The downward spiral of defeats and newly redistricted lines continues for NC Democrats

From the AP:  Three years ago, 98 Democrats arrived at the North Carolina General Assembly to begin yet another session in the majority.  Longtime Sen. Marc Basnight and Rep. Joe Hackney again led their respective chambers to continue the party’s almost uninterrupted period of control since 1898.

But governing through a rough economy, followed by an election that gave Republicans the gavels of power and pencils to redraw district boundaries for the next decade, mean fewer than half those Democratic lawmakers will be around the Legislative Building in 2013.

A review of election defeats, resignations and retirements shows that of the 30 Democratic senators in early 2009, 19 of them are no longer in the Senate or won’t return after this year. In the House, 37 of the 68 Democrats in 2009 either are already gone, announced they won’t seek re-election in 2012 or will be at home. Some won’t return in 2013 because they’ll lose to a fellow incumbent in the May primary. Others may not win in November. The candidate filing period begins Monday.

While redistricting, age and attempts at other elected offices have contributed to a similar number of Republicans deciding not to run for re-election this year, the Democratic exodus since 2009 is more extensive. The changing leadership at the Legislature has required lawmakers to take stock of why they’re serving and if they want to continue.


Many plaintiffs, varied positions stymie Texas redistricting efforts

The parties in Texas’ redistricting lawsuit have been trying for two weeks to agree on election maps, but as a Valentine’s Day court date approaches, the chance of a compromise still seemed remote, according to interviews with some of the parties.

The reason? There are about a dozen parties to the lawsuit representing vastly different organizations and individuals with divergent, sometimes diametrically opposed views on the best way to fairly reconfigure Texas’ legislative and congressional districts to reflect population changes since 2000.

Some plaintiffs represent specific parts of the state. Others are looking out for elected officials and the communities they represent. Some plaintiffs’ top priority is Hispanic voters, while others are most interested in African Americans

…”Some of the parties have competing and contrasting interests, which makes it fundamentally impossible to reach an agreement with all the parties,” Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said in an interview last week

More at the statesman.com.

Michigan primary voters’ party picks will be public record

When voters go to the polls in Michigan’s primary Feb. 28, their party preference will be public for all to see. Unlike four years ago, when voters expected some privacy, the partisan ballot they choose — Republican or Democrat — this year will be public information after the election. Also available, upon request, will be the voter’s name and address, according to the Michigan Secretary of State

full story here.

Occupy CPAC Crowd Protests Kobach in Wrong Room

Proving once again, some people are better at . . . reading signs than others.  The Occupy movement raided CPAC and sought to protest Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.  Instead, they stood in front of the wrong panel, and unrolled a sign, in the wrong room.

National Review:   “Kobach is a very smart lawyer who worked at the Bush Justice Department and was elected secretary of state in 2010. He has raised the ire of liberals because of his support for common-sense election reforms like voter-ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements for individuals registering to vote, both of which were passed by the Kansas legislature. . . .  There was only one problem for the protesters — they were in the wrong room (LOL!). Kobach’s panel was going on elsewhere in the hotel and he was not on the panel that David Keene was moderating or the one that was about to start. When Keene told the protesters that, everyone in the room started laughing at them and they sheepishly folded up their banner and left. They apparently never made it to the actual room where Kobach was speaking.

These are the folks who keep telling us that they know how to run things better in our nation. ‘What a bunch of maroons,’ to quote the immortal Bugs Bunny.”

CPAC 2012 Panel examines threat of voter fraud

Excerpt from @cpac2012: John Fund, a senior editor for the American Spectator said during a
panel discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that an “active vote fraud denier industry” is now up and
running that obstructs meaningful investigations into questionable
electoral practices.. Moreover, President Obama’s Justice
Department equates election law enforcement with disenfranchisement, he
added.

Even so, large majorities “of every demographic group” in American
support photo ID and voter integrity laws, Fund said. He encouraged
audience members to pressure law enforcement officials responsible for
upholding existing laws.