months-long reconstruction of the Democrats' stealth redistricting strategy, relying on internal memos, emails, interviews and map analysis.
The success of the strategy has Democrats projecting they may pick up as many as seven congressional seats in 2012 under new district boundaries adopted last summer, far more than had been first expected.
“Every member of the Northern California Democratic Caucus has a ticket back to D.C.,” crowed one internal memo. “This is a huge accomplishment that should be celebrated by advocates throughout the region.”
Bay Area Democrats, with one exception, were safe no matter how the new district lines were drawn because of the Democrats' overwhelming advantage in voter registration, said David McCuan, a Sonoma State University political scientist. Only Rep. Jerry McNerney of Pleasanton was in a “marginal Democratic district,” he said.
There's no surprise in the revelation that “political machinations” were involved in the redistricting process, nor did the Democrats break any laws, he said.
* * *
The cloaked Democratic strategy was particularly successful in Northern California, ProPublica found.
(Excerpt) Read more at pressdemocrat.com ...
This is news? These criminals have been doing this for ages.
They cannot win ANYTHING honestly. They must commit crimes and lie.
It is what they do.
Party of Criminals
So they played the game better than us, and they play for keeps.
Lesson to us for the future...
Well, if/when they are able to use this subterfuge to keep or increase dem control of the state, and even further send CA over the bankruptcy cliff, just don’t come crawling to the taxpayers to bail CA out. I say let them get what they deserve.
No surprise next to Illinois California is the most politically corrupt state in the union. California is run by Homosexuals, Labor Unions, Mexicans, Africans, Abortion Lobbyist, and a cast of moronic compassionate utopians together with a crap load of human (barley) parasites that feed off the hard work of others.
Gerrymandering...what secret?
this state has a $40B+ debt and unfunded liabilities of $80B-$300B depends on who’s counting...monied people are exiting in droves...Jerry Brown is a joke...the whole state is a joke...
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