Elections America voted the House GOP out. Gerrymandering kept them in.

Direckshun · 08:18 PM

The math:

Between the two parties, voters voted for the Democratic House candidates nationally, 48.8% to 48.5%.

That would translate to Democrats having 214 DNP seats to 212 GOP.

The end results as of now (votes are still being counted in 6 races): 233 GOP to 194 DNP.

That's 53.5% GOP to 44.6% DNP.

A 9-point, 21-seat swing.

Want to know why John Boehner was so quick to extend the olive branch?

That's why.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...got-a-mandate/

House Democrats got more votes than House Republicans. Yet Boehner says he’s got a mandate?
Posted by Ezra Klein
November 9, 2012 at 10:15 am

The political-science evidence is clear on this: There’s no such thing as an election mandate. There’s only what a president is able to get done with the Congress the American people gave him.

But few politicians agree. And so the days and weeks after elections are heavy with arguments about who has a mandate, and for what. The latest debate is about whether President Obama, who ran a campaign explicitly promising to raise taxes on high earners and who beat a candidate explicitly promising to refuse any and all tax increases, has a mandate to raise taxes.

Speaker John Boehner says he doesn’t. “Listen, our majority is going to get reelected,” he said the day before the election. “We’ll have as much of a mandate as he [President Obama] will … to not raise taxes.”

Boehner’s logic is, on its face, sound. House Republicans have been as clear in their opposition to new taxes on the rich as Obama has been in his support for them. And House Republicans were reelected. They have as much right to claim a popular mandate as the president does.

Or they would if they’d actually won more votes. But they didn’t. House Republicans did the equivalent of winning the electoral college while losing the popular vote.

It can be a bit difficult to tally up the popular vote in House elections because you have to go ballot by ballot, and many incumbents run unopposed. But The Washington Post’s Dan Keating did the work and found that Democrats got 54,301,095 votes while Republicans got 53,822,442. That’s a close election — 48.8%-48.5% –but it’s still a popular vote win for the Democrats. Those precise numbers might change a bit as the count finalizes, but the tally isn’t likely to flip.

What saved Boehner’s majority wasn’t the will of the people but the power of redistricting. As my colleague Dylan Matthews showed, Republicans used their control over the redistricting process to great effect, packing Democrats into tighter and tighter districts and managing to restructure races so even a slight loss for Republicans in the popular vote still meant a healthy majority in the House.

That’s a neat trick, but it’s not a popular mandate, or anything near to it — and Boehner knows it. That’s why his first move after the election was to announce, in a vague-but-important statement, that he was open to some kind of compromise on taxes.

HonestChieffan · 11-10-2012, 08:10 PM

Population density be damned. Amazing how a district like vicky Hartzlers has fewer people than nancy Pelosis!!!! Oh my god!!!!

Direckshun · 11-10-2012, 08:16 PM

Another great piece on gerrymandering was posted here, for those wanting to see specific instances of it.

BucEyedPea · 11-10-2012, 08:29 PM

Redistricting is done by the party in power...and those Republicans won elections so won the right to do that. Gerrymandering stays because both parties don't want to get rid of it. I saw that article earlier. It's bogus without all the information and we don't count votes like that. Liberals are trying every which way to claim a mandate.

You have NO mandate.

SNR · 11-10-2012, 08:34 PM

If the "true" left-leaning America didn't want to get gerrymandered, they shouldn't have voted in so many Republicans in 2010.

BucEyedPea · 11-10-2012, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNR

If the "true" left-leaning America didn't want to get gerrymandered, they shouldn't have voted in so many Republicans in 2010.

Exactly

Pawnmower · 11-10-2012, 08:41 PM

Wouldnt a better example of gerrymandering be that despite winning by a couple % of the popular vote, Obama won by about 330 electoral votes to 200?

listopencil · 11-10-2012, 08:45 PM

Popular vote: Obama 51%-Romney 48%. Election results: Obama 1-Romney 0. That's 51% turned into 100%. Stop whining.

InChiefsHell · 11-10-2012, 08:45 PM

Jeez Direkshun...get laid or something. Seriously. You need to take a break. Enjoy your victory and just take a damn break!

Ebolapox · 11-10-2012, 08:47 PM

will you not give up until every senator, congressman and member of the executive and judicial branches agrees with you, direckshun?

Ugly Duck · 11-10-2012, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HonestChieffan

Population density be damned.

Its not the population density, its how you carve districts into the population to give your party an advantage. You carve up any weird, convoluted shapes you can to either isolate densely concentrated opponent areas or dilute them by breaking 'em up into pieces & adding the pieces to your areas. Lookit Pennsylvania - Repubs only went 47% for Romney, but have 72% of the house seats. Even though 53% of Pennsylvanians voted for Obama, all the Democrats in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia were cut up & cramed into a mere four seats, and the other 14 were left for Republicans.

Brainiac · 11-10-2012, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InChiefsHell

Jeez Direkshun...get laid or something. Seriously. You need to take a break. Enjoy your victory and just take a damn break!

I was thinking the same thing. Direckshun is starting to get pretty goddamn annoying.

**J Diddy** · 11-10-2012, 09:24 PM

I think the concept of gerrymandering is bullshit, however I can't pin it's use on anyone. They'd be stupid not to.

cosmo20002 · 11-10-2012, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

Wouldnt a better example of gerrymandering be that despite winning by a couple % of the popular vote, Obama won by about 330 electoral votes to 200?

No, unless the state borders were set based on political party affiliation.

Mrs. Loopner · 11-10-2012, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InChiefsHell

Jeez Direkshun...get laid or something. Seriously. You need to take a break. Enjoy your victory and just take a damn break!

THIS!!!

11-10-2012, 08:03 PM
Direckshun Black for Palestine Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $1167782	America voted the House GOP out. Gerrymandering kept them in. The math: Between the two parties, voters voted for the Democratic House candidates nationally, 48.8% to 48.5%. That would translate to Democrats having 214 DNP seats to 212 GOP. The end results as of now (votes are still being counted in 6 races): 233 GOP to 194 DNP. That's 53.5% GOP to 44.6% DNP. A 9-point, 21-seat swing. Want to know why John Boehner was so quick to extend the olive branch? That's why. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...got-a-mandate/ House Democrats got more votes than House Republicans. Yet Boehner says he’s got a mandate? Posted by Ezra Klein November 9, 2012 at 10:15 am The political-science evidence is clear on this: There’s no such thing as an election mandate. There’s only what a president is able to get done with the Congress the American people gave him. But few politicians agree. And so the days and weeks after elections are heavy with arguments about who has a mandate, and for what. The latest debate is about whether President Obama, who ran a campaign explicitly promising to raise taxes on high earners and who beat a candidate explicitly promising to refuse any and all tax increases, has a mandate to raise taxes. Speaker John Boehner says he doesn’t. “Listen, our majority is going to get reelected,” he said the day before the election. “We’ll have as much of a mandate as he [President Obama] will … to not raise taxes.” Boehner’s logic is, on its face, sound. House Republicans have been as clear in their opposition to new taxes on the rich as Obama has been in his support for them. And House Republicans were reelected. They have as much right to claim a popular mandate as the president does. Or they would if they’d actually won more votes. But they didn’t. House Republicans did the equivalent of winning the electoral college while losing the popular vote. It can be a bit difficult to tally up the popular vote in House elections because you have to go ballot by ballot, and many incumbents run unopposed. But The Washington Post’s Dan Keating did the work and found that Democrats got 54,301,095 votes while Republicans got 53,822,442. That’s a close election — 48.8%-48.5% –but it’s still a popular vote win for the Democrats. Those precise numbers might change a bit as the count finalizes, but the tally isn’t likely to flip. What saved Boehner’s majority wasn’t the will of the people but the power of redistricting. As my colleague Dylan Matthews showed, Republicans used their control over the redistricting process to great effect, packing Democrats into tighter and tighter districts and managing to restructure races so even a slight loss for Republicans in the popular vote still meant a healthy majority in the House. That’s a neat trick, but it’s not a popular mandate, or anything near to it — and Boehner knows it. That’s why his first move after the election was to announce, in a vague-but-important statement, that he was open to some kind of compromise on taxes. Last edited by Direckshun; 11-10-2012 at 08:18 PM..
Posts: 37,650

11-10-2012, 08:10 PM	#2
HonestChieffan Banned Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the Country in MO Casino cash: $1222684	Population density be damned. Amazing how a district like vicky Hartzlers has fewer people than nancy Pelosis!!!! Oh my god!!!!
Posts: 22,168

11-10-2012, 08:16 PM	#3
Direckshun Black for Palestine Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $1167782	Another great piece on gerrymandering was posted here, for those wanting to see specific instances of it. __________________
Posts: 37,650

11-10-2012, 08:29 PM	#4
BucEyedPea Frazod Loves Hammy Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: None of your business Casino cash: $53300	Not so fast.... Redistricting is done by the party in power...and those Republicans won elections so won the right to do that. Gerrymandering stays because both parties don't want to get rid of it. I saw that article earlier. It's bogus without all the information and we don't count votes like that. Liberals are trying every which way to claim a mandate. You have NO mandate. __________________ "In government, the scum rises to the top."~ Hayek
Posts: 47,293

11-10-2012, 08:34 PM	#5
SNR You're all I have left, Copper Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Where the hell is SNR Casino cash: $4529526	If the "true" left-leaning America didn't want to get gerrymandered, they shouldn't have voted in so many Republicans in 2010.
Posts: 47,155

11-10-2012, 08:41 PM	#7
Pawnmower MVP Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Northern California Casino cash: $6225188	Wouldnt a better example of gerrymandering be that despite winning by a couple % of the popular vote, Obama won by about 330 electoral votes to 200? __________________ Click here to try a chess problem! (easy, medium or hard) ************* Click here for the list of the Chiefs biggest Cowards and Traitors. This list is A.K.A. the shun list.
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11-10-2012, 08:45 PM	#8
listopencil sic semper tyrannis Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: :: In Partibus Infidelium Casino cash: $1083269	Popular vote: Obama 51%-Romney 48%. Election results: Obama 1-Romney 0. That's 51% turned into 100%. Stop whining. __________________ I am my own God. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.
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11-10-2012, 08:45 PM	#9
InChiefsHell Rockin' yer FACE OFF! Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Omaha, Nebraska Casino cash: $1069150	Jeez Direkshun...get laid or something. Seriously. You need to take a break. Enjoy your victory and just take a damn break! __________________ We have a million reasons for failure, but not one excuse... Die Donks, DIE!! A quote: "Oh well, there's always next year. We'll be better then, you'll see..." - Every Chiefs fan for the last 41...crap...42 years... Quit listening to all that crappy new music and check out HEADSTRONG!
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11-10-2012, 08:47 PM	#10
Ebolapox remember, remember Join Date: Jul 2002 Casino cash: $18672650	will you not give up until every senator, congressman and member of the executive and judicial branches agrees with you, direckshun?
Posts: 24,741

11-10-2012, 09:24 PM	#13
J Diddy The savior is here Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: The Pitt State baby Casino cash: $126325	I think the concept of gerrymandering is bullshit, however I can't pin it's use on anyone. They'd be stupid not to.
Posts: 23,288

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