In a tale as old as time, the Democrats are once again complaining about something Republicans are doing. This time, they are throwing tantrums over the redistricting process in the Texas legislature, refusing to show up for work. Wasting taxpayer dollars, calling the redistricting 'election rigging,' and screaming about gerrymandering as if gerrymandering has had no benefit to Democrats for years.
Gerrymandering has been around since the 1700s, and it will be around until the 2700s. The Texas efforts are nothing new. Republicans are redistricting before the midterms, eyeing a GOP gain in the U.S. House of possibly four to five seats. Is it an interesting time to do it? Absolutely. Is it against any kind of parameter or law? Absolutely not. The state can do as it pleases, and this is the latest hot button issue on the legislative agenda.
Meanwhile, the media continues pushing the narrative that this process is racist, fascist, and an attempt at bullying Democrats away from the table. In reality, this redistricting actually creates a few Hispanic-majority districts, and is nothing more than an effort at fair representation.
Bill D'Agostino of the Media Research Center says this narrative they push has become part and parcel of what we expect from the media.
"The idea of wielding political power to benefit conservative aims is basically anathema to everything the media narratives stand for," he says.
In response to the Texas plan, other Democrat states like California have vowed to fight back with their own redistricting. So, to get this straight, they are willing to do something they are vehemenltly agianst because they want to retain power. The hypocrisy is astounding.
Illinois, who has also gotten on the train, is one of the most gerrymandered states in the country. Their map looks like a game of jenga while on drugs. It is made like that for one purpose: keeping Democrats in power in that state.
In Texas, a perfect example was the late Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee's district in Houston. It is gerrymandered to the point where she could not lose an election even if she tried. She did plenty in her time to warrant losing the seat, too.
Yet the media will continue pushing this as some newfound evil of the GOP. As mentioned, it is what we have come to expect from the media. It is not somehting that is easy to fix, either.
"I do not really see reform of the media as at all possible...if it is going to happen, ther eneeds to be a sizeable cleaning of house," says D'Agostino. "A lot of the people pushing this will have to depart their current positions for things to change. Because most got into journalism not for the love of journalism...but out of a desire to enact political outcomes."
It is just another example of the mainstream medias clear agenda against anything logical Republcians try to do. No matter how hypocritical they may look.
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