Quote:
Originally Posted by ZenGum
The only thing I am doubtful about here is that you seem to think this is something new. The USA gave the world the word Gerrymander, but if you analyse the power structure in the "democratic" phase of ancient Rome, it was equally corrupted by the influence of the rich and already-powerful. The same can be said for English democracy for most of it's history.
At times, and in places, there is improvement.
A free and critical media and an alert citizenry are the only factor that works against this corruption. The rights to vote, to access information, and to publish information and opinion critical of the powers-that-be are crucial.
Hence the struggle for the media. Having the right to publish is unimportant if the editor doesn't want to publish.
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Agreed. Which ever party is in power uses the Gerrymander to construct voting blocks that will support their parties future power prospects. It is not just the Republickins. In the last election the people spoke and through out a whole bunch of Demoncrats, no big deal, that is how the elections are suppose to work. If they vote the Dems out of the Senate in the next election, that is how it works.
The example of NC is one example. No different than the attempted influence of outside money in Wisconsin from the Unions or other attempts by Union money to influence votes. They have a long history of influencing and buying votes in many cities and states. George Soros is the equivalent of this guy Pope and the Koch brothers, and Soros has been around a lot longer. Now that rich conservatives have entered the game in the same way it is suppose to be a new and exciting expose. It's not.