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The one prevailing evil of American democracy today is the tyranny of the Republican minority.

Peter Bakke Texas Redistricting
U.S. congressional districts covering Travis County, Texas (outlined in red) in 2002, left, and 2004, right. In 2003, the majority of Republicans in the Texas legislature redistricted the state, diluting the voting power of the heavily Democratic county by parceling its residents out to more Republican districts.
PHenry at English Wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons
 
The Republican state legislatures from North Dakota to Texas, from Montana to Maine have been focusing on redistricting for decades. Republicans have been playing the long game while Democrats have been asleep at the switch. The Republicans have built a monolith that will be very hard to dismantle or ever be representative of the emerging American political demography.
 
What has been the result? Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven of the past eight presidential elections since Clinton in ’92 (that’s almost 30 years), but still managed to elect Bush the Younger twice and Trump once. The Electoral College system is outdated and frankly nuts. But that’s another story.
 
The good news is that even the Republican’s regressive, undemocratic redistricting plans are being overwhelmed by the big, inclusive tent party system of Democrats, like me, vs. their closed tent and shrinking minority.
 
The one prevailing evil of American democracy today is the tyranny of the Republican minority.
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The percentage of returning Members of Congress is higher than the old Soviet Politburo.

Peter Bakke Capitol building

Yup, for real. The American political system is nuts. What happens as as soon as Members of Congress are in office is that they spend an inordinate amount of time begging for money for the next election. And there is always a next election. In 2013 I donated $500 to congressman Ron Barber. He personally called me about once a month trying to get more money out of me and finally stopped (I had lost my job which was a very good reason). It’s the only time a MOC ever talked to me. Ever. And he wanted more money. They all do it. The system is broken.

MOCs spend weekends back home at personal fundraisers, then fly to DC on Mondays and fly back on Fridays. That leaves just Tu, Wed, Th to get any work done in DC… and the definition of “getting work done in DC” is fluid and questionable. The American political system is broken and I don’t have an answer. Citizens United really F’d this all up. I’ll support anyone that does have an answer.

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Republicans Are Destroying the American Experiment in Democracy.

 

Frustration Peter Bakke
                                                                             Free Images
Jeremy Peters and Maggie Haberman have explained that Republicans believe that defying Trump would damage their standing with Republican base voters. By doing so, the politicians are “inflaming the public,” French noted, causing many voters to believe — wrongly — that a presidential election was unfair. And that belief is fueling an outbreak of violent threats against elections officials, including:
  • Dozens of Trump supporters, some armed, went to the home of Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s Democratic secretary of state, and began shouting obscenities.
  • On Twitter, Trump supporters have posted photographs of the home of Ann Jacobs, a Wisconsin official, and mentioned her children.
  • In Phoenix, about 100 Trump supporters, some armed, protested at the building where officials were counting votes.
  • In Vermont, officials received a voice message threatening them with “execution by firing squad.”
  • Seth Bluestein, a Philadelphia official, received anti-Semitic and violent threats after Pam Bondi, a Trump ally, publicly mentioned him.
  • A Georgia poll worker went into hiding after a viral video falsely claimed he had discarded ballots.
  • Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s Republican secretary of state, and his wife have received death threats, including by text message, and caravans have circled their house.
  • Gabriel Sterling, another Georgia official, received a message wishing him a happy birthday and saying it would be his last.