(This diary is cross-posted on the Swing State Project)
This is my first attempt at California congressional redistricting since the partisan data by precinct became available in Dave's Application (a redistricting application designed for the Swing State Project)
My diaries are often long, and it takes me a while to get to the point. So, I will summarize the bottom line here:
* 43 solidly Democratic districts created; in each McCain gets 37% of vote or less (currently there are 34 Democratic representatives from California, and 1 of the 34 holds a swingy seat)
* Remaining 10 districts to GOP, with possibility that 2 of the 10 go our way at some point in the next decade
* 19 Hispanic majority districts created; 18 of the 19 are at least 55% Hispanic, so that a Hispanic representative has a real chance of being elected (currently, there are only 8 Hispanic representatives from California). An additional 13 seats are minority-majority (with either an Asian or African-American plurality or no particular racial/ethnic minority dominant).
LOS ANGELES, CA - The Courage Campaign today called for more research and time to change hearts and minds before returning to the ballot to restore marriage for gay and lesbian couples in California. At least one initiative to restore same-sex marriage is currently circulating that, if it qualifies, would appear on the November, 2010 ballot...
"For months, we have laid out the criteria for moving forward. Like the Obama Campaign, we understand that we need a combination of powerful and clear research that informs an expertly run campaign, an unstoppable movement that harnesses the new energy we have seen since the passage of Prop. 8 and the connections through personal stories and outreach in order to win at the ballot box," said Rick Jacobs, the Courage Campaign founder and Chair. "We are taking the lessons learned from last year's Prop. 8 campaign, the campaigns in Maine and other states to understand the fundamental work that must be done before moving forward in California. We also must come together as a community to create a broad coalition and governance structure, put in place a strong manager and secure the resources to win. Right now, the pieces are not all in place to do so confidently."
I am understanding this to mean that the Courage Campaign is no longer on board with a 2010 campaign and will be shifting their resources to a 2012 effort (although the language is oddly vague-- if any Courage Campaign people are reading this, any clarification would be appreciated greatly). At a minimum the clear message of this release is that Courage Campaign does not at this time support the specific 2010 ballot filing by Love Honor Cherish, which they reference in the first paragraph.
Courage Campaign is currently soliciting volunteers for their Prop. 8 repeal and "Equality Team" efforts here. EQCA is also soliciting volunteers to canvass for their 2012 repeal campaign here.
Since that time, Dave's Redistricting Application has become available for the state on the Swing State Project. The Application is an invaluable tool in doing these maps. It has helped me greatly in trying to come up with a new, better version of a plan for the state. I have also taken reader comments from my last diary into consideration in drawing this new plan for California. The comments have helped me greatly in terms of refining the districts here. As several readers rightfully noted, several of the districts I drew last time were not Democratic enough to assure that they would be virtually guaranteed to elect Democrats, and parts of the previous map were too gerrymandered. Here's my new version ...
George Skelton recycled 20th century conventional wisdom when it came to Dianne Feinstein running for governor, which wasn't surprising for a wannabe David Broder who can't see that Broder's relevance was written about in an online obituary years ago. You see, the days of top down politics have passed. The days of decree from above by those deemed worthy are no more. Dianne Feinstein didn't get the memo:
The issue has been complicated since Feinstein joined with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in promoting the $9.3 billion bond, backed largely by Republicans.
[...]
"Six months ago, the governor asked if I'd sit down with political leaders in both parties and I did," she added. "We left the meeting believing in two weeks they would come together on a bipartisan plan. They didn't."
Wahhhhh, wahhhh, wahhhh. DiFi tried to get some Democrats to support a proposal by the GOP Executive and Democrats didn't ask how high they should jump? Welcome to California Senator, where legislative Democrats don't sell out as easy as some of your senate buddies have done for Bush. You can't just say what you want and then go back to Washington, DC to focus on selling out to George Bush. To get things done in California, you have to be involved beyond a photo-op and a few meetings. Yet the conventional wisdom hacks still write that she'd be a good Governor even though she thought in a day she could solve California's water problem. What a joke on both counts.
"It's not a, 'hell, no' right now, and it's not a 'hell, yes' either," she said of her reaction to speculation that's she's considering a 2010 bid to replace termed-out Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican."I'm a senator now, and my intention is to run for re-election."
DiFi is older than McCain, a joke in the legislature, a crappy senator, a tool for the right, and will have her legacy actually examined by a post-broadcast media environment if she is dumb enough to ever enter another Democratic primary campaign. I say, "Hell, Yes!"
# CA-Sen: Damn this state for being so expensive, because I could go for a primary challenge to Dianne Feinstein.
Which is in response to Glenn Greenwald's column showing how much of a blockade DiFi has been of late.
here is the relevant part of that column:
Yet as Stoller documents -- based on his conversations with Caroline Fredrickson from the ACLU -- several key Democrats in Congress are actively working to ensure that this happens. Stoller notes that "The Senate Judiciary Committee is hamstrung by Dianne Feinstein, who prevents a majority . . . ." On issues of intelligence, judiciary and oversight, Feinstein really has become the new Joe Lieberman, repeatedly siding with the right-wing of the Republican caucus on key issues and thus actively enabling the worst abuses of the Bush administration.
The idea of a recall is about as far fetched as it gets, and I don't see any situation where she would retire midterm, especially not with a Republican governor. So what i'm saying right here and now is that if she decides to run for another term, we HAVE to primary challenge her.
