Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Disgust Of Gerrymandering Plan Is Bipartisan

When WISGOP came out with their plan that for redistricting, which can only be described as unethical gerrymandering , the Democrats, of course, called foul and raised a stink about it, as any right-minded, moral person would.

But when you have both Republicans and Democrats from one region decrying the WISGOP plan to tear their region asunder, you know they made a grave and serious error which will haunt them for years to come:
From Central Wisconsin Broadcasting: "There's something called 'integrity.' Things should be done properly," laments Bill Elmhorst, Vice Chairman of the Clark Co. Republican Party. "I would say it's unethical...They've now created a district in the 7th that is about 300 miles long and in the 3rd district, they're going all the way from Portage County, which is east central, all the way to the southwestern corner of the state...I would say it's unacceptable." Elmhorst continues in the article, saying that he's spoken with other local party members who agree with him.

"I've said many times that for us here in Portage County, this isn't about party. It's about keeping our communities in Central Wisconsin together," said Laura Hauser-Menting, Co-Chair of the Portage County Democrats. "Mr. Elmhorst is doing a gutsy thing by speaking out against his party's leaders, and I commend him for his courage. In this age of increasing polarization, I'm pleased to have the opportunity to agree with my local counterparts in the Republican Party about an issue as important as redistricting."

Elmhorst's statement comes after Chippewa County Republicans -- who see their county split by the plan -- also expressed opposition to the new map (article below). The Chippewa County split is in addition to other changes made in the Ryan-Duffy map that creates a Y-shaped 3rd District by extending a finger up through Adams County to snatch out Democratic-leaning Portage County and Wisconsin Rapids from the 7th. For the past 100 years, Marathon, Wood, and Portage Counties have been united in one congressional district because of their strong cultural and economic ties.
The GOP, in their undeserved arrogance, have forgotten that for many people, family and community comes before politics. When something is attacking their community, people will join together, despite their differences. Add to this that they've alienated many of their other traditional supporters, it's not surprise that their poll numbers are so low and dropping like a rock.

And special kudos and esteem for Vice-Chairman Elmhorst. It does take a rare courage to stand up to such a vindictive, power-hungry bunch as we see the current GOP regime. He's one Republican whose hand I would be glad to shake.

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