DECISIONS, DECISIONS….Election day is only a few weeks away here in California, which means that pretty soon I have to decide whether or not to vote for Arnold’s anti-gerrymandering initiative. Ethan Rarick says that although it’s a good idea, he’s going to vote against it anyway:
Here’s why. I’m a Democrat, and while I don’t think that the nonpartisan redistricting would have much of an effect on the legislative majorities in the California statehouse (where Democrats are likely to keep control of both the Assembly and the Senate), I do think a nonpartisan redistricting could reduce the number of Democrats in California’s congressional delegation, lessening the chances that Democrats will ever be able to regain control of the House of Representatives.
….But why should California Democrats be fair to Republicans when they have no guarantee that Republicans in the rest of the country will behave likewise? I will support a nonpartisan redistricting of Democrat-dominated California on the same day I can be assured of similar fairness in Republican states.
….I’m all for fairness, but I’m not so noble that I’m willing to lay down my Democratic sword here in California while Tom DeLay and his henchmen disembowel my soul-mates on the dusty plains of the Lone Star State, all the while swinging the federal government further and further to the right.
That pretty much gets at the nub of the whole thing. I’m all for good government, but do I have to commit partisan suicide in the process? And yet….someone has to start. I have a feeling I won’t know how I’m going to vote on this until my finger is actually hovering over the voting machine.
UPDATE: Oh hell. Tomorrow is election day in my congressional district to replace Chris Cox. The special election to decide the initiatives isn’t until next month. I’ve updated the post to reflect this.
