Crackerjack press release today from the Florida House Democratic Caucus, sharing a memo from one House member to Gov. Jeb “I’m Such a Hypocrite I Can’t Believe It Myself” Bush.
Florida Media Outlets and Other Interested Parties:
Below you will find an e-mail that State Representative Tim Ryan (D-Dania Beach) sent to Governor Bush this morning regarding the Governor’s new found support for redistricting reform—for California residents.
Dear Governor Bush:
I was thrilled to hear that you had embraced the idea, and even held a fundraiser here in Florida, to support the concept of having an independent redistricting commission, not politicians, draw the boundaries for state legislative and congressional districts — until I realized you were only supporting the idea for California, and not for Florida.
Both our states have seen one party use gerrymandering to unfairly dominate their respective state legislatures. In Florida, the Republicans have used squiggly lines on district maps to give themselves a 2-to-1 advantage in both the state legislature and Congressional delegation, despite the fact that there are more registered Democrats than Republicans in the state. In California, Democrats have pretty much done the same. But just because both parties do it, that doesn’t make it right.
So how about it, governor? I’ll endorse an independent redistricting commission in California — even though it’ll mean fewer legislative seats for my fellow Democrats — if you’ll join AARP, Common Cause, the League of Women Voters and a host of other good-government groups and endorse the idea of taking redistricting out of the hands of politicians with a vested interest in the process here in Florida.
I look forward to joining you and Governor Schwarzenegger at a future fundraiser in support of reforming Florida’s redistricting effort, along with Attorney General Charlie Crist, Lieutenant Governor Toni Jennings and Members of Congress Ander Crenshaw, Mark Foley, Mario Diaz-Balart, Ginny Brown-Waite, who all voted for independent redistricting as members of the State Senate in 1993.
F***in� A.
Hardly anyone thinks redistricting is a big problem in California. This idea came out of the blue – or rather out of the piggy little minds of the consultants who work for the governor. It seems to have been inspired by the “Tommy-mandering” done by Tom DeLay in Texas last year.
After the 2000 Census, the state had grown sufficiently to give it one more US Congressional delegation. Democrats in the Legislature did not take away, or even diminish, a single Republican district. Instead, they carved a second Democratic district out of heavily Blue part of Orange County.
There is no public outcry for this independent commission in California, so it’s hard to imagine that Das Guber will be able to create a big groundswell of support for this, even if he’s able to get the initiative onto the ballot in November.