Three Republican House members from Wake County waxed indignant this week about Speaker Jim Black. According to The News & Observer, the Three Musketeers “rolled out a list of reforms Wednesday that they say would limit the speaker’s power and open up how the chamber operates.”
“North Carolina desperately needs to transform our state government into a modern 21st Century democracy,” said Rep. Nelson Dollar of Cary. “It’s time to leave behind the secrecy, the log rolling and the perception that trading campaign cash for legislative favors is required or helpful.”
You can track down the story to see all three reform proposals. Here is the one that interested me:
“Establishing an independent redistricting commission to avoid gerrymandered legislative districts to favor incumbents.”
Hear, hear. I think that’s a great idea.
But one question: Should the same rule apply to Congress? More specifically, to the partisan gerrymandering that Tom Delay engineered in Texas to strengthen Republicans?
How could the Mainstream Media not ask that question?
But let me make it perfectly clear, as a Republican President once said: I strongly support independent redistricting if it leads to more competitive races for more congressional and legislative seats.
That’s good for democracy. More to the point, it’s good business for political consultants.