I’m not even going to setup the video. Just uncomfortably watch knowing Georgia is represented by the Housewives of Atlanta, Honey Boo Boo, and this speech.
Fresh Political Pickins From The Peach State
I’m not even going to setup the video. Just uncomfortably watch knowing Georgia is represented by the Housewives of Atlanta, Honey Boo Boo, and this speech.
{ 34 comments }
Sorry, but this airhead doesn’t represent Georgia. He represents a highly ethnic portion of Fulton County which includes “blue” Atlanta, and continues to be re-elected by those constituents because of his color, not his brain.
You can say the same of about 97% of the GA lege, if the color shifted from blue to red.
Also: Paul Broun, therefore your argument is moot.
don’t think they’re all elected based on color, but Rick is kind of onto something. Gerrymandering is a big problem.
@Baker:
Is it gerrymandering that is the problem, or the segregated housing patterns that create districts like both Westmoreland’s and Johnson’s?
Both are problems. Gerrymandering though is explicitly created by and for the benefit of politicians and should be fixed by them. Segregated housing patterns is a nightmare of a problem created by a million different factors and would be impossible and foolish for some politicians to really try and address.
Well, as long as segregation exists, then districts like Johnson’s and Westmoreland’s will. Pretty much unavoidable, don’t you think?
No. The districts don’t have to be carved along segregated lines. See Iowa for an example. http://www.iowacasa.org/UserDocs/Iowa_Congressional_Districts_2002.JPG
Gerrymandering ensures that x number of Repubs will get elected and that x number of Dems will get elected. Then there are n number seats that may be up for grabs. In Georgia, that n number is apparently 1 and it’s John Barrow’s district. These people don’t have to solve problems because barring the fairly rare primary battle, they know they’re gonna get elected.
+100 Districts definitely do NOT have to be carved along segregated lines – just look at Georgia’s current legislative maps and you’ll see what weird geographic contortions the legislators made in order to herd the largest number of blacks into the smallest possible number of districts. In many instances they chopped up neighborhoods, strung together people that have nothing in common other than skin color.
Partisan gerrymandering does nothing but hurt we, the people. If there were any statesmen at the GA General Assembly now, they would draw color-blind geographically sane and cohesive districts of shared community interests. Oh, I forgot – that would require some true public servants instead of power-hungry pols.
“geographically sane and cohesive districts of shared community interests”
I would argue that Johnson’s district is geographically sane and is a district of shared community interests. I would argue the same concerning the districts of Broun, Westmoreland, Gingrey etc. Anyone disagree? If so, why?
You may be right about the community interests, but carving them along political lines only allows the district to lean ever righter or ever lefter.
A/A, I was referring not only to congressional districts, but for your edification, here they are: http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/pdf/GeorgiaCongressionalDistricts2012Statewide.pdf
You can’t argue that those are geographically sane, even though a few are better than the others.
I was most of all referring to our State Legislative districts, which are a ridiculous joke: http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/pdf/GeorgiaHouseDistricts2012Statewide.pdf
After you finish lyao about those, take a gander at the Atlanta metro area: http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/pdf/GeorgiaHouseDistricts2012MetroAtlanta.pdf
Drill down to your country, and you’ll fall off your chair. And the packing of blacks into districts goes completely against the VRA. This ridiculous gerrymandering is never going to stop unless and until we, the people, get outraged about it and start demanding better.
Wrong. Georgia doesn’t have the same flexibility with drawing districts as Iowa. We are one of nine states which needs to get preclearance. Because of the Voting Rights Act, we are restricted in regards to treatment of minority districts.
@ Baker
Gerrymandering after the 2010 census had it’s toll on Democrats elected to Congress as nationwide totals favored the Democrats. But Congress is elected by district.
http://americanfreepress.net/?p=7396
We conclude that there was a general preference for Democrats in 2012 House races of 52% to 48%. The Democratic wave this year had much less impact than the Republican one in 2010 primarily because despite the large Republican majority in Congress, very few Republicans actually represented Democratic-leaning districts–in sharp contrast to the number of Democrats representing Republican districts in 2010….
In fact, for the Democrats to have retaken the House in 2012, they would have had to win by historically large margins….. Added on to the 52% margin that they actually did achieve, that would mean as much as a 55% to 45% overall preference for Democrats would have been necessary for them to retake the House by even a few seats.
Okay…I’m aware of that, that doesn’t change anything about how both parties rig it to where they ensure their guys get elected and the other guy will get elected as well, albeit in a different district.
Gerrymandering gives much more power to the hardcore ideologues and the primaries than they deserve. The middle 60% are being pushed around by the 20% on the left and the 20% on the right.
Gerrymandering then, look at Michigan.
Obama 54.7, Romney 44.7 yet Michigan elected 9 Republicans to the US House along with 5 Democratic US Representatives. Maybe you can’t look at each party rigging it to where they both ensure their guy gets elected without looking at the effect of gerrymandering giving more power to the hard core ideologues both left and right. With those kind of numbers for the President it’s a little more than insuring your guy wins.
Incumbents use powerful demographic software linked to Voter Vault data allowing them unprecedented granularity in keeping their seat safe, by choosing like-minded voters. Technology has heightened ‘gerrymandering’ efficacy in choosing political domains in the 21st century.
We see a true change in the Founding Fathers vision of Amercan political representation when modern gerrymandering is coupled with the ability for corporations to donate to political campaigns, via-a-vis, Citizens United.
The effects will take thirty years to be fully understood, and before then much greater socio-economic upheavals will eclipse these unfortunate trends.
He represents parts of Rockdale, Dekalb, and Gwinnett. He replaced Cynthia McKinney, so he does serve a useful purpose.
If you put 30 midgets in in a boxing ring will it tip over? That video is sad and painful to watch.
Sweet! You have a video of 30 midgets in a boxing ring tipping over?
I have actually attended a wrestling match of “abnormaly small” people before and it was promoted as “Midget Wrestling.” These “little people” traveled the country making pretty good money and the crowd was buying them all the free drinks they wanted afterward.
The worst thing about all of this is the need to apologize because a certain group or groups was “offended.”
Tried to call a friend who lives in Chattanooga on Wednesday night. He was not available as he was attending one of these “M*dget Wrestling” events. One of them was apparently named Baby Jesus.
Luke, mine was a tongue in cheek reference to a previous comedic episode by the good Congressman in which he stated his fears that if the United States Air Force placed more assets on Guam that the island would literally tip over.
+ Many
http://www.peachpundit.com/2012/12/13/congressman-strikes-again-calls-american-workers-midgets/
His demeanor is much different than McKinney. In lieu of ridicule perhaps the fellow needs some help from his friends. Has he had a professional evaluation to determine he is ok, just eccentric ?
For those who saw the pretty ridiculous Drudge coverage of Tarantino the other day, you might chuckle at today’s That’s Just Peachy headline.
Fools electing even bigger fools like McKinney and Johnson to represent them in D.C. It’s hard to believe that the man was every competent to act as an attorney for third parties or as a representative for others.
Is a man that cannot even be bothered to pa his bar dues and avoid suspension after numerous notices a man that should be sent to D.C. to vote on issues that affect the entire country? Like spending and appropriations?
Yes, that is correct. The State Bar of Georgia has suspended Hank for non-payment of bar dues. One can pay as little as $235 per year, the base amount. You can see it for yourself in the online bar directory.
http://www.gabar.org/MemberSearchDetail.cfm?ID=MzkzOTAw
The true midget in that video is the mental midget speaking.
Look, Hank apologized!
-No reason for y’all to be so short with him.
Looks like he just came out of the bar, shirt unbuttoned, tie loosened. Or maybe he just came from a midget wrasslin’ match, got all inspired — http://extrememidgetwrestling.com/
Yeah, let’s just hate on Hank, because Cong. Paul Broun, a true intellectual midget sitting on the US House Science Committee testified to his congregation that the Earth is 6,000 years old, that the theories of evolution and the Big Bang are “Lies from the Pits of Hell.”
I think Broun is capable of far more damage.
Just in case somebody was asleep, here’s our Georgia Rep. Broun making us proud to be ignorant:
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2012-10-05/broun-evolution-big-bang-theory-are-lies-straight-pit-hell
I give him credit for apologizing, and recognizing the error of his statement (http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2012/12/13/hank-johnsons-mea-culpa-on-the-m-word/). I think of it this way- many people still use the “r-word” indiscriminately, not realizing the offensive nature of that word as well. When those folks apologize for doing so, I appreciate their sincerity.
Does Rep Johnson actually have any understanding of “Right to Work” or is he purposefully spreading misinformation?
More importantly, does Guam have “Right to Work” and if it capsizes can non-union labor be used to help right the island? We may never know.
***This video should come with a warning: CONTAINS MUCH STUPIDITY. EMBARRASSMENT MAY ENSUE.
At about 22:26 Rep Johnson asks a relevant questions, “So what am I talking about?” This is a question the Congressman should have asked himself before addressing the body. I’m not sure of the answer and I’m not sure Mr. Johnson is either.
MORAL: A fool and his money are soon parted, but a fool and his microphone remain united far too long.
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