A thread 🧵 on the redistricting provisions of H.R. 1 - which many people shorthand describe as banning partisan gerrymandering and/or requiring independent commissions for drawing congressional districts - but which really are a *lot* more. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 1/
First, let’s talk about the partisan gerrymandering ban. Unlike the partisan gerrymandering cases litigated in state and federal court, H.R. 1’s partisan gerrymandering covers not just intent but also *effects.* #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 2/
This is crucial because, as we saw last decade, maps can be wildly skewed (think the 12-4 in OH or 13-5 in PA) but evidence of intent is often carefully hidden & lawmakers offer any number of pretexts, requiring complex, time consuming litigation. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 3/
In addition to bringing back partisan gerrymandering litigation in fed ct, H.R. 1 simplifies it by adding an effects test providing that maps cannot have “the effect of unduly favoring or disfavoring any political” when viewed on a statewide basis. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 4/
And in amendments, it goes further by providing a clear statistical test for determining when there is such an effect. If a congressional map violates this test, it must be redrawn. Period. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 5/
Result: No need for evidence of legislative intent and faster litigation and no more waiting half a decade - or more - for bad maps to be fixed. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 6/
And it bears stressing this is a huge civil rights measure because whether it is Democrats or Republicans doing the political gerrymandering, it is hard to successfully gerrymander, especially in the South, without targeting communities of color. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 7/
But beyond the partisan gerrymandering ban, H.R. 1’s redistricting provisions also do something else that hasn’t gotten nearly enough attention: They significantly strengthen other protections for communities of color. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 8/
In addition to making clear that minority coalition districts are protected under the Voting Rights Act when communities of color are politically cohesive, H.R. 1 adds protections for crossover districts, which SCOTUS had gutted. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 9/
H.R. 1 also requires preserving communities of interest where possible, a key protection for communities of color as people of color increasingly live in the suburbs rather than the urban cores of cities. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 10/
Now, let’s talk about what H.R. 1 would do for redistricting litigation. In the past, people challenging discriminatory maps would often win in the district court but see the fruits of victory evaporate in the lengthy appeals process. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 11/
In short, delay is often a strategic tool used by states (both D & R) in redistricting litigation to be able to get to use discriminatory maps for just one more cycle. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 12/
H.R. 1 would change that dynamic by requiring all courts, including SCOTUS, to expedite redistricting cases. Last decade, we saw a Texas court sit on a redistricting case for nearly **three** years before ruling. That no longer would be possible. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 13/
SCOTUS also would no longer be able to stay the redrawing of maps pending appeal. That’s big because often by the time SCOTUS rules, it’s too late to redraw maps for the upcoming election. This will ensure a remedial map is ready to go. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 14/
And if a case can’t be resolved three months before a primary election, courts are directed to put in place interim maps to address blatant violations or adjust election schedules. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 15/
And then there are the transparency provisions. Redistricting is often a dark & murky process. H.R. 1 would shine a light on that process by requiring that maps be made public with meaningful time for public comment before they can be voted on. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 16/
This may not sound big, but it’s huge. Last decade, in PA, for example, Republicans did not make the proposed congressional map public until hours before it was approved. (Yes, really.) And PA wasn't alone. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 17/
H.R. 1 also would require that the data used to draw maps be made public and that the public have a chance to submit and comment on maps. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 18/
Last but not least, there are the independent commissions. Depending on when the Senate passes H.R. 1, there may or may not be time for commissions this decade, but starting in 2031, well-designed commissions would draw congressional maps. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 19/
Those commissions would have Democrats, Republicans, *and* independent/unaffiliated voters on them and require pan-partisan support to pass maps. No more passing maps on a party-line basis. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 20/
And there's more, but this thread is already too long (and my lunch is ready). But in short, H.R. 1 would transform one of the most abused parts of our democracy: redistricting. And not a moment too soon. It's time to get it over the finish line. #ForThePeople #HR1 #fairmaps 21/

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More from @mcpli

21 Jan
Thursday’s NYT front page
And the front page of Thursday’s Washington Post
More Thursday front pages from around the nation
Read 4 tweets
20 Jan
It goes without saying that the 1776 Commission doesn’t deal honestly or in depth about the causes of the American Revolution (see below).

But my view is most liberals don’t either. The genesis of the Revolution is mostly glossed over by both left and right.
Maybe at most you get something about taxes or the lack of representation in Parliament, but then you swiftly move on to ‘we’re now independent and drafting a constitution.’ But the Revolution’s roots bear looking at - because they can be pretty dark.
And for that darkness, you need look no further than the litany of complaints in the Declaration of Independence itself. To wit:
Read 5 tweets
19 Jan
Worth noting that Manchin is talking here about $4 trillion over *ten* years. By contrast, we’ve spent over $6.4 trillion on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
To compare, China *did* spend on infrastructure, in particular as part of its response to the Great Recession. Below (left) the Beijing subway in 2003 and (right) what it looks like today (with 2021 extension).
China also has spent massively on high-speed rail since 2008 - and is still doing so (the size of China's high-speed rail network will double again in the this decade).
Read 4 tweets
18 Jan
In our modern celebrations of Dr. King, it can become easy to conflate Dr. King with the civil rights movement writ large. But it’s important to remember how messy & sometimes fraught movement politics were - w/ often sharp disagreements based on policy, tactics & personalities.
And it wasn’t just MLK vs. Malcolm X or later the Black Panthers. Even things like the the sit-ins and the Selma march were very controversial in some quarters at the time.
And some people who did key work didn’t get credit at the time (women in particular). Some still haven’t been fully recognized.
Read 4 tweets
17 Jan
In a new CBS poll, 71% of Americans say US democracy is threatened vs only 29% who describe it was secure. cbsnews.com/amp/news/joe-b…
Perhaps a starker figure, a majority of Americans in the poll (54%) say the biggest threat to the American way of life is other people in America.
The view that other Americans are the biggest threat to the American way of life is pretty consistent across party lines - with 53% of Democrats, 56% of Republicans, and 58% of independents agreeing.
Read 4 tweets
16 Jan
The fact that so many of these people are being arrested based on their own social media posts is 💯
And then there is this Dallas realtor, whose social media posts not only show her taking part in the attack on the Capitol but taking time to pause & promote her real estate business
Read 4 tweets

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