I posted the other day about how Allen West was getting hurt in the Florida redistricting.
I linked to the Shark Tank, a Florida blog, which gave background going back several months about how Allen West was being targeted for unusually harsh treatment by fellow Republicans in the state legislature.
A natural response, which in fact is what happened, would be to chalk it all up to the supposedly immovable force of redistricting laws. That’s a hard sell on the surface since if it merely were a matter of punching in the numbers and seeing what came out, there would have been no need for months of discussions and negotiations.
But that becomes harder to believe considering this commentary by J.E. Dyer in HotAir’s Greenroom about which two Republicans are hurt the most:
To point out some more “obvious,” this is a Republican-controlled legislature. Did the Republicans allow other GOP-held Congressional seats to be severely jeopardized by the new district lines? Apparently, only one. An analysis done for the Washington Post last week indicates that Allen West’s and Tom Rooney’s seats are the ones in the most danger. Getting positive help from the redistricting are Republicans Dan Webster, Sandy Adams, Mario Diaz-Balart, and John Mica.
Redistricting isn’t as easy as it looks, of course. But it is not believable that it is either a fully non-partisan process – when anyone is doing it – or that the Florida GOP leadership was neutral as to which seats were jeopardized by their plan.
One possibility is that Republican leaders thought West and Rooney were the most likely to achieve reelection in newly hostile districts. They haven’t said that, so that’s pure speculation based on trying to put this in a positive light.
Meanwhile, who are Florida’s arguably most outspoken, conservative Republican Congressmen? West and Rooney.
Update: Mark Levin interviewed West on January 30. West stated that maps were submitted to the legislature which would have kept his district intact and still been in compliance with state and federal law. Levin said he did not believe the excuses being made that the map had to be drawn the way it was as a matter of law.
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Comments
This is a good point. It’s getting so that it’s hard to know who to believe any more. Politicians I’ve trusted… Romney corruption seeping everywhere.
ahhh, okay, so we are supposed to believe this imaginary “establishment” boogeyman is somehow wagging war against the Tea Party and those who want to limit their power, now?
Just elaborate conspiracy theories by the rednecks, racists and hobbits using their tinfoil hats to protect themselves from little green men and Government mind games
Nothing to see here, move along…
/s
You are absolutely correct. There is NO:
Establishment
Conspiracy
Hostility to conservatives
Demonization of outspoken reformers
It’s all in your heads, little people. As the man says, move along, children. Let your betters tell you what to think and do.
/Irony alert/
P.S. I have no doubt that West’s “defining moment,” throwing down on Nasty Debbie, played a big role in this. This is how the GOP Establishment is apologizing to their respected colleague across the aisle.
OMG! That is a thoroughly disgusting thought – not unbelievable, just disgusting.
It’s the believability that makes it so disgusting.
So why do we give up District 22? We don’t have too. It has nothing to do with election laws, the Voters Rights Law or the Amendments. It has only to do with the GOP.
I find it curious that West has yet to complain. (If I am wrong please correct me.)
Additionally, we should remember that the loss of one strong district within a party can often result in the gain of two districts of the same party.
Lastly, would West not be a good choice for a Romney running mate?
West would be a good choice for the Republican VP ticket, whoever the nominee is.
Yes, but West would both best counter Romney’s ObamaCare weakness and help Romney pickup those most disaffected by his campaign thus far?
I would hope that Allen West has too much integrity and honor to soil himself as the VP for Romney.
We can have three districts? Why would we not?
Assume 10 Republican districts.
One of those is strong republican. If the boundaries are redrawn such that the strong Republican district looses republicans to two neighboring weak Democrat districts, it is conceivable that the original strong Republican district will flip Democrat while the two neighboring weak Democrat districts will flip Republican. The result is a gain of two Republican districts but the loss of one Republican district.
Hence, a Republican gain of 1 district for a total of 11 Republican districts.
22 is losing a big portion of Northern Palm Beach county, which is Republican leaning. It is probable we lose 22. Why is that even a consideration, when it doesn’t have to happen?
Well, it seems West’s comfort has now been explained by his choice to run in another district more conservative district vacated by another conservative making a similar hop. Good for him. Good for us.
I am just pointing out that West’s tone has thus far been extremely calming. Note his tone in the added link above. It is Levin that is pissed, not West. This is not the natural reaction of a politician about to loose their district, and the fact that his own party is behind the effort makes his reaction doubly curious.
Why?
Could there be a better opportunity in wait? …One that might be damaged if his reaction were more shrill than calming?
You’d have to think Romney’s spokesman spearheading this will come back to bite Mittens
What TEA Party patriot could ever forgive it
Ah’m a-tellin’ y’all rotcheer ‘n nah – Tea Party’s a sleepin’ jont ’bout t’ git up outta bed wit’ th’ pure uglies on its mind.
Oh sigh, just another example of why English must be made the official language of the U. S. A. No more talk about adopting foreign languages like the example above!
I’m sorry. Forgot to turn on my Southern translator program. I said:
“I’m telling you all right here and now – the Tea Party is a sleeping giant about to awaken in deep anger and seeking retribution.”
I guess the old establishment types of the GOP have decided that they do not want the Republican party to exist as a political party anymore since they are doing all they can to alienate the TEA party movement.
The Ohio GOP is also trying to do it:
http://biggovernment.com/bytor/2012/01/30/ohio-republican-partys-outrageous-new-tactic-to-keep-the-tea-party-out/
Without the TEA party movement, the Republican majority would not have happened in 2010.
Newt/Santorum
Santorum/Newt 2012 🙂
The GOP old guard spent many decades in the minority before Newt Gingrich and plenty of time since then as well. It is entirely possible they prefer it, particularly the oldest dogs in the GOP kennel.
We see this in Florida. Ohio Republican leaders are working to marginalize TEA Party people in state committees(As per BigGovernment). I’m sure we wouldn’t need to look far to gather many other similar examples. So Professor: please talk real slow and use small words to explain to me why a third party is a bad idea. The Established Republican Party doesn’t want TEA Party principles and ideals. The question I must then ask is “What principles and ideals do the Establishment Republicans want?”
Care to postulate on which variables need to be tipped to make that third party necessary? And what then are sufficient for them to be successful?
The tipping point was the debt ceiling. Just how it plays out is this election plus this years’s political activity -whatever that will be. (2010 TParty-2011 OWS).
We can not definitively ascribe to Groucho Marx the quote “These are my principles. If you don’t like them I have others.” An unnamed politician from days of yore said it. It was not an Establishment Republican, and to claim so is to discredit the honest soul who did say it first.
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The issue far beyond Romney is why we would take the probable chance of losing District 22? Florida has two new Districts, both drawn to be Republican. District 22 easily conforms to current law. In line with current lines, adding to the north adds similar geographic and demographic voters. Removing existing swaths to the north does not. Adding to the west into Broward does not.
Why would the GOP want to take their two new districts, and give up one they own now? Why would they not want three districts?
Perhaps the thought is the GOP has a chance to run a moderate with a small chance of winning and ridding itself of Allen West at the same time, or they dislike him so intensely they are willing to give the Democrats a seat. None of this is necessary by law or by reason.
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Allen West’s district 22 was held for years by Democrats, it was not an easy district for any Republican to win. For the Fl. Republican party to throw him to the wolves is just plain wrong. On one side of his district is Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and on the other side is Alcee Hastings so there is no possible way that the Republicans are doing anything other than giving up District 22 to the Democrats and screwing Congressman West. I campaigned for him and I am spitting mad about this.