What will it take for Ohio to have similar attention bestowed upon us. From today's Ohio Capital Journal:
"The maps still have a statewide proportion of more than 65% Republican-leaning districts, despite the voting trends of the last ten years that only leaned 56% Republican."
I keep saying this - Ohio is not a red state but that gerrymandering makes it so.
You're right. Ohio should be purple. Mauve at least. I moved to Rhode Island from Cincinnati about a year ago. During my time there, a (former) friend of mine who lives in the southeastern part of the state mentioned that we were probably in the same congressional district. I said "we're like two hours apart, that's not possible." I looked at a map and discovered that while he was wrong, he wasn't way off. If I lived in the suburbs rather than the city proper, I'd have been in District 2 which - at least at the time - stretched over a good chunk of southern Ohio. Not as wild as Gym's district, but still an eyebrow raiser.
Ohio used to be reliably blue, within living memory even - and i may be aging but I'm not ancient! We also used to be a state that could swing a whole election. I don't think it's any mistake we've had our voice strangled and attacked.
While Ohio didn't necessarily swing 2012, it certainly decided it. The friend I mention above used to do union organizing, and remembers the days of "if it has a D it gets an x." He's also not exactly ancient.
I think you're right about Ohio being specifically singled out. 15 minutes after the 2012 election, "moderate" John Kasich tried to make district-level electoral vote allocation a thing, if memory serves.
Maybe we are being unfair to Alabama, and they simply can't comprehend the idea of not being racist, like how fish probably can't comprehend not being in water.
How am I supposed to read and comprehend any news when there is a doggo in the super-cute-just-out-of-teeny-puppy-but-still-growing-into-their-feet stage right there, looking so squee?
White people are an adaptation to less sunlight up north. That's the only reason we exist. We are not chosen, we are not the distillation of all that's right and good about humanity. We're an adaptation to sunlight differences. That's hardly a basis for superiority.
Melanin has UV protective properties, but also allows enough so that humans can also get Vitamin D. When we migrated north, where there's less sunlight and more cold (less skin visible) one human had a mutation that severely reduced their melanin and that allowed the Vitamin D process to work correctly in this new environment.
Song of Solomon: "Do not look strangely at me because I am dark. I am black and I am beautiful. If I am dark it is because the sun has kissed me." [Pharoah's daughter speaking]
I was once told a lie about a special lake long ago. The people who are black now, only put their hands and feet into the water. They saw what it did to their palms and the bottoms of their feet and they walked away. Other people jumped in head first and emerged white and blonde.
This was presented as if black people were too stupid and easily frightened, and that's why they're still black.
They completely glossed over the rest of what that fairy tale would actually mean: I'm white because my ancestors thought it was a good idea to jump into a lake full of bleach.
And in case you remember the story about Alabama closing DMV offices in Black areas (Alabama is a voter ID state), I checked and it seems activism works, at least sometimes:
"In 2011, the Alabama legislature passed a voter ID law requiring voters to bring an approved form of photo identification — such as a state-issued driver's license — to the polls. The law went into effect in 2014, and in 2015 state authorities made a surprising announcement: They'd be shuttering 31 of the roughly 75 driver's license offices in the state, ostensibly due to budgetary problems.
As it turned out, many of the offices were located in majority-black counties, leading to widespread public outcry and criticism from civil rights groups.
Stories on the office closures dating to 2015 are now making the rounds on social media in the run-up to Tuesday's Senate contest between Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Roy Moore. But those stories are missing a key fact: In response to the outrage over the closings, then-Gov. Robert Bentley reversed the decision a little over a month later.
And late last year, the state agreed to expand license office hours in a number of rural, predominantly black counties in response to a federal Department of Transportation investigation."
OT: It's looking like the Republican SCOTUS' vision of judicial reform in America means removing the rights of poor and minority defendants while enshrining the rights of rich ones.
"one might even dare feel a little optimistic — but not complacent, for Crom’s sake! — about 2024"
Shameless plug for one of my groups here...https://www.fieldteam6.org/ is already talking about post carding & phone banking into the district. And I will definitely do my part.
But it's totes cool to use the old maps, right? Asking for Fucking Alafuckingbama.
THIS is exactly why Colorado has a non-partisan committee for drawing up the electoral maps. We got tired of having it go to court every decade.
This should be how every state does it.
What will it take for Ohio to have similar attention bestowed upon us. From today's Ohio Capital Journal:
"The maps still have a statewide proportion of more than 65% Republican-leaning districts, despite the voting trends of the last ten years that only leaned 56% Republican."
I keep saying this - Ohio is not a red state but that gerrymandering makes it so.
You're right. Ohio should be purple. Mauve at least. I moved to Rhode Island from Cincinnati about a year ago. During my time there, a (former) friend of mine who lives in the southeastern part of the state mentioned that we were probably in the same congressional district. I said "we're like two hours apart, that's not possible." I looked at a map and discovered that while he was wrong, he wasn't way off. If I lived in the suburbs rather than the city proper, I'd have been in District 2 which - at least at the time - stretched over a good chunk of southern Ohio. Not as wild as Gym's district, but still an eyebrow raiser.
Ohio used to be reliably blue, within living memory even - and i may be aging but I'm not ancient! We also used to be a state that could swing a whole election. I don't think it's any mistake we've had our voice strangled and attacked.
While Ohio didn't necessarily swing 2012, it certainly decided it. The friend I mention above used to do union organizing, and remembers the days of "if it has a D it gets an x." He's also not exactly ancient.
I think you're right about Ohio being specifically singled out. 15 minutes after the 2012 election, "moderate" John Kasich tried to make district-level electoral vote allocation a thing, if memory serves.
Is that pupper Biden's next dog?
Only if he hates cops.
"which also has national implications, since the Republican hold on the House is so narrow."
Better maps are coming in NY too, so Republicans will have to work harder to scare White people here: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/13/new-york-electoral-maps-redrawn-democrats-house-majority-2024
Xitter is a great name for Musk's hellsite, especially if the X is pronounced "sh".
Oh it is. At least here.
I vote for using a picture of that pup, or any animal, on any post that features any Republican or Republican related topic.
Maybe we are being unfair to Alabama, and they simply can't comprehend the idea of not being racist, like how fish probably can't comprehend not being in water.
How am I supposed to read and comprehend any news when there is a doggo in the super-cute-just-out-of-teeny-puppy-but-still-growing-into-their-feet stage right there, looking so squee?
Can't be done.
White people are an adaptation to less sunlight up north. That's the only reason we exist. We are not chosen, we are not the distillation of all that's right and good about humanity. We're an adaptation to sunlight differences. That's hardly a basis for superiority.
Melanin has UV protective properties, but also allows enough so that humans can also get Vitamin D. When we migrated north, where there's less sunlight and more cold (less skin visible) one human had a mutation that severely reduced their melanin and that allowed the Vitamin D process to work correctly in this new environment.
The genetic difference between black and white skin is about as significant as the genetic difference between a stocky frame and a lanky frame.
You can say it. White people are mutants.
Since the gene for lighter skin is recessive, you're not wrong.
As I recall, back in Medieval Europe, the explanation was that Africans lived closer to the sun, so their skin was toasted brown. That was it.
Song of Solomon: "Do not look strangely at me because I am dark. I am black and I am beautiful. If I am dark it is because the sun has kissed me." [Pharoah's daughter speaking]
I was once told a lie about a special lake long ago. The people who are black now, only put their hands and feet into the water. They saw what it did to their palms and the bottoms of their feet and they walked away. Other people jumped in head first and emerged white and blonde.
This was presented as if black people were too stupid and easily frightened, and that's why they're still black.
They completely glossed over the rest of what that fairy tale would actually mean: I'm white because my ancestors thought it was a good idea to jump into a lake full of bleach.
They jumped in mouth open, didn't they?
“continued defiance by the state Legislature, which apparently thought that if it wished hard enough it would be 1952 again.”
You mean 1852, right?
And in case you remember the story about Alabama closing DMV offices in Black areas (Alabama is a voter ID state), I checked and it seems activism works, at least sometimes:
"In 2011, the Alabama legislature passed a voter ID law requiring voters to bring an approved form of photo identification — such as a state-issued driver's license — to the polls. The law went into effect in 2014, and in 2015 state authorities made a surprising announcement: They'd be shuttering 31 of the roughly 75 driver's license offices in the state, ostensibly due to budgetary problems.
As it turned out, many of the offices were located in majority-black counties, leading to widespread public outcry and criticism from civil rights groups.
Stories on the office closures dating to 2015 are now making the rounds on social media in the run-up to Tuesday's Senate contest between Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Roy Moore. But those stories are missing a key fact: In response to the outrage over the closings, then-Gov. Robert Bentley reversed the decision a little over a month later.
And late last year, the state agreed to expand license office hours in a number of rural, predominantly black counties in response to a federal Department of Transportation investigation."
Stay vigilant, everyone!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/12/11/that-viral-story-about-alabama-drivers-license-offices-is-from-2015-and-its-missing-one-key-point/
Now do Mississippi!
What about us?
-Ohio
OT: It's looking like the Republican SCOTUS' vision of judicial reform in America means removing the rights of poor and minority defendants while enshrining the rights of rich ones.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁’𝘀 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗜𝘀 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗧𝗼 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/10/clarence-thomas-supreme-court-dismantling-miranda-rights.html
Gideon's Trumpet!
"one might even dare feel a little optimistic — but not complacent, for Crom’s sake! — about 2024"
Shameless plug for one of my groups here...https://www.fieldteam6.org/ is already talking about post carding & phone banking into the district. And I will definitely do my part.
Le's fucking roll, Crimson Tide!
"District 1 changes substantially, with two Republican incumbents within its borders, Reps. Jerry Carl of Mobile and Barry Moore of Enterprise"
("That's a shame" gif here)