FDP Throws Minorities Under the Bus
Angry Left, Corrine Brown, FDP, Florida, redistricting, RPOF 9:37 AM
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| Minorities vs. Florida Democratic Party (FDP) as redistricting battle heats up |
Democrats argue that the current system is far from fair. David Wasserman of the Cook Political Report told 538, "I think anyone would agree that a 19-to-6 edge in the House delegation in Florida is a very overstated advantage for Republicans in a state that voted for Barack Obama." That assessment may seem fair on the surface, but both Republicans and minorities benefit from Florida's districting process.
That process fundamentally changed following the 1990 census, when Democrats still controlled the Florida legislature and wished to secure better minority representation in Congress. According to Sunshine State News, "This deal ensured a GOP majority at the Legislature and gave African-Americans unprecedented levels of representation in Tallahassee. It was a win-win for blacks and Republicans."
But the current system was designed to level the playing field for minorities. Indeed, Florida's minority representatives from both parties have been unequivocally against the Fair Districts Florida amendment. Corrine Brown (D-Jacksonville) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Miami) have mounted legal defense funds to reverse the decision, which could decimate their ethnocentric constituencies. Is this fair?
SSN claims that in an effort to white-wash their Party, Florida Democrats have orchestrated the Fair Districts effort in order to squash notions that Democrats are exclusively the Party of minorities. And the interview with Nate Silver proclaims that there is a long history of division among Democrats between minority protection and Party majorities. Drawnlines hopes readers note this story the next time Republicans are accused of race baiting or being anti-minority.
Posted by Nick Stone
on 9:37 AM.
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Appreciating the depth you're providing the story very much, but doesn't it seem like one party has far more control than is legitimate? The Florida Division of Elections says there are more registered D's than R's, but the congressional spread is 19-6, R's. The Fair Districts amendments are exactly that, fair. What's wrong with setting up a fair process?