I look forward to hearing the inevitable decry that the Dems operate the same way.

DamnYankees: I look forward to hearing the inevitable decry that the Dems operate the same way.

No. All the Democrats are afraid of losing to someone like Michele Bachmann.

WhoIsWillo: DamnYankees: I look forward to hearing the inevitable decry that the Dems operate the same way.

No. All the Democrats are afraid of losing to someone like Michele Bachmann.

Heyo!

WhoIsWillo: DamnYankees: I look forward to hearing the inevitable decry that the Dems operate the same way.

No. All the Democrats are afraid of losing to someone like Michele Bachmann.

They've already managed at least 4 times. They're remarkably good at it.

(I don't understand it honestly. It must be the soccer/helicopter mom effect. I live just south of her district and generally speaking people in Anoka/etc are pretty sane so I don't know why they keep re-electing this piece of shiat.)

WhoIsWillo: DamnYankees: I look forward to hearing the inevitable decry that the Dems operate the same way.

No. All the Democrats are afraid of losing to someone like Michele Bachmann.

That's not far off. PA12 is gerrymandered in such a way that the GOP has a competitive advantage. The Dem that holds the seat now is a Blue Dog, who is consistently to the right of his party. The Party would rather support him (with the expectation of winning) than provide an ideological alternative to oppose the eventual GOP candidate.

Elandriel: WhoIsWillo: DamnYankees: I look forward to hearing the inevitable decry that the Dems operate the same way.

No. All the Democrats are afraid of losing to someone like Michele Bachmann.

They've already managed at least 4 times. They're remarkably good at it.

(I don't understand it honestly. It must be the soccer/helicopter mom effect. I live just south of her district and generally speaking people in Anoka/etc are pretty sane so I don't know why they keep re-electing this piece of shiat.)

Her district is gerrymandered to create a vote sink of ultra-conservative christians and Tea Baggers, thus ensuring her reelection. Don't forget, her district is also the one at the center of a recent Rolling Stone article regarding a record suicide rate at area public schools - due mainly to policies that she helped champion.

Demcrats?

/what about Dozecrats?

Elandriel: (I don't understand it honestly. It must be the soccer/helicopter mom effect. I live just south of her district and generally speaking people in Anoka/etc are pretty sane so I don't know why they keep re-electing this piece of shiat.)

St. Cloud.

For 2012 her district lost Woodbury which, while good for Woodbury, will make the district even more Republican.
I believe it also lost Stillwater, Bachmann's place of residence. Not sure how Stillwater tends to vote. Last I heard, Bachmann's planning on staying in Stillwater, but still representing the same district.

GAT_00: Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: WhoIsWillo: DamnYankees: I look forward to hearing the inevitable decry that the Dems operate the same way.

No. All the Democrats are afraid of losing to someone like Michele Bachmann.

That's not far off. PA12 is gerrymandered in such a way that the GOP has a competitive advantage. The Dem that holds the seat now is a Blue Dog, who is consistently to the right of his party. The Party would rather support him (with the expectation of winning) than provide an ideological alternative to oppose the eventual GOP candidate.

I still fault this largely because there almost is no such thing as a Democrats who actually fights. The last one who actually did, Alan Grayson, was smeared every single day he was in office. Any Democrat who stands up and actually fights back get the entire Republican machine going full charge at them so the rest of them don't actually try to fight. People like to see politicians stand up for what they believe in, and that's largely on the GOP.

Anthony Weiner was the type of Democrat that is needed. One that had fire in his belly, and took the fight to the Republicans. Then he had to be a dumbass and ruined it all.

"People ask me, "Why don't you guys get together?" And I say, "Exactly how much would you expect me to cooperate with Michele Bachmann?" And they say, "Are you saying they're all Michele Bachmann?" And my answer is no, they're not all Michele Bachmann. Half of them are Michele Bachmann. The other half are afraid of losing a primary to Michele Bachmann. So, no, there are maybe three Republicans I can work with, on a couple of issues, out of the thirtysomething on the committee," - Barney Frank.


Heh... I didn't always agree with him, but this is why I continued to vote for Frank and will miss him being my representative in the House.

MaudlinMutantMollusk: Demcrats?

/what about Dozecrats?

I think it is sort of like Repubicans.

Nogrhi: MaudlinMutantMollusk: Demcrats?

/what about Dozecrats?

I think it is sort of like Repubicans.

It absolutely destroys the reference when the mods fix the headlines

/rotten bestids

GAT_00: I still fault this largely because there almost is no such thing as a Democrats who actually fights.

In part, I blame a fickle constituency. It doesn't do them any good to fight unless that translates into votes. If you're in a safe seat, there's no reason to fight. If you're in an unsafe seat, it's a pretty big risk to fight. When votes come down to things like "the guy I'd most like to have a beer with" and flaky voters who get disillusioned at the first sign of trouble, you get milquetoast candidates from the Democrats.

GAT_00: Car_Ramrod: Anthony Weiner was the type of Democrat that is needed.

Good point, though I'd say Greyson was largely the same. Again, he was intentionally targeted and taken down as soon as possible, though Weiner really was also his own damn fault.

Part of the reason I want Cuomo to run in 2016. Pushing through that gay marriage bill largely himself is exactly the kind of thing I want a Democrat to do.

I wasn't arguing against Grayson, just wanted to add to the tiny list.

Grand_Moff_Joseph: Elandriel: WhoIsWillo: DamnYankees: I look forward to hearing the inevitable decry that the Dems operate the same way.

No. All the Democrats are afraid of losing to someone like Michele Bachmann.

They've already managed at least 4 times. They're remarkably good at it.

(I don't understand it honestly. It must be the soccer/helicopter mom effect. I live just south of her district and generally speaking people in Anoka/etc are pretty sane so I don't know why they keep re-electing this piece of shiat.)

Her district is gerrymandered to create a vote sink of ultra-conservative christians and Tea Baggers, thus ensuring her reelection. Don't forget, her district is also the one at the center of a recent Rolling Stone article regarding a record suicide rate at area public schools - due mainly to policies that she helped champion.

Her husband's clinic will cure teh homogheys one way or another...

MaudlinMutantMollusk: Nogrhi: MaudlinMutantMollusk: Demcrats?

/what about Dozecrats?

I think it is sort of like Repubicans.

It absolutely destroys the reference when the mods fix the headlines

/rotten bestids

Fargin' iceholes?

GAT_00: Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: f you're in an unsafe seat, it's a pretty big risk to fight.

What I'm saying is that fighting can, I believe, making an unsafe seat fairly safe by popularity.

High risk; low net payout. I don't stick my face in a fan either.

dahmers love zombie: Fargin' iceholes?

Yeah... that too

I miss the SS Crazy Eyes and its daily bombardment of derp. Do you think we could get her to reinstate her campaign as a last-ditch effort to unseat Rmoney as the Republican candidate?

Saiga410: whidbey: I don't want the Dems and the Repubs to "work together."

We need to dismantle the Republican party and have a single-party system for a few years until someone comes up with a bright idea for something to replace the Republicans with. Hopefully something more progressive than both.

Yeah, it's gotten that bad.

Do you know who else wanted a single party state?

Saiga410: whidbey: I don't want the Dems and the Repubs to "work together."

We need to dismantle the Republican party and have a single-party system for a few years until someone comes up with a bright idea for something to replace the Republicans with. Hopefully something more progressive than both.

Yeah, it's gotten that bad.

Do you know who else wanted a single party state?

Deadlock is the New Republican Way.

The gerrymandering in this country is out of control. It's absolutely horrible in North Carolina. And that's leading to this demographic shift.

Most of the House doesn't mind, because you stay in power that way - if you cut out the bad areas of my district and give me more conservative/liberal votes, I'm happy with you.

The whole thing is abominable. Our country is frankly in the sh*tter.

Typical partisan circlejerk....

The Dems dig their heels in as much as Repubs on everything to placate their respective constituencies. NEITHER will compromise with the other because they don't want to appear weak.

You're all just buying into the left side of things. Quit being a bunch of tools.

/vote third party
//vote for Kang

bdub77: Deadlock is the New Republican Way.

The gerrymandering in this country is out of control. It's absolutely horrible in North Carolina. And that's leading to this demographic shift.

Most of the House doesn't mind, because you stay in power that way - if you cut out the bad areas of my district and give me more conservative/liberal votes, I'm happy with you.

The whole thing is abominable. Our country is frankly in the sh*tter.

This complaint is, was, and remains incredibly stupid. We just had a larger turnover in House seats than ever before in history, and people are still complaining about gerrymandering keeping people in their seats?

Hydra: Typical partisan circlejerk....

The Dems dig their heels in as much as Repubs on everything to placate their respective constituencies. NEITHER will compromise with the other because they don't want to appear weak.

And there it is.

DamnYankees: This complaint is, was, and remains incredibly stupid. We just had a larger turnover in House seats than ever before in history, and people are still complaining about gerrymandering keeping people in their seats?

Besides, it's not like it's anything new:

"The word gerrymander (originally written Gerry-mander) was used for the first time in the Boston Gazette on March 26, 1812. The word was created in reaction to a redrawing of Massachusetts state senate election districts under the then-governor Elbridge Gerry (pronounced /ˈɡɛri/; 1744-1814). In 1812, Governor Gerry signed a bill that redistricted Massachusetts to benefit his Democratic-Republican Party. When mapped, one of the contorted districts in the Boston area was said to resemble the shape of a salamander. The exact author of the term gerrymander may never be definitively established. It is widely believed by historians that Federalist newspaper editors Nathan Hale, Benjamin and John Russell were the instigators, but the historical record gives no definitive evidence as to who created or uttered the word for the first time.[1] The term was a portmanteau of the governor's last name and the word salamander."