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Jan Brewer’s Sleazy Power Grab
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Candidate
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| Contributor | TX DEM |
| Last Edited | TX DEM Nov 01, 2011 09:13pm |
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| Category | News |
| News Date | Wednesday, November 2, 2011 03:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | This is low and cynical even by political standards.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is trying to impeach her state’s independent redistricting commission because it recommended political districts that do not disproportionately favor Republicans.
Brewer’s actual charge is that the commission—composed of two Republicans, two Democrats, and one independent—tried to “elevate ‘competitiveness’ over other goals,” an outcome that is apparently now synonymous with “neglect of duty and gross misconduct” in her mind.
Brewer’s power grab is unprecedented, even in the long and sordid history of partisan gerrymandering—the collusive process that creates “safe” districts in which the party nominee is virtually assured of victory. In essence, it allows politicians to choose their voters, instead of vice versa. If you want to understand how Congress can have historically low approval ratings but still have an 85 percent reelection rate, the rigged system of redistricting helps explain the dynamic. That’s why voters in a growing number of states—including Arizona and, most recently, California—have rallied around ballot initiatives to create independent redistricting commissions. |
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