Comments on: Va. GOP Redistricting Effort Nixed

By: Jake

Jake — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 02:21:23 +0000

I am outraged that MD did that, but it is true… I don’t live in Maryland so I wasn’t as concerned about it as what almost just happened here.

By: Max

Max — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 01:12:19 +0000

Look at Richmond. It has a smaller population than Arlington and it gets four districts to prevent its residents from having too much sway.

By: ARL'ian

ARL'ian — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 00:53:07 +0000

But, but, how will steve-o ever win his write-in campaign now? He is doing such a good job of campaigning on ARLnow comment sections and the forum. He also has great ideas like getting rid of all individuals not of Anglo-Saxon heritage, outlawing bicycles and requiring every room in the County to offer smoking, including every elementary school classroom. Who can argue against a platform like that?

By: Ivy

Ivy — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:13:29 +0000

Oh please! The Republicans have been pulling this crap all over the country. They are desperate and they are going to continue to lose until they stop their Nazi/fascist talk.

By: confused

confused — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:33:09 +0000

if the commonwealth really wanted ‘democracy” they would shift legislative elections to an even numbered year, not the off off year when turn out, esp among young and minorities is lower. If they did that the legislature would be much more Dem. So this crying over Dem gerrymandering doesnt impress me much.

By: drax

drax — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:17:57 +0000

I would never disparage the Republican Party.

By: ArlDem

ArlDem — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 18:53:42 +0000

Mary-Austin is correct. Senate Dems drew these districts and cut a deal with Republicans that gave them a free hand to draw House districts. That bargain, which the GOP has now tried to renege, gave the GOP control of the House for a generation. I personally hate the gerrymandered Favola district and prefer a more contiguous map, even if it might reduce electoral chances somewhat. But the Democrats made there bed with this one. And the GOP has shown their true colors by failing to keep a deal for even a year.

By: Mary-Austin

Mary-Austin — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 18:10:10 +0000

But it still makes more sense to have a district that is made up of only Arlington precincts than one that is made up of Arlington, McLean, Great Falls, and Countryside precincts.

By: drax

drax — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 17:25:22 +0000

Still, props to Bolling for refusing to go along even before they voted – that’s why they had to wait until a Democrat was out of town in the first place.

By: drax

drax — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:17:02 +0000

Possibly, but the point wasn’t to make more sense – it was to let Favola have her seat and pack more Democrats into it so that Republican voters could help out in surrounding districts while the Democrats’ votes would be wasted in a safe Dem district.