Affairs of the City (Nov. 27th, 2011) makes some interesting observations regarding the most recent Republican attempts at gerrymandering in Texas. It seems the Republicans are upset at being called out for their blatant attempts to dilute minority voter districts. As Affairs points out, we can thank the Voting Rights Act for making this kind of chicanery a little more difficult to pull off.
I always feel a little naive in my outrage at this kind of thing. Because it's really hard for me to believe that our elected officials are really this overtly immoral. Part of me wants to believe that most people elected to public office have the best interests of the citizenry in mind, and that despite ideological divisions, reason will ultimately prevail. But it's painfully clear in situations such as these that the party in power has completely cast aside the rights of the citizens of Texas in its lust for power. I don't even really see how anyone could reasonably justify deliberately breaking up minority voting blocs to guarantee more congressional seats.
I agree with Affairs' position that redistricting should be sorted out by a nonpartisan commission. Without impartial oversight, this unfortunate situation will simply be repeated every ten years.
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