@nataschadea @stevesi28838948 Yes, aggressive gerrymanders depend on smaller margins of victory which can be overcome by the (political) minority party working hard to boost turnout
Much easier at campaign time to pack the (political) minority voters into a small number of districts that you concede up front
@nataschadea @stevesi28838948 Realistically, however, in the southeastern United States, which are dominated by Republicans, I think all voters, including Black voters, might as well start registering as Republicans to vote in the closed Republican primary likely to pick the winner in November.
@nataschadea @stevesi28838948 In a democracy with majority rule, a (political) minority needs to engage with the system in the most effective way to pursue its interests.
The interests of citizens / voters and the interests of, sadly, senile octogenarians who die in office may very well be different.
@jasoninthehouse You should know what @SecretService did for the 50th Anniversary of the first March on Washington, Wednesday, August 28, 2013.
Security perimeter on public property.
Insufficient magnetometers - either 7 or 9 - took forever to screen the crowd that showed up two hours early. 1/
@jasoninthehouse @SecretService Thus, even though the public was there over two hours before the event started, the space was half-empty while the President spoke to a tiny crowd.
This was not a mistake.
As soon as President Obama was reelected, @SecretSvcSpox knew that he would be there.
2/
@jasoninthehouse @SecretService @SecretSvcSpox Government property, west side of Washington Monument grounds, about a mile from the White House, plenty of notice.
@ackocher You can actually help America by looking at a specific example, such as the family of Liam Conejo Ramos, from Ecuador, to explain why this matters.
Nobody, not even the family’s most vocal supporters, has ever identified any ground for asylum, because there isn’t any.
1/
@ackocher As you know, seeking a better life is both admirable and understandable, but doesn’t qualify for asylum.
Like all countries, Ecuador has its problems, but nothing going on there qualifies for asylum.
Ecuador even has a Consulate in Minneapolis to help its nationals.
2/
@ackocher Immigration advocates complain loudly, of course, but if the American people wanted to welcome the entire world to live in their communities, Congress would change the law.
They’re really angry at @TheDemocrats for losing the election, but cannot admit the real reason.