Liberal Talk Radio

I kind of hope we are in for a redistricting boom in the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold most of the DeLay Texas map.

I hope that all state legislatures (both Dem- and GOP-controlled) take this opportunity to shamelessly re-draw districts to their advantages every chance they get. Several good things could come of this:

1. Sheer confusion could force the American people to realize we need serious redistricting reform, and perhaps we’d see some momentum for independently drawn districts.
2. Sheer confusion could also oust some incumbents, as people who’ve been shoved into a new district vote for a challenger just because they no longer recognize any names on the ballot. Anything that drops the incumbency rate below 98% is probably a good thing, no matter who gets elected!
3. As more members of congress realize that their own seats are dependent on the whim of their home state legislature, perhaps they themselves will enact some sort of redistricting reform (I know — fat chance).

Either way, this should be interesting. DeLay’s audacity has challenged the status quo and kicked the debate to a new level. No more “tradition” or “restraint.” Time to take the gloves off and take it up a notch. Or two.