Posted on 01/28/2012 1:46:58 AM PST by SMGFan
The Texas state attorneys defending the state’s GOP-drawn redistricting plans from court challenges have reached out to settle litigation, according to sources in the state. The settlement would give minority groups and Democrats what they’ve been demanding from the start: more heavily minority, Democratic-leaning House seats.
The result would likely mean at least four more Texas Democrats in Congress as of next year, a good start on the 25 or so seats Democrats need to win to retake control of the House.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
I thought this was one of our victories in 2010, and it got turned into a loss?
Add to that Arizona, where the D's may gain 2 seats after the "non-partisan" commission suckered the otherwise R-controlled state.
What a disaster this year has been for redistricting with the lone exception of North Carolina.
If Romney goes down to defeat against Obama, I predict Nancy Pelosi will be speaker come next year.
Stuart Rothenberg wrote http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_81/rough_estimate_current_house_election_field-211590-1.html
You have to read up on each state separately but a Dem gain of 1 or 2 here and 1 or 2 there adds up. Not many apparent GOP gain so far.
In many states Shoring up GOP incumbents seems preferable to putting Dems at risk by dropping the GOP % in a district. )
geez..why bother having elections..
The GOP needs to grow a pair.
How does this story square with this one:
I am sorry, but I cannot figure those two out. I am just going to wait for more stories. :)
In Texas, the Republicans redrew the districts that would cement a Republican majority for a decade or more. The Dem’s and the usual suspects of La Raza and NAACP and the like took it to court. The activist Judge decided he could draw any map he wanted and we are still in court with national elections coming and no redistricting in place.
The demographics of America are changing and the Democrat Party is all inviting. The Republicans need to reach out to these groups or face extinction.
Both the DC court and the San Antonio Court are involved. It appears from what I’m reading is that the SA Court is trying to get agreements on new lines. Thus the State AG is working with the Court/others trying to get agreements.
Differing articles:
Settlement discussions
The other big development of the day (maybe the biggest) was the emergence of serious discussions about a settlement on the maps, with intense negotiations expected to continue this weekend.
David Mattax, the state’s lawyer, explained that what the state was proposing was a deal on interim maps, not permanent maps.
Mattax said that under the deal he was trying to work out, if redistricting plaintiffs proposed maps in areas where the state agreed that there were legitimate issues of dispute, the state would not object. Mattax conceded, though, that other parties (such as Congressman Barton) might object. Mattax also recognized that complete agreement with redistricting plaintiffs might not be possible. But Mattax said he hoped to at least be able to narrow the issues for the court before February 6 in an effort to facilitate getting maps by mid-February.
If this sounds like a significant sea change from the state’s prior position, it certainly seems to be. And at least some reports are that Republicans are willing to make significant concessions.
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http://www.chron.com/news/politics/article/Redistricting-talks-intense-2753084.php
“Intense negotiations” are under way between Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and several minority groups and Democrats to work out a redistricting deal that would keep the Texas primaries in April.
Assistant Attorney General David Mattax made the surprise announcement before a panel of three federal judges in San Antonio charged with redrawing interim redistricting plans for Texas. The U.S. Supreme Court last week tossed the San Antonio court’s previous set of interim maps.
“An interim map, one for 2012, is what we need to get done, now,” Mattax said. “We don’t have to get (the law) perfect.”
Under the arrangement outlined during the hearing, the parties would negotiate each of the challenged districts separately and the court would draw the boundaries for districts where an agreement could not be reached.
Mattax said they could announce agreements on some of the districts as soon as Sunday or Monday.
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The Court yesterday said, “Try to work something out.” The Atty Gen office then invited the parties to meet, to please the Court.
The Atty Gen office has no authority to negotiate anything but the legislature’s map. So, meeting is going through the motions.
If the atty gen strikes a deal that is anything but the legislature’s maps, some severely affected Republicans will sue. Joe Barton is already hinting just that.
April 3rd Pres primary with Senate primary. June 5th Senate runoff and 2nd primary for contested map seats. August runoff for 2nd Primary. Districts that look more like the Legislature than the Courts. That’s my guess.
“The demographics of America are changing and the Democrat Party is all inviting. The Republicans need to reach out to these groups or face extinction.”
They have. But if it means changing the GOP ideology to conform to those groups, and thus attract them, then the GOP is finished anyway because those groups have repeatedly rejected the GOP message because they (those groups) identify with the Dems’ leftist message.
The GOP is finished anyway, what with its elitist RINOs/establishment rejecting any and all conservative values.
It’s time for a true conservative party. I am so thoroughly disgusted with what the GOP has become that I am changing my affiliation to Independent. The GOP in my state (Illinois) is pretty much non-existent anyway, so it won’t really matter.
“How the heck did this happen?”
Easy. The Federal Government seized control of the election process in conservative states back in 1965 by passing a law that authorized same.
Ted Kennedy trick,just get a small bill passed and keep adding to it.
Guess who was Obama’s teacher was.
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