Racism, Partisanship, and Dirty Tricks

[riqster]

http://bluntandcranky.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/racism-partisanship-and-dirty-tricks-politics-virginia-style/

[bemildred]

1. They will come to regret that move. nt

[riqster]

2. We can hope

If the VA Dems get honked off and stay that way, it can lead to good things.

[bemildred]

4. Bet on it.

They are not pursuing desperate and unseemly measures like this because they are firmly in control.

[DonCoquixote]

3. Virginia, NC and Florida

are three states where a lot of Northerners have moved to, and the locals do not like it. Granted, they sure like the money and jobs that come with it, but they will want to play in that shining White Dixie that never was, the one where the ruling class did not treat them like crap. Thankfully, Florida is a blue state, but we know it has nothing to do with our state legislature, which tried everything (and I do mean everything) to silence minority votes, up to and including people bragging about killing black people and using the 'stand your ground" rule, otherwise known as the Zimmerman's hunting license for white people.

All the same Virginia, you better get on this. North Carolina, some of us took hits for you allowing the convention to be held in your state, after you fed up on the gay legislation, considering that Florida voted against the GOP, and you voted FOR them, the black eye is still felt, something I hope gets reflected when you ask for federal grants. Virginia, do not follow NC's example, or else maybe DC can become a state, or even better, Northern VA, aka the part of the state that pays more than half the state's taxes, may decide it does not need you. Ask the West Virginians if there is precedent.

[JoePhilly]

5. NC will continue to turn blue.

The coast, Wake county, Chapel Hill and Durham, Greensboro, Charlotte, Asheville ... each of these is growing and turning blue as it grows.

The Republicans are trying to gerrymander the state and will have some short term success, but it won't last.

[riqster]

7. Good point

West Virginians still recall the breakup, and do not speak kindly of Virginia.

[Buzz Clik]

6. Here's some text from the article

Racism, Partisanship and Dirty Tricks; Politics, Virginia Style

In the “nobody could be THAT sleazy” competition of 2013, the Virginia Senate’s GOP caucus has truly raised the bar for all the other sleazebuckets who would contend for the title. This was sleaze combined with racism, gall, and a truly epic flip o’ the bird to any sense of cooperation, bipartisanship, respect, or fair play. We are talking EPIC, here, peeps: Wow.

Short version: while a black State Senator ( and veteran of the Civil Rights movement) was, on Martin Luther King Day attending the public inauguration of a black President, the Virginia Repubs took advantage of his absence to ram a gerrymandering plan through that would diminish the impact of minority votes. You see, had he been there, there would have been a 20:20 tie between the Elephants and the Donkeys, and the bill would have been debated and passed (or not) on a bipartisan basis.

But nooooooo. The “republicans” in Virginia want to rig future elections by gerrymandering the state and to Hell with the wishes of the governed. Those voters expressed their wishes by electing equal numbers of Repubs and Dems. Got that? Virginians explicitly rejected partisanship with their votes. But the GOP could give a rat’s fart about what the electorate wants: for them it is all about power and wealth for their party and those that bribe them.