PBP: Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney :: Election Day PBP Thread [R]

Discussion in 'Elections' started by Knave, Nov 5, 2012.

  1. Knave

    Knave Member+

    May 25, 1999
    Not many, if any. This is much more typical of the Dem vote: concentrated in dense areas. The GOP vote tends to be much less densely distributed. This is also one reason why the GOP was able to hold the House -- lots of "wasted" Dem votes padding leads in safely Dem districts, versus a more widely distributed vote that made the GOP viable in a wider array of districts. (But truth is, without gerrymanders, the Dems would likely have taken back the House too.)
     
  2. Naughtius Maximus

    Jul 10, 2001
    Shropshire
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Caught this article in the NYT online the other day...

    http://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/109938/welcome-americas-most-gerrymandered-district

    [​IMG]

    Maryland’s 3rd congressional district, the most gerrymandered in the nation, is a Rorschach test in the most literal sense. The Washington Post called it a “crazy quilt.” A local politician compared it to “blood spatter from a crime scene.” A federal judge said it reminded him of a “broken-winged pterodactyl, lying prostrate across the center of the state.” DCist suggested we ditch metaphor altogether and change the word “gerrymander” to “Marymander.”

    What exactly is the reason for that sort of thing?

    I've read in the past that it offers minorities a chance of having their own representatives but, surely, in what is largely a 2 party system, that also means their views are largely ignored because they only influence their own representatives. IOW, if they were an element, (even a small one), in the fight between the two major parties in more districts, they'd actually have MORE of a say overall. If democrats, say, had to maintain a certain minimum level of support from the Black and Latino voters in the 4 or 5 constituencies in that area, doesn't that mean they have more influence, not less?

    Of course, that's ignoring the other matter of whether it can be justified logically.
     
  3. Dr. Wankler

    Dr. Wankler Member+

    May 2, 2001
    The Electric City
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Let's not forget the Black Panthers. Those Mother********ers know how to turn out the vote.
     
    cleansheetbsc repped this.
  4. Knave

    Knave Member+

    May 25, 1999
    Packing and cracking.
     
  5. MasterShake29

    MasterShake29 Member+

    Oct 28, 2001
    Jersey City, NJ
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    From that same article...

    Yup.
     
  6. JBigjake

    JBigjake Member+

    Nov 16, 2003
    luftmensch and Yoshou repped this.
  7. Val1

    Val1 Member+

    Arsenal
    Mar 12, 2004
    MD's Eastern Shore
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Well, as a Marylander who's been ranting about this gerrymander for months now, this district did what it was supposed to do: deprive conservative Maryland voters (on what we affectionately call the West Coast of Maryland) a Republican congressman.

    And yet, no one seemed to mind. Maryland is a reliably blue state: we went Democratic in our senate race, 7 of 8 house races, and all four ballot initiatives. No surprise there. But on the "East Coast" of Maryland, which is reliably republican, and which flipped most of those results from the statewide pattern, we still voted FOR the redistricting. I really haven't figured it out yet....
     
  8. The Gribbler

    The Gribbler Member

    Jul 14, 1999
    Cedar Hill, Texas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Hararea repped this.
  9. MasterShake29

    MasterShake29 Member+

    Oct 28, 2001
    Jersey City, NJ
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  10. Knave

    Knave Member+

    May 25, 1999
    But that's a very low density population:
    So, yes, the numbers are heavily GOP, but the numbers are also very, very small.

    Which isn't the same category as the high density, high population Dem areas.

    In other words, the difference here is urban and rural.
     
    Hararea repped this.
  11. The Gribbler

    The Gribbler Member

    Jul 14, 1999
    Cedar Hill, Texas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    You guys asked and now you're giving me crap for answering.

    I understand the difference in numbers, but its still an insane percentage, regardless. Of course there wouldn't be a huge anti-Dem skew in a large urban area, that's why people live in the cities, so they don't have to live near anti-Obama zealots.
     
  12. Naughtius Maximus

    Jul 10, 2001
    Shropshire
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    It doesn't make any difference to how the vote works out though, does it? I mean, there's a minimum constituency size to have a certain type of elected official, isn't there?
     
  13. The Gribbler

    The Gribbler Member

    Jul 14, 1999
    Cedar Hill, Texas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Not really. If your city charter requires you to vote for mayor, and there's 10 people in town, I suppose someone doesn't have to convince too many people. If there's something Texas has way too many of, its counties. And there are a few small counties that are very, very, solidly Republican.
     
  14. TheSlipperyOne

    TheSlipperyOne Member+

    Feb 29, 2000
    Denver
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Are the return envelopes pre-paid or do you pay for stamps?

    In CO we have to pay for the stamps to mail in ballots.
     
  15. taosjohn

    taosjohn Member+

    Dec 23, 2004
    taos,nm
    Gee, here in New Mexico we have to pay for the gasoline to drive to the polling place instead...:rolleyes:
     
  16. Yoshou

    Yoshou Fan of the CCL Champ

    May 12, 2009
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    We have to pay for stamps in WA, but if you don't put enough on, the state/county picks up the difference.
     
  17. Barbara

    Barbara BigSoccer Supporter

    Apr 29, 2000
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    We have to pay for the stamp but I think that they will be delivered regardless of postage.
     
  18. TheSlipperyOne

    TheSlipperyOne Member+

    Feb 29, 2000
    Denver
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Sucks to be you.

    All gas in Colorado is free.
     
  19. TheSlipperyOne

    TheSlipperyOne Member+

    Feb 29, 2000
    Denver
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Thanks.

    And thanks Barb!
     
  20. ElJefe

    ElJefe Moderator
    Staff Member

    Feb 16, 1999
    Colorful Colorado
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Postmarked by Election Day? In CO, they have to be received by Election Day, so there were plenty of workers outside of county clerks' offices taking people's mail-in ballots on Election Day.
     
  21. luftmensch

    luftmensch Member+

    .
    United States
    May 4, 2006
    Petaluma
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Same in California, could drop them off up until the polls closed.
     
  22. Yoshou

    Yoshou Fan of the CCL Champ

    May 12, 2009
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yup. Postmarked by election day.. Thanks to the vagaries of US mail, there are still ballots arriving in Washington. They basically have up until Nov 27 to arrive. If they arrive before then and the postmark is Nov 6 or earlier, they'll be counted.
     
  23. Barbara

    Barbara BigSoccer Supporter

    Apr 29, 2000
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This really needs to change. It's archaic.
     
  24. ceezmad

    ceezmad Member+

    Mar 4, 2010
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Red Stars
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Elections should be what candidate has more likes on Facebook.


    Maybe by 2028.
     
  25. dapip

    dapip Member+

    Sep 5, 2003
    South Florida
    Club:
    Millonarios Bogota
    Nat'l Team:
    Colombia

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