Rep. Corrine Brown calls her meandering district the ‘most popular’ in America

[The Northerner]

TALLAHASSEE – At a Florida redistricting hearing in Jacksonville on Monday, Democratic U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown called her meandering congressional district — stretching from the First Coast to Gainesville and touching Orlando — the “most popular” district in America, given that it is drawing so much attention.

She was being facetious, of course, because her district has been bulletin-board material for the Fair Districts Florida campaign to end political gerrymandering. She is also a plaintiff in the ongoing legal fight to invalidate redistricting reforms that could make it harder to preserve her seat.

“When you listen to people talk, you would think I drew the district,” Brown told the state legislative panels holding public hearings around the state this summer. ”The district was drawn to comply with the 1965 Voting Rights Act.”

But some citizens testifying urged lawmakers to ignore “the race card” and draw maps more respective of local government boundaries.

Read more: http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2011/07/rep-corrine-brown-calls-her-meandering-district-the-most-popular-in-america.html

[murielm99]

1. Minorities have to be considered when drawing

and redrawing districts. Sometimes they are disenfranchised by drawing maps more respective of local government boundaries.

This hurts Democrats more than repubs.

[LoveIsNow]

2. Yes, but in Florida

they suck up all the Democratic-voting minorities in a region into one district. Corrine Brown's district has all the major pockets of African-American voters in northeast and central Florida crammed into it, and because it eats up all those Democratic votes, the 6 districts around it are basically safe Republican. So you get R's and one D where you could have had 4 D's and 3 R's all for the sake of having someone with black skin in it, as if that is really what protects the interests of African-American voters. Districts should be drawn with respect to geography and compactness and nothing else.

[Dappleganger]

3. This is quite true...

and we will have to suffer some on our side but the the R's need to suffer far more. I have little doubt that the state legislature is willing to allow Ms. Brown her one district in order for them to carve out more pieces of the kingdom for themselves.

[provis99]

4. if they don't do this gerrymandering, all districts would be Republican.

[LoveIsNow]

5. That's ridiculous.

Registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans in Florida, and the state as a whole has a Cook PVI of just R+2, meaning if all the cards were stacked evenly things would be pretty even. Don't believe the crap they shovel-feed you. The Republicans are only in power here because they rig things in their favor.