Politics Oregon Democrats’ anti-democratic power play

Big day today, shame its barely reported on.

"It takes no time at all to recognize that the congressional map Oregon Democrats are trying to cram through the Legislature is shamelessly gerrymandered. In drawing boundaries for Oregon’s congressional districts, including a new sixth district, Democrats divvied up the Portland-area’s bounty of liberal voters among four of them. Such creative slicing and dicing – the plan assigns roughly two-thirds of Portland’s Irvington neighborhood to a district stretching east across the Cascades to rural Jefferson County, while the other third is in a district stretching west to the Pacific Ocean – would set up Democrats to win five of Oregon’s six seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

But drawing up a biased map was just the half of it. Facing opposition from Republicans on the committee considering both congressional and legislative boundaries, House Speaker Tina Kotek decided last week to rig the result. She shut down the existing committee, which had an equal number of Republicans as Democrats as part of a deal she agreed to earlier this year, and created two new ones in its place: one to handle legislative boundaries and the other to oversee congressional lines. To ensure Democrats’ gerrymandered map moved forward, Kotek assigned two Democrats and only one Republican to the congressional committee. And despite widespread public testimony from Oregonians opposing the congressional boundaries, House Democrats did not make a single change to the map.

Credit Kotek and House Democrats for transparently showing Oregonians just how grossly partisan and anti-democratic their intentions are.

As this editorial goes to press on Friday, it is unclear whether Republicans will even show up for a charade of a House vote on Saturday or whether Democrats will budge on their no-change stance. Regardless of the result, Oregonians of all parties who value fairness and representation should focus on three key takeaways.

First, Kotek’s handling of redistricting should be a significant factor in any Oregonian’s analysis of whether to support the longtime legislator in her bid to be governor. Her decision to go back on her word to Republican legislators is a huge mark against someone who wants to lead the state, which includes millions of non-Democrats. It’s also profoundly disappointing considering that her earlier agreement to share power with Republicans on redistricting showed leadership and political courage – two attributes that have been sorely lacking among Oregon’s elected officials.

While Kotek did not respond to requests to explain the decision, her spokesman sent a lengthy email that sought to pin the blame on Republicans and pointed to a political scientist’s quote in a news story arguing that the burden was on the minority – not the people who hold power – to come up with a compromise. That’s an odd philosophy to have in general and, in this case, Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature and control the governor’s office. Those with such power should recognize fair play and honest treatment – even to those who belong to a minority party – as a fundamental obligation of leadership.

Second, Oregon should join the growing number of states adopting an independent redistricting commission. Politicians who have a vested interest in elections should not be in charge of district boundaries that are so easily drawn to favor one party over another or help cement an incumbent in power. And while Oregon Democrats own the ugliness of this year’s redistricting process, we have no doubt that Republicans would engage in the same opportunistic manipulation if they were in the majority here – as they have in states where they do control the legislature.

Unfortunately, an initiative petition to create such a commission failed to make the ballot last year due to difficulties gathering signatures during the pandemic and a challenge by Democratic Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to keep it from voters. Oregonians should ensure it makes the ballot in 2022 and push for a mid-decade report evaluating the fairness of whatever boundaries are ultimately adopted by the current redistricting process.

And finally, Oregon’s non-affiliated and third-party voters need to step up their advocacy for their own rights. Non-affiliated voters make up a third of Oregon’s registered voter base, but are locked out of participating in the taxpayer-funded Democratic and Republican primaries. As a result, the most partisan candidates often win the party nomination to run in the general election, acing out more moderate candidates who might have broader appeal. Non-affiliated voters should pressure party officials to open their primaries or, if that fails, consider the easy step of changing their voter registration temporarily to one of the parties in order to vote in the May primary. More Oregonians must be able to have a say in selecting candidates for the general election.

Certainly, Oregon has leaned Democratic, as presidential and statewide elections have shown, but not nearly by the margins that would be reflected in a 5-1 congressional split. Oregonians should make clear to their leaders that while they may favor liberal candidates as a whole, they value fairness and representation even more."

https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/...gon-democrats-anti-democratic-power-play.html

 

Unfortunately this is a result of our current system. Oregon has to do this to compete with republic states (and Republican states say the same).

We need a national law which outlaws gerrymandering.

 

Why not just use the county boundaries?

 

But couldn't multiple counties be in the same district?

 

Complete counties? Like Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington counties could be their own districts then use multiple counties to make up the rest.

Or just get rid of the 1% thing and make the vote of the county be weighted based on the percentage of its population.

 

I'll be honest the republican one looks ok. It wont make in a difference as Oregon is very liberal anyway and getting more so.

 

Yeah, I'm suggesting changes mandated at the nation level. Just what would that look like?

 

I love the way Rs embrace the most extreme gerrymandering when it benefits them, then turn around and howl with outrage if Ds come up with a plan that is less than 100% bipartisan.

 

C’mom HB. NOW you show outrage because it’s actually happening in YOUR state??? This kind of shit has been going on forever in other states, and every bit of it initiated by Republicans. It’s the only way they have been able to win elections, which is exactly the point. If this country’s congressional districts were apportioned “fairly”, this country would actually be the democratic republic it was intended to be. Instead, the minority has gerrymandered the fuck of this country and is why we have been mostly under minority rule for decades. Personally, I think gerrymandering is unconscionable, but hey, tit for tat. It’s about time the Democrats started playing by Republican rules…….I’m sick and tired of cranky, old white men thinking they know what’s best for a country that is no longer white…..

 

Hey, as long as we’re into gerrymandering, I want one district for the independents in this state. About time we got some representation. Damned thieving donkey dongs and elephant asses!

 

Like many things it likely depends which party holds congress at the time?

 

He didnt write that, he just posted it and said its a shame its not being reported more.

 

I understand completely that he did not write that. I had read it in this morning’s Oregonian, so it IS being reported. Why should the national media all of a sudden care about deep blue Oregon redistricting? I have no opinion one way or the other as to whether it’s fair or not. If it isn’t, then tough shit for Republicans. There is a reason the minority has had undue control of this country, and gerrymandering in Oregon has nothing to do with it. This “outrage” at redistricting is selective outrage, nothing more. It’s the Republicans saying, “See? They do it too.” Or in plain speak, “Look!!! A squirrel!!!” All the gerrymandering in the world is not going to help the Republicans in this state unless and until they finally come up with a candidate who is viable……..or until a shit ton of Democrats and Independents suddenly lose their minds and register as Republicans……this is virtually a non story……..I’ll value “fairness and representation” in Oregon when the win at any cost Republicans start to value it. Until then, fuck em. Whatever it takes to keep the Trumps, Grahams, Cotton’s, Cawthornes, Cruz’s et al at bay…….I’m actually tickled to see the Democrats play by Republican rules……

 

I want partisan politics to end period...everyone register as an independant and vote for the most qualified candidates with zero partisan considerations...two party system is broken and can never be fixed...time for a new approach in my view..in my view other than a dozen or so GOP elected officials...the majority of the party is trying to destroy democracy and replace it with fundamentalist values and policies...that party needs to purge some ballast from it's ranks. Oregon is a deep blue state...don't see that changing with a district at all...but Oregons democratic leadership has also sucked for ages..nothing new there....I guess it's a thankless job for the most part unless you skim off the tip jar

 

lol. Fair enough. It all needs to go though. Political manipulation is rampant with no end in sight.