Random aside: I used to be happy that I voted in 2008 to hand California redistricting over to an independent commission, thus ridding our state of gerrymandering.
I'm not happy about that anymore. I used to think part of moving the country forward meant someone had to start with being the bigger person and making sacrifices in the interest of the common good, and maybe others would follow.
8 years later, seems pretty clear that isn't happening. Republican-controlled states are getting even worse with vote suppression and don't appear to give the slightest amount of ****s about making elections more fair.
California voted 62-33 for Clinton, and 25% of its Congressional delegation is Republicans. A little less than the popular vote share, but reasonable.
Meanwhile, in North Carolina, Trump edged out a 51-47 win. 3 of their 13 representatives are Democrats. Same story in razor-thin and Republican-controlled (at the state level) Michigan - 9 Republicans, 5 Democrats. Pennsylvania, where Republicans had full control of 2011 redistricting: 13 Republicans, 6 Democrats.
So, **** it. **** California's fair districts:
Take these ****s in the Sierras and mesh each part of them with a different area of Sacramento. Take Darrell Issa's district in armed forces-heavy north San Diego County and figure out how to snake it through to include East Los Angeles. Send 50 Democrats and 3 Republicans to Washington and tell the red states we'll cease and desist when they do it too. Make it a compact like the
national popular vote one.
So ****ing frustrating when only one group cares about working to the betterment of the country.
/rant