This actually does raise the legitimate question as to how direct of a democracy the founding fathers really intended to create. Joe Miller, a Tea Party candidate for the Senate in Alaska a few years back, was a proponent of this plan as well. He didn’t win; it seems that asking people to elect you to the Senate so you can take away their right to elect other people to the Senate in the future isn’t a winning campaign strategy (although Miller seems to be mulling a comeback, so what do we know). Anyway, this Georgia proposal will almost certainly go absolutely nowhere. source
Anglo district boundaries were redrawn to include particular country clubs and, in one case, the school belonging to the incumbent’s grandchildren.U.S. Circuit Judge Thomas Griffith • In his court’s recent decision to ditch Texas’ redistricting maps, which were in violation of the Voting Rights Act, the court found. Schools and hospitals, for example, were removed from districts with black incumbents. And, as Griffith notes above, country clubs were added to districts with white incumbents. On top of that, a lawyer used the phrase “no bueno” when emphasizing that the plans used shouldn’t leave a paper trail. The Texas Attorney General plans to appeal the ruling, which comes as part of a recent history of redistricting in the state that led to jail time for Tom Delay.
Still waiting on history: Protests and passions have continued to flare as the New York state senate has still not yet resolved the gay marriage bill before it. The AP is reporting that Wednesday might be the decisive day, but it’s not certain — legislative schedules change dynamically, as they did last week when it rumors swirled that Friday would bring a vote for the bill. Also of note in this video is the New York Giants’ Super Bowl hero of a few seasons ago, David Tyree, giving one of the most common, irritating arguments against gay marriage; if marriage is one way for a long time, why change it? This argument’s been used in other cases, of course — ones which most people now view as pretty dubious. source
New York close to marriage equality: As it stands now, New York could become the 6th state to legalize gay marriage, if they can convince just one more Republican state senator to support it. The problem is that in situations when one legislator’s vote tips the balance, that person might get labeled as having cast “the deciding vote.” The question is what a Republican on the fence fears more: conservative backlash against gay marriage support, or the ire of pro-equality advocate groups (58% of New Yorkers support gay marriage). It’s possible this could get a vote tomorrow — we’ll be following it. source
On the run: Wisconsin Dems still have time for continental breakfasts: Meet perhaps the most comfortable, relaxed fugitives the state of Wisconsin has ever seen. Never before have people on the run from the law looked so well-rested. source
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