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413
Gavin Newsom says California will move forward with map redrawing plan in response to Texas effort (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 3 days ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world
61 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Governor reveals election rigging response act to counter Trump’s push to gain five extra seats in Texas midterms

Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, said on Thursday state Democratic lawmakers would move forward with a redistricting plan to counter the Republican-led map-drawing effort in Texas aimed at securing a House majority after the midterm elections.

Newsom, joined by congressional Democrats and legislative leaders, unveiled a plan, known as the election rigging response act, that would override California’s independent redistricting commission and draw new congressional lines – a direct counter to a Texas effort, sought by Donald Trump, to push through mid-cycle maps that could hand Republicans five extra US House seats. The governor vowed the move would “neuter and neutralize” Texas’s proposal.

“Today is liberation day in the state of California,” Newsom declared at a rally in Los Angeles, in which he formally called for a 4 November special election to approve a new congressional map. “We can’t stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country.”

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[–] 418_im_a_teapot@sh.itjust.works 21 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Newsom, joined by congressional Democrats and legislative leaders, unveiled a plan, known as the election rigging response act, that would override California’s independent redistricting commission and draw new congressional lines

I don’t fault what they’re doing here; war is war. But just look at how easily the democratic process can be stripped away. Just a flick of the pen and it’s gone. No real safeguards. Not a single shot fired.

[–] Fredthefishlord@lemmy.blahaj.zone 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It's important to realize you can't really safe guard against authoritarianism once they already control the government

[–] 418_im_a_teapot@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 days ago

Agreed. We failed loooong ago. Now we are just along for the ride.

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 days ago

This plan will still require an approval from voters.

[–] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 58 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

There was an ICE raid right outside the building he was in today as a total intimidation tactic. ICE only got one person for so many suited up chuds. Fuck this shit

[–] kbobabob@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 days ago (4 children)

I thought it was border patrol, not ICE. Are they the same thing?

[–] Bronzebeard@lemmy.zip 10 points 2 days ago

They're both part of DHS

[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 5 points 2 days ago

If they act without due process, there is no point in making a distinction.

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[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 14 points 2 days ago

Conservatives never gave a damn about genuine fairness, it is time to stop playing ball with the fuckers.

...I don't like this game, but we don't seem to have any GOOD choices, just less awful ones.

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 67 points 3 days ago

“We can’t stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country.”

Yep, step the fuck up everyone.

[–] NotSteve_@piefed.ca 34 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Can the US just break up already

[–] Mrkawfee@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The Republic of California has a nice ring to it.

[–] bollybing@lemmynsfw.com 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Needs something more to distinguish it from the California of old, how about the New California Republic, or NCR for short?

[–] paraphrand@lemmy.world 25 points 3 days ago (3 children)

This is still a form of gerrymandering, right? I hope this does not kick off a wave of disenfranchisement across other red states.

We really need to get the US territories statehood/representation too. And DC.

[–] OpenPassageways@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Hopefully the results is that everyone is concerned about gerrymandering instead of just Democrats and something can be done about it at the federal level.

[–] gabbath@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Somehow I doubt the trumpers are worried. They just want to win. If anything can guarantee their state goes for Trump they'll take it.

I'm not American, but from my limited experience, my QAnon relatives (who are immigrants themselves in another western country!) were ok with martial law and taking away women's rights as the price to pay to get out of the "dictatorship" they imagined with "forced vaccination" and "LGBT indoctrination" and immigrant "invasion". They also have no problem with taking away LGBT rights because "they have too many now, look at Hollywood". They constantly bring up about how Jews run the world and how bad Israel is, but they have no problem with Trump being their lapdog and enabling their worst atrocities and fantasizing about building a riviera in Gaza. When all the Palestinians there will have perished (something I dread is likely to happen), they'll probably credit Trump with ending the genocide. And don't get me started on Epstein, which was their whole reason for joining QAnon. Back in February they were excitedly telling me, unprompted, how Pam Bondi says the files are on her desk. They haven't said anything since. Wanna bet they'll get defensive if I ask them about it now?

My point is these people don't care about democracy or human rights, they just scream about them when they experience disconfort, but really all they want is a godking who punishes "the right people" and reminds them every 10 seconds how special they are and how they deserve freedom and sovereignty not like the bad people who they are always persecuted by.

[–] QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works 57 points 3 days ago (12 children)

We tried playing fair, that got us Trump twice

[–] jj4211@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Just a note that none of this impacts presidential elections.

But if Texas does their thing, this would be a necessary response for the house

[–] OpenPassageways@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

True... but if Trump had to contend with Democrat majorities in the house and Senate then he would have an incentive not to do illegal shit because he could be removed from office.

[–] jj4211@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

For house, sure, Senate not so much.

He might have faced legislative resistance to his initiatives, but removal from office would never have been on the table.

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[–] pyre@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

what do you mean, "kick off"?

[–] paraphrand@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Kicking off, say, five other states redrawing maps to cancel out California and to head off other blue states trying the same.

That sort of frantic escalation wouldn’t be good.

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

from what I've gathered (although it's been hard for me to find the exact info I'm looking for) most of the states with nonpartisan or bipartisan redistricting commissions seem to be democratic states by a significant margin.

safe to assume the ones that have partisan commissions are already gerrymandered to hell and back. and there's little to gain from doing it more; there will be diminishing returns.

i think an all out war would mostly benefit the dems but again i don't have very concrete data so I'll qualify these statements to be based on gut and not much more.

[–] gabbath@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

That's my gut feeling as well. Gerrymandering is a Republican tradition and they've been doing it in red states for decades now. Hard to believe there's much more to squeeze from it. Blue states however...

[–] llama@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 day ago

Muh Jefferson!

[–] Steve@startrek.website 25 points 3 days ago

If you want to win you have to play the game.

(Or cheat, a win is a win)

[–] PlaidBaron@lemmy.world -2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Obviously what Texas is doing is reprehensible but in a winner take all election system where Texas always goes republican and California always goes dem, does this actually makw a difference?

[–] zarkony@lemmy.zip 10 points 1 day ago

Winner takes all only applies to presidential elections. In this case, they are redistricting for more congressional seats.

[–] DoucheBagMcSwag@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Yes because likely CAs redistricting plans to make more blue and less red...therefore offsetting the 5 seats Trump is asking Texas to find (which will be more red and less blue)

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

And thats assuming Republicans do redistricting math right. At the current outrage levels tightening margins is a big gamble. They could be turning it into a landslide... Assuming elections are fair.

It would be kind of crazy to see the Republican response if they lost like 30 seats or something, I am sure they would try to somehow invalidate the whole thing.

[–] DancingBear@midwest.social 3 points 1 day ago

If that happens it would be a good time for democrats to approve legislation mandating non-partisan redistricting at the federal level.

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

...Assuming elections are fair.

That's exactly what they're trying to prevent.

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