The Justice Department said Monday that Texas' state House and congressional redistricting plans didn't comply with Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), indicating they thought the maps approved by Gov. Rick Perry (R) gave too little voting power to the growing Latino population in the state...
DOJ veteran and redistricting expert J. Gerald Hebert saw the Justice Department's filing as a "good sign" for the Civil Rights Division, which had undergone politicization during the Bush administration...
"I think it's a good sign that voting rights is back in the hands of people who are going to make a judgement about the facts and the law," Hebert continued.
Ahead of the decision, some were anticipating the Justice Department's decision as an indication of how hard the Obama administration would fight for Latino voters, especially in a proxy battle with a potential 2012 rival.
Secondly, does anyone else think this is a big story?
Sen. Lamar Alexander will resign from his influential Republican leadership post in January, according to a letter obtained by POLITICO - a stunning decision by the former two-time presidential candidate who has played a central role shaping GOP strategy during President Barack Obama’s time in office...
Alexander says the decision was rooted in his desire to foster consensus in the gridlocked Senate, a role he felt constrained playing while spearheading the partisan Senate GOP messaging machine.
Do you suppose that Alexander is maybe getting a little tired of Majority Leader McConnell's singular focus on defeating President Obama? Here's hoping for more stories like that one.
Thirdly, Jonathan Alter apparently doesn't agree with Suskind that former Clinton employees who are currently working for the Obama administration are pinning for Clinton's return.
They thought Clinton was more creative and his policymaking, but they prefer to a person Obama in a crisis, which was what they were in. He was decisive and making as many decisions in a week as Bill Clinton made in a year, and making the decisions crisply. The idea that somehow all the former Clinton officials working for Obama were longing for Bill Clinton because they had this inexperienced president who didn't know what he was doing is not what they were saying at the time.
Finally, this is pretty funny. And a good example of why no one listens to James Carville much anymore.
You can bet your bottom dollar that the Republicans are out to gerrymander Texas for all they're worth. Texas has a lot of black people, Hispanic people, and poor people. If everyone in Texas who's eligible to vote actually did vote, it would be a blue state -- and we'd probably never again have a Republican President.
ReplyDeleteInfidel - Looks like the Republicans have a fight on their hands with that one.
ReplyDeleteI've been saying for a while now that its just a matter of time before Texas turns blue - but it will be UGLY when it does!