Interesting article in yesterday’s DDN by William Hershey quotes a political scientist, Herb Asher, blaming gerrymandering for the fact that radicalized legislators now have a lot of power in Congress. But what is the root cause of gerrymandering? The reason there is gerrymandering is because political parties have way too much power and gerrymandering is loved by the bosses of both parties.
Hershey’s article, “Board Begins Redrawing Districts,” points out that, already, the districts for Ohio’s Assembly are so gerrymandered that most are considered “safe” seats. The article reports that “in 70 of 99 House races last year, the margin of victory was 20 points or more.” The closest Ohio House race last year in Montgomery County was in the 36th, hopelessly lopsided with Republican Michael Henne winning 63% to 34%.
Hershey quotes political scientist Herb Asher as explaining that, “The legislators don’t have to compromise, they can be far to the left or as far to the right as they want.”
The 37th District in Kettering, where I live, offers a good illustration. The 37th is strongly Republican. However, my representative to the Ohio House, Jim Butler, supports measures so libertarian and antigovernment as to be out of the 37th District Republican mainstream. It sounds like a joke, for example, to suppose that a “conservative” would advocate: “Let’s cut down the trees and drill for oil and gas in the state parks.”
Our representatives are radicalized — out of the mainstream — because the antidemocratic system of political party dominance empowers representatives not only to disregard the general public, but to disregard the mainstream of their own party as well. Representatives gain their power from the party and their first allegiance is to the party.
Butler was appointed represent the 37th District by the Montgomery County Republican Party. If the party was a small-d robust democratic group, fairly representing mainstream Montgomery County Republicans, then his appointment would have some validity. But the voting council of the Montgomery County Republican Party amounts to a small clique of insiders, as does the voting council of the Montgomery County Democratic Party.
Both parties, amazingly, anoint one of the faithful members of their clique to run for office and then push out other potential candidates from seeking nomination in any primary contest. Last year my proposal to amend the Montgomery County Democratic Party’s constitution to prohibit such antidemocratic action was defeated at the Reorganization Meeting.
In all five Ohio House Districts in Montgomery County, the clique of the ruling council of the local political party effectively chose the current representative — either by appointment, or by giving one-sided support in a contested primary.
- District 36: Republican Mike Henne elected in 2010. The party endorsed him in the primary, rather than Joe Ellis.
- District 37: Republican Jim Butler was appointed by the Montgomery County Republican Party (MCRP) and has not yet participated in a primary or general election.
- District 38: Republican Terry Blair was elected in 2008. The MCRP party endorsed him in the primary rather than Tom Young.
- District 39: Democrat Clayton Luckie was appointed in 2006 and the Democratic Party has endorsed him in all primaries
- District 40: Democrat Roland Winburn was elected in 2008 to an open seat vacated by Fred Strahan. The Democratic Party vigorously supported Winburn in the primary against Victor Harris.
Previous posts that relate to this article include:
- The Montgomery Democrats Decide to Suppress Democracy — Just Like the Republicans (December 14, 2007)
- Victor Harris: Surprised That Local Democratic Party Wanted To Suppress Primary Competition (February 25, 2008)
- How Gerrymandering Defeated An Outstanding Candidate And Sent a Weak Candidate To Columbus (March 5, 2008)
- How Can The System Known As The United States Be Made To Work To Provide “Liberty and Justice For All”? (February 5, 2009)
- Mark Owens Says Most Montgomery Dems Approve The Party’s Suppression Of Primary Participation (April 8, 2009)
Interesting article in yesterday’s DDN by William Hershey quotes a political scientist, Herb Asher, blaming gerrymandering for the fact that radicalized legislators now have a lot of power in Congress. (Mike Bock)
…constitutional government. Government living within its’ means. The state out of every facet of our lives from what light bulbs to purchase to what cooking oils are government approved. Yeah, it don’t get any more radical than that…
Gerrymandering undermines democracy because politicians choose voters instead of the other way around. That and private financing of campaigns that blurs the line between fund raising and bribery are the two biggest problems. This turns off voters, keeps turnout down and leaves government in the hands of various elites. Perhaps people like Icebandit hopes his side is able to hold onto power, given that the American population is all over the place on policies and ideologies. This is particularly true as America is no longer the dominant economic force it was after WWII, unhappiness among voters and election volatility will be common even if there weren’t the Fox/Limbaugh opinion media stirring up negativity. A democratic system depends on people participating the process to solve problems, making it more likely that problems will be solved well and that people will work to solve them.
A democratic system depends on people particpating the process to solve problems, making it more liekly that problems will be solved well and that people will work to solve them.
So just how does public education promote participation in problem solving? Does the League of Women voters support this mission for public schools? How?
Eric, I don’t think public education gives students much opportunity, if any, to actually experience working or participating in a “democratic system.” Schools are organized autocratically and are focused on controlling both adults and children. Schools are all about control. The ways schools operate, the power structure in schools composes a huge “hidden curriculum” that effectively teaches children. It is the “hidden curriculum” that so effectively brainwashes children to assimilate a life long habit of accepting — and exploiting for personal advantage — unjust and antidemocratic organizational structures.
A “democratic system” requires a community, and community is not only lacking in schools, but in workplaces, churches, and cities. It is lacking in political parties. Neither the Montgomery County Democratic Party, nor its Republican counterpart, work as authentic communities, democratic systems, but, instead work as deliberately oligarchic systems, with decision making in the hands of the few. It is this oligarchic political party system that is at the heart of the mismanagement and incompetence of our government at every level.