The Gateway (Meet the New Lines, Same as the Old Lines, We just Got Fooled Again Edition)

Well, the predictions were wrong. Rather than doing a meaningless cosmetic cleanup to fool the press, the Senate Republicans redistricting plan doesn't even bother. Even the Fidler testicle survives. 

And, if my eyes don’t deceive me, if even makes some areas (like south Williamsburg) a bit uglier than they were in the original map. Even the Fidler testicle survives. Can't wait to hear Michael Benjamin singing its virtues. Document Drop: Senate Redistricting Proposal www.nydailynews.com

When I first read this editorial, in which the Post said the maps don't matter, I thought that it meant that they were given an advance peek at the plan for the Senate, and knew how exactly fuggly it was.

I was correct. Why the maps don’t matter www.nypost.com

I'm glad the new Master's map makes Towns' district more viable for Hakeem Jeffies (though still a good deal less viable than the 2002 lines), but I must say I prefer the prior Master's map aesthetically.
This one restores the three way divide of Brownstone Brooklyn and unnecessarily divides the Russian community.
Further, I'd like to see the stats. I may be wrong, but it looks to me that Clarke's district may be endangered for VRA purposes. New Congressional Lines Are Out, With Jeffries Major (And Only) Beneficiary [UPDATED] | City and Sta www.cityandstateny.com

Todd Breitbart, the second smartest man in the world (and who, despite the headline, is not an attorney) sums up the phony constitutional amendment on redistricting.

He also provided me this Executive Summary:

The constitutional amendment introduced yesterday has the following notable features:

1.The Legislature would still control its own redistricting.

2.The gerrymandered Senate and Assembly districts enacted in 1992 and 2002 would have been enacted even if this supposed “reform” had already been in place.

3.The amendment would bring back prison-based gerrymandering.

4.The absurd formula for determining the size of the Senate would remain.

5.Population deviations could still be manipulated to give one region more than its fair share of districts, while leaving another region under-represented. Democratic Attorney: Redistricting Amendment Brings Back Prison-Based Gerrymandering | City and Stat www.cityandstateny.com

I don't like Bob Turner, and I'd never vote for him (unless the only other choice was David Storobin), but if this is the way he chooses to fall upon his sword, he will have proven himself a mensch. Brooklyn GOP Chair Wants Turner V. Gillibrand www.nydailynews.com

New Yorkers prefer being mugged to being bombed. New York City (NYC) Poll * March 13, 2012 * New Yorkers Say 2-1 Cops Treat – Quinnipiac University . www.quinnipiac.edu

A majority of Ole miss GOPers believe Obama's a Muslim and evolution is not true.

They may even be proving the latter point. Obama Still Muslim, Report Southern Republicans nymag.com

This Taheri piece is very good at explaining the idiocy of the one state solution and deriding the dumb leftists and Arabs who support it.

It would be nice though if it included a few words about the stupidity of the one state supporting rightists and Jews who do the same. ‘One State’ — for suckers www.nypost.com

I'm so tired of hearing righties complaining about liberal offenders being let off the hook for sexism that I'm glad someone has quantified the falsity of that assertion.

And incidentally, if my memories of the 90s is correct, Bill Maher was a sexist long before he was a liberal. Feminists go after liberals too! www.salon.com

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