That makes it ‘a lousy model for Wisconsin’
After years of touting Iowa’s sainted non-partisan redistricting system as Dorothy Lamour’s road to utopia, The Capital Times whines, “Iowa’s extremist legislature is a lousy model for Wisconsin.”
“The Iowa state Legislature is a fetid quagmire of right-wing extremism,” the local progressive outlet condemns.
Why? Because Iowa voters elected Republicans, despite the independent legislative maps.
The Capital Times blames crooked maps for the 64-36 advantage Republicans enjoy in Iowa’s lower house despite Iowa’s vaunted non-partisan redistricting system. Inconveniently for that theory, both of the state’s U.S. senators are Republican, as are all four of its U.S. House members. Kim Reynolds is another statewide winner; the Republican governor won with 58% of the vote last November.
The Capital Times editorializes that “the Iowa legislative district maps have been drawn in a way that dramatically favors Republicans.” Not to put too fine a point on it, but that is just a flat-out lie.
The Iowa system requires its nonpartisan legislative services agency to draw the maps. True, after rejecting three drafts, the legislature can draw its own. That did not happen. The legislature in 2021 accepted the second map as drawn. That’s what the Des Moines Register reports:
The Iowa Legislature approved a new set of political boundaries with near unanimity … putting to rest Democrats’ fears of partisan gerrymandering.
Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, said both the first and second set of maps would have accomplished the state’s goal for fair and nonpartisan redistricting, and she emphasized the need for Iowa’s nonpartisan process to continue into the future.
— “Iowa lawmakers accept second redistricting plan“
Blaska’s Bottom Line: Let’s face it, the hyper-partisan Capital Times says Iowa’s system is lousy because it did not gerrymander in favor of Democrats. The progressive outlet lied about who drew the Iowa maps. It wants the state Supreme Court, now 4 to 3 liberal, to draw Wisconsin’s districts instead. We know why.
9 responses to “Iowa elected Republicans despite non-partisan redistricting”
You made me look up Dorothy Lamour – not a bad thing at all. Whenever “they” whine, it’s like music, isn’t it? So, not a bad comparison. Like Hilary going on lately about re-education for the deplorables — if she’s making that much noise, her gout must be bothering her. And, while I wouldn’t wish that condition on anyone, suffering with arthritis myself, any Clinton expressing discomfort does act as balm for a sore spot.
[…] This post originally appeared at https://davidblaska.com/2023/10/06/iowa-elected-republicans-despite-non-partisan-redistricting/ […]
When The Wisconsin Supreme Court draws the new state maps and the same or more Republicans are elected will they call their maps gerrymandered?
“that is just a flat-out lie.”
Bravo Indigo November Golf Oscar!
Were Lefty at all discerning, they’d wonder just how STOOPID (sic) their handlers really think they are, the fact that they don’t is signature significance; to wit:
*There is no inflation,
*Inflation’s transitory,
*Inflation’s good,
*You don’t understand inflation,
*Inflation’s a RIGHTY lie,
*There is no inflation,
*The border’s secure,
*Joke’s done more to secure the border than anyone else ever has,
*Righty caused the border crisis,
*The border’s secure,
*The WALL is RAYcist,
*Lefty’s Building A Wall…ad infinitum ad nauseum.
Heck, even Joke’s dog’s are Twisted-Schitzo-Psycho
The Gotch
Fair maps. A fair election. A concept you can’t comprehend because your party won? Did it ever occur to you that maybe the gop actually had better candidates? Maybe it wasn’t a conspiracy. Give us clean maps in Wis, have an election and accept the results. What a fu#$ing concept eh Dave. And REALLY; IOWA. Dear god; apples and oranges much? How many secret panels do they have in I oh Waaaaaaaaaa?
Trying to understand your comment, which you make unnecessarily difficult. MY point was that The Capital Times does NOT want fair maps if it means electing Republicans. They object that Robin Vos’ plan would allow the legislature to bypass the first three drafts of a non-partisan agency. But Iowa allows exactly that. The CT stated that Iowa’s Republican legislature did that. It did not; it accepted the second non-partisan map. Even Democrats hailed the move.
Now, what is YOUR point? We can argue the secret panels thing, but obviously they have no vote and are not paid. Just some advisers Vos wants to hear from, which he can do.
https://www.twincities.com/2013/03/13/wisconsin-gop-got-rid-of-redistricting-files-affidavit-says/
https://archive.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/new-court-filing-documents-were-deleted-from-gop-redistricting-computers-0p9530v-197833071.html
https://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/04/12070/creatures-dark-wisconsin-gop-caught-deleting-records-again
Your article holds no water!
None of your links refutes the fact that The Capital Times does not want a nonpartisan board to draw legislative districts; it wants a partisan Supreme Court to do the gerrymandering.
Including US senators and the governor in the discussion is meaningless as those positions are elected statewide and not affected by redistricting, regardless of how it is done. Don’t confuse the issue with extra words, you will just get gootchie all flustered.