![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/9\/96\/The_Gerry-Mander_Edit.png\/800px-The_Gerry-Mander_Edit.png\")
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The original\u00a0Gerrymander<\/a>\u00a0– a political\u00a0ploy<\/a><\/em>\u00a0from\u00a01812<\/a><\/em>\u00a0– courtesy of\u00a0Elbridge Gerry<\/a><\/em>\u00a0…<\/em><\/p>\n * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n Specifically, today I read\u00a0The Apprentice Voter<\/em><\/strong>, starting on page 32.<\/p>\n (See for example How Trump and Sanders Voters Are Upending U.S Politics<\/a>, which noted that – online – “This TIME Magazine article is only available to subscribers.” \u00a0See also\u00a0RE: TIME \u201cApprentice Voters\u201d … Medium<\/a>, and Meet the First-Time Voters Who Are Changing the Election<\/a>. \u00a0For an “on the other hand” – or update – see\u00a0New model finds 1 candidate surging in general election<\/a>, dated 4\/13\/16: \u00a0“Hillary Clinton would secure massive victories in the general election against both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.” \u00a0The article also noted that Republican candidate\u00a0John Kasich could “block [such] a victory.”)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Naturally the article focused on the upcoming 2016 U.S. presidential election<\/a>.<\/p>\n For example, the two lead photos featured a 22-year-old Bernie Sanders supporter, and a 31-year-old Donald Trump supporter. \u00a0The Sanders supporter said that\u00a0everyone<\/a><\/em>\u00a0“is tired of politics as usual,” and “frustrated with income inequality.” \u00a0He added, “We were told in kindergarten that we could do anything. \u00a0I don’t think that’s true.”<\/p>\n The Trump supporter said this: \u00a0“We’re becoming weakened in the face of the world. \u00a0We’re not the global superpower that we used to be.” \u00a0And\u00a0Time<\/a>\u00a0added this summary:<\/p>\n From opposite ends of the spectrum, both [ – Sanders and Trump – ] have promised to remake the nation with a\u00a0populist<\/a>\u00a0revolution. \u00a0You could call their supporters the Apprentice Voters<\/strong>: \u00a0the fed-up, the tuned-out, the frustrated flock who want their elected leaders to feel their pain, reflect their fury and actually do something about it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Which is all well and good. \u00a0However, it does<\/em> bring up a pet theory of mine.<\/p>\n Which pretty much describes the political situation today. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My original\u00a0thesis<\/a>\u00a0was that\u00a0the problem could well be due to\u00a0gerrymandering<\/a>. \u00a0(That is, the “practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating district boundaries<\/a> to create partisan-advantaged districts.”)<\/em><\/p>\n But one website indicated that may not be the case. \u00a0See As Swing Districts Dwindle, Can a Divided House Stand<\/a>? \u00a0(I used the search-term: \u00a0“congressional district entrenched.”)<\/em><\/p>\n That article said most Congressional representatives “<\/i>now come from\u00a0hyper-partisan<\/a>\u00a0districts where they face essentially no threat of losing their seat to the other party.”<\/p>\n The article said the issue is a one of shrinking swing districts<\/em>, where an incumbent stands a chance of losing an election. \u00a0(As opposed to landslide<\/strong> districts,<\/em> where the incumbent is virtually assured of re-election.)<\/em>\u00a0 In a nutshell<\/a>, “the number of swing districts has been on a steady decline since at least 1992, and the number of landslide districts on a steady rise.”<\/p>\n On the other hand, it seems there has<\/em><\/strong> a bit of\u00a0gerrymandering<\/a>: \u00a0For example,\u00a0the\u00a0Congressional redistricting “that took place after the 2010 elections.”<\/p>\n Republicans were in charge of the redistricting process in many states, and they made efforts to shore up their incumbents, while packing Democrats into a few overwhelmingly Democratic districts. \u00a0In the few large states where Democrats were in charge of the redistricting process, like Illinois, they largely adopted a parallel approach.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Which brings up the issue of Congressional\u00a0redistricting<\/a>\u00a0itself.<\/p>\n Seven other states have their<\/em> congressional districts decided by an “independent or bipartisan redistricting commission<\/a>.” \u00a0(“To reduce the role that legislative politics might play.”) \u00a0\u00a0<\/em>But that still leaves plenty of room for political\u00a0ploys<\/a>, such as – for example – gerrymandering<\/a>:<\/p>\n Partisan domination of state legislatures and improved technology to design contiguous districts that pack opponents into as few districts as possible have led to district maps which are skewed towards one party. \u00a0Consequently, many states including Florida<\/a>,\u00a0Georgia<\/a>, Maryland<\/a>, Michigan<\/a>, Pennsylvania<\/a> and Texas<\/a> have succeeded in reducing or effectively eliminating competition for most House seats in those states.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Then there was another ploy<\/a>\u00a0– in 2003 – by Texas\u00a0Republicans<\/a>. \u00a0They “increased their representation in the U.S. House<\/a> through a controversial mid-decade redistricting<\/a>.” \u00a0(For another view see\u00a0Mid-Decade Redistricting, Abuse of Power<\/a>, by Texas Democratic Congessman\u00a0Gene Green<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n Then too, in some other states – like\u00a0California<\/a>, New Jersey<\/a> and New York<\/a>\u00a0– legislators have protected incumbents of both<\/em> <\/strong>parties. \u00a0(Which reduces the number of competitive districts.) <\/em><\/p>\n On the “other other hand<\/a>,” the Supreme Court recently offered some hope.<\/p>\n As the composition of the Supreme Court remains in flux following the death of one of its most outspoken justices and as the executive and legislative branches continue to battle over the timing of his replacement, the eight-member Court spoke in one voice today to affirm a bedrock democratic principle.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n That bedrock principle was\u00a0representational Equality<\/a>: \u00a0“the longstanding principle of one-person one-vote.” \u00a0(Formerly known as “one man, one vote<\/a><\/em>.”) \u00a0See also\u00a0Supreme Court ruling on Texas redistricting cheers Democrats<\/a>. \u00a0(About liberal groups applauding the ruling that bolsters the power of “Texas’ booming Latino population,” in areas long dominated by conservatives.)<\/em><\/p>\n Which brings up a\u00a0caveat<\/a>. \u00a0Don’t think – from the last sentence – that I’m one of those\u00a0flaming liberals<\/a>. \u00a0(But as\u00a0Seinfeld<\/a><\/em>\u00a0might say, “Not That There’s Anything Wrong With That<\/a>!”) \u00a0<\/em>Instead – and as noted in\u00a0Blue Dogs and the \u201cVia Media<\/a>” – I try hard to follow\u00a0the \u201cMiddle Way:”<\/p>\n Via media<\/b><\/i> is a Latin<\/a> phrase meaning \u201cthe middle road\u2026\u201d \u00a0 Aristotle<\/a> [urged] his students to follow the middle road between extremes [and] the via media<\/i><\/strong> was the dominant philosophical precept<\/a> by which Ancient Roman<\/a> civilisation and society was organised…\u00a0 The idea of a middle way [also] goes back to early in the Protestant Reformation<\/a>\u2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n See Via media \u2013 Wikipedia<\/a>. \u00a0However, we digress!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n We were talking about\u00a0gerrymandering<\/a>\u00a0and other symptoms of the political\u00a0costiveness<\/a>\u00a0so prevalent today. \u00a0And possibly about whether there’s any hope for the future.<\/p>\n Personally, I think there is. \u00a0And that you can sum it one word.<\/p>\n Where Mr. McGuire takes Dustin Hoffman<\/a>\u00a0(Benjamin Braddock<\/em>) aside and says – about his<\/em> future – “I want to say one word to you. \u00a0Just one word.” \u00a0(See\u00a0The Graduate “One Word: Plastics” – YouRepeat<\/a>.<\/em>)<\/p>\n Well, here’s my one word about hope for our political future:<\/p>\n See for example\u00a0The “Millennials” Are Coming – CBS News<\/a>, about the impact on corporate America by and from “the demographic cohort<\/a> following Generation X<\/a>.”<\/p>\n But since we’re talking politics, here’s what\u00a0Wikipedia<\/a>\u00a0had to say about Millennials:<\/p>\n According to a 2013 article in The Economist<\/a><\/i>, surveys of political attitudes among Millennials in the United Kingdom suggest increasingly liberal attitudes<\/strong> with regard to social and cultural issues… \u00a0<\/span>The Economist<\/i> parallels this with Millennials in the United States, whose attitudes are more supportive of social liberal<\/a> policies and same-sex marriage<\/a>… \u00a0A 2014 poll for the libertarian Reason<\/a><\/i> magazine suggested that US Millennials were social liberals<\/a> and fiscal centrists<\/a> more often than their global peers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So to sum this all up: \u00a0On the political front there seems to be good news for some and bad news for others. \u00a0Or to sum it up\u00a0paraphrasing<\/a>\u00a0something Bob Dylan<\/a>\u00a0said back in 1964:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The original album cover, released on January 13, 1964…<\/em><\/p>\n * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n The upper image is courtesy of\u00a0Gerrymandering – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<\/a><\/em>. \u00a0The caption:<\/em><\/p>\n Printed in March 1812, this political cartoon was drawn in reaction to the newly drawn state senate election district of South Essex created by the Massachusetts legislature to favor the Democratic-Republican Party candidates of Governor Elbridge Gerry over the Federalists. \u00a0The caricature satirizes the bizarre shape of a district in Essex County, Massachusetts<\/a>, as a dragon-like “monster.” \u00a0Federalist newspaper editors and others at the time likened the district shape to a salamander, and the word gerrymander<\/i> was a blend of that word and Governor Gerry’s last name.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Re: representatives. \u00a0See also the general article,\u00a0House[s] of Representatives<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n Re: Wyoming. \u00a0See also\u00a0Wyoming’s at-large congressional district – Wikipedia<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n Re: \u00a0“On the other other hand.” \u00a0The link-citation – Give me a one-handed economist!<\/a>\u00a0– referenced the practice of economists (for example) to keep saying, “On the other hand… \u00a0On the other hand…” \u00a0The first time I heard that joke it was about lawyers<\/span> who kept saying pretty much the same thing, when asked a question by a client. \u00a0(Who was no doubt looking for a\u00a0straight answer<\/a><\/em>.)<\/p>\n Re:\u00a0“the Supreme Court recently offered some hope.” \u00a0But see\u00a0Redistricting – Wikipedia<\/a><\/em>:<\/em><\/p>\n The Supreme Court’s ruling on the Pennsylvania gerrymander\u00a0<\/span>effectively cemented the right of elected officials to select their constituents by eliminating most of the grounds for disenfranchised constituents to challenge gerrymandered lines.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n That article apparently hasn’t been updated since\u00a0Evenwel v. Abbott<\/a>. (4\/6\/16.) \u00a0See also\u00a0How Supreme Court stood up for democracy for minorities<\/a><\/em>, about the Evenwel case<\/em>.<\/p>\n Re: “One word. \u00a0Plastics.” \u00a0See also\u00a0The Graduate – Wikiquote<\/a><\/em>. \u00a0The “one word” quote is in the second set of dialogue, right after the exchange between Benjamin and Mr. Braddock, his father.<\/em><\/p>\n Re: “Millenial” political views. \u00a0Wikipedia<\/a>\u00a0added that they were “less supportive of abortion<\/a> than Gen X were in the early 1990s,” and that\u00a0The Economist<\/a>\u00a0predicted that “millennials would become more conservative on fiscal issues once they started paying taxes.”<\/em><\/p>\n The “Graduate” image is courtesy of\u00a0Amazon.com: The Graduate<\/a>\u00a0(video and DVD).<\/em><\/p>\n<\/h1>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/9\/92\/Time_Magazine_-_first_cover.jpg\/220px-Time_Magazine_-_first_cover.jpg\")
Today at lunch I finished the rest of the\u00a0February 8, 2016 issue of Time magazine<\/a>. \u00a0(The first issue – from 1923 – is shown at right.) \u00a0<\/em>I get the magazines\u00a0hand\u2013me\u2013down<\/a><\/em>\u00a0from my brother and sister-in-law, and sometimes it takes awhile to read them through.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Seal](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/1\/1a\/Seal_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives.svg\/170px-Seal_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives.svg.png\")
My theory is that real<\/em> <\/strong>political change will only come about when we re-make the\u00a0U.S. House of Representatives<\/a>. \u00a0(BTW<\/a>,\u00a0costiveness<\/a>\u00a0is defined alternately as “<\/span>causing<\/span> constipation,” <\/span>“suffering<\/span> from<\/span> constipation,” <\/span>being “s<\/span>low” and\/or “<\/span>sluggish,” or “s<\/span>tingy.”) \u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/8\/8b\/Casperskyline.jpg\/220px-Casperskyline.jpg\")
Wikipedia<\/a>\u00a0noted that seven of our 50 states don’t have that issue at all. (Their population is so small they only have one representative for the whole state. \u00a0Like\u00a0Wyoming<\/a>, with the city of Casper<\/a><\/em>\u00a0shown at right.) \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Screen](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/6\/61\/Screen_shot_of_RawStory.png\/175px-Screen_shot_of_RawStory.png\")
See for example\u00a0Why Monday\u2019s Supreme Court decision on redistricting is an important victory over conservatives<\/a>. \u00a0Dated April 6, 2016, that\u00a0Raw Story<\/a>\u00a0lead paragraph went like this:<\/p>\n![\"The](\"http:\/\/ecx.images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51002T5W4RL._SY445_.jpg\")
Remember that scene in 1967’s\u00a0The Graduate<\/a>?<\/p>\nMillennials!<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n
“The times they WILL be changin<\/a>.'”<\/em><\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/f\/f1\/Bob_Dylan_-_The_Times_They_Are_a-Changin%27.jpg\")
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