Here is a peculiar story.  Rep. Calvin Smyre, a black democrat in the Georgia House, made it clear that he and other black elected officials will fight against “Republican efforts” to weaken majority-black districts.  Huh?  What part of the last 20 years did Rep. Smyre miss? 

It isn’t newly empowered Republicans that Rep. Smyre needs to worry about.  Empirically, Republicans have been perfectly happy to strengthen, not weaken, majority-black districts.  The enemy of majority-black districts have been white southern democrats. 

It’s hard to know where Rep. Smyre’s misplaced barb is coming from.  Is this a reflexive response toward members of the GOP, the ever-hostile party to minority interests, he perhaps thinks?  Nevertheless, this mistake illustrates a central truth to the history or redistricting – in the past, Republicans and black Democrats have joined forces to weaken the political prospects of white Democrats.