General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Thank you, Dennis, for everything. [View all]suffragette
(12,232 posts)I see nothing funny about losing a good Democrat because of Republican gerrymandering that purposefully pitted these two against each other.
Republicans likely calculated it would be a cumulative win no matter who won or lost, but in carving that map out the way they did, they tilted the odds that he would be defeated.
I see nothing to celebrate about in that for Democrats, though I'm sure that Republicans from Boehner down are quite happy about what they have achieved.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/03/07
What America Lost When Dennis Kucinich Lost
by John Nichols
Kucinich was the first electoral victim of the current round of redistricting, which saw congressional districts redrawn in states across the country after the 2010 Census. A Republican governor and legislature carved up northern Ohio districts with an eye toward eliminating at least one Democratic seat, and they achieved their goal by forcing Kucinich and Kaptur into the same district.
http://www.rollcall.com/features/Election-Preview_2011/election/top-5-ugliest-districts-210224-1.html
Ohios 9th district
The Buckeye State lost two House seats, and Republicans moved
Democratic Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Dennis Kucinich into the same lakeshore district. But the two Democrats dont exactly live next door to each other more like 120 miles apart. So Republicans drew a thin district connecting their homes, stretching from west Cleveland to Toledo along the Lake Erie coastline. The district is connected by a bridge thats only 20 yards wide, as well as by a single beach at one point. When Crane Creek State Park beach is covered during high water, Democrats argue the district is not even contiguous.