You know it’s bad when even liberals go after their own. PBS went after Dems for their extreme gerrymandering in New York, that if approved, would cut the Republican delegation in half.
“JUDY WOODRUFF: “Just quickly to both of you, Amy, redistricting. We have been talking a lot about Republican — Republican legislatures and commissions drawing districts to favor them, but, in New York state, we’re now seeing a new map that heavily favors Democrats.”
AMY WALTER: “That’s right. And, Judy, this is a state that, in 2014, voters put about — approved a ballot measure that took redistricting out of the hands of politicians, put it in the hands of a bipartisan commission. In a surprise to no one, that bipartisan commission broke down, was polarized.
So it went back to the legislature, which is dominated by Democrats. Democrats gerrymandered a very favorable map for themselves, which would basically cut the Republican delegation in half from eight to four. Democrats would pick up or have seats that are more Democratic, three more seats that are heavily Democratic.
That is a substantial, substantial redistricting gerrymander there in New York. It doesn’t break the letter of the law, but it certainly calls into question the spirit of what was supposed to be government reform and taking it out of the hands of a partisan process.”
Watch The Clip Below.
The newly drawn district:
Jerrymandering https://t.co/I8RDEz1eo8
— Jerry Dunleavy 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) January 31, 2022
But State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris claims there was no gerrymandering…
“Gianaris, who has led his chamber’s redistricting efforts, asserted that his party did not engage in gerrymandering despite proposing a new congressional map that clearly benefits Democrats. In an interview with City & State, Gianaris stood by the controversial proposal that could cut the number of Republicans in the New York delegation in half.
The maps clearly disadvantage Republicans, who will likely lose four seats in the next election cycle if the proposal stands. The GOP was quick to denounce the new lines and promised to take the matter to court. But they weren’t the only ones crying foul. The left-leaning think tank Brennan Center for Justice, which focuses on voting rights, said Democrats took a heavy hand to district drawing. Michael Li, the organization’s redistricting expert, called the New York maps an “aggressive gerrymander,” and even asserted they would be struck down under the John Lewis Voting Rights Act that Democrats are championing in Congress.
They are not even trying to be fair here. This is cutthroat and if the shoe were on the other foot it would be all over the MSM. But since this a Democrat trying to cut out some Republicans in a blue state, it’s surprising that it even got any coverage, especially from PBS.