{"id":226,"date":"2016-01-13T20:57:03","date_gmt":"2016-01-14T01:57:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=226"},"modified":"2018-03-01T14:29:25","modified_gmt":"2018-03-01T19:29:25","slug":"226","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=226","title":{"rendered":"This is actually what America would look like without gerrymandering"},"content":{"rendered":"<section id=\"top-content\" class=\"col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-10 col-xs-10 col-xs-offset-1 col-sm-offset-1 col-md-offset-0 col-lg-offset-0 layout\">\n<div class=\"pb-container\">\n<div id=\"f0yerBAegonOKq\" class=\"moat-trackable pb-f-theme-normal pb-f-dehydrate-false pb-f-async-false pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-article-article-topper\" data-chain-name=\"no-name\" data-feature-name=\"no-name\" data-feature-id=\"article\/article-topper\" data-pb-fingerprint=\"0f2iLQhOKq3\">\n<div class=\"border-bottom-off border-bottom-100-pct\">\n<div id=\"article-topper\" class=\"article-topper \">\n<div id=\"topper-headline-wrapper\" class=\"col-xs-12 col-sm-8 col-lg-9\">\n<h1 data-pb-field=\"custom.topperDisplayName\"><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"main-content\" class=\"col-xl-9 col-lg-8 col-md-8 col-sm-12 col-xs-12 col-xs-offset-0 col-sm-offset-0 col-md-offset-0 col-lg-offset-0 layout\">\n<div id=\"fMxsbY1egonOKq\" class=\"moat-trackable pb-f-theme-normal pb-f-dehydrate-false pb-f-async-false full pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-article-article-body\" data-chain-name=\"no-name\" data-feature-name=\"no-name\" data-feature-id=\"article\/article-body\" data-pb-fingerprint=\"0fyOONiOKqJ\">\n<div id=\"article-body\" class=\"article-body content-format-default\">\n<div class=\"pb-sig-line hasnt-headshot has-0-headshots hasnt-bio is-not-column\"><span class=\"pb-byline\">By\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/people\/christopher-ingraham\/\">Christopher Ingraham<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"pb-timestamp\">January 13, 2016<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"pb-tool email\"><a href=\"mailto:christopher.ingraham@washpost.com?subject=Reader%20feedback%20for%20%27This%20is%20actually%20what%20America%20would%20look%20like%20without%20gerrymandering%27\"><span class=\"envelope-label\">Email the author<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<article class=\"paywall\">\n<div class=\"inline-content inline-video\">\n<div class=\"wpv-wrap abd19ebe-6bf8-11e2-ada0-5ca5fa7ebe79_wrap\">\n<div class=\"wpv-fixed\">\n<div id=\"powa-abd19ebe-6bf8-11e2-ada0-5ca5fa7ebe79-0\" class=\"posttv-video-embed powa powa-processed small wpv-sticky\" data-ad-bar=\"1\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-blurb=\"1\" data-live=\"0\" data-object-id=\"520901876ae74a9bb89047aa\" data-org=\"wapo\" data-playthrough=\"1\" data-uuid=\"abd19ebe-6bf8-11e2-ada0-5ca5fa7ebe79\" data-youtube-id=\"\" data-nth-video-on-page=\"0\" data-mpulse=\"true\" data-preload=\"metadata\" data-autoinit=\"true\" data-autoinit-ads=\"1\" data-autoplay-fallback=\"muted\" data-autorun=\"true\" data-device-class=\"deskweb\" data-viewable-fired=\"true\">\n<div id=\"powa-abd19ebe-6bf8-11e2-ada0-5ca5fa7ebe79-0-powa-shot\" class=\"powa-shot\">\n<div class=\"powa-shot-image powa-shot-click powa-shot-click-play\">\u00a0<span style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/video\/c\/embed\/abd19ebe-6bf8-11e2-ada0-5ca5fa7ebe79\" width=\"480\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>In his\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/the-press-office\/2016\/01\/12\/remarks-president-barack-obama-%E2%80%93-prepared-delivery-state-union-address\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">State of the Union speech<\/a>, President Obama called on lawmakers and the public to take a number of steps &#8220;to change the system to reflect our better selves&#8221; for &#8220;a better politics.&#8221; The top\u00a0item on that list was to end partisan gerrymandering: &#8220;we have to end the practice of drawing our congressional districts so that politicians can pick their voters, and not the other way around,&#8221; Obama said.<\/p>\n<p>In most states, state legislatures draw the district boundaries that determine how many delegates the state sends to the U.S. Congress, as well as the general partisan make-up of that delegation.\u00a0State legislatures are partisan beasts, and if one party is in control of the process they can draw boundaries to give themselves a numeric advantage over their opponents in Congress.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/wonk\/wp\/2015\/03\/01\/this-is-the-best-explanation-of-gerrymandering-you-will-ever-see\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">This process is called gerrymandering<\/a>.<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/video\/c\/embed\/e447f5c2-07fe-11e6-bfed-ef65dff5970d\" width=\"480\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-content inline-video\">\n<div id=\"powa-e447f5c2-07fe-11e6-bfed-ef65dff5970d-1\" class=\"posttv-video-embed powa powa-processed small\" data-ad-bar=\"1\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-blurb=\"1\" data-live=\"0\" data-object-id=\"571936b3e4b0c0536622fa61\" data-org=\"wapo\" data-playthrough=\"1\" data-uuid=\"e447f5c2-07fe-11e6-bfed-ef65dff5970d\" data-youtube-id=\"\" data-nth-video-on-page=\"1\" data-mpulse=\"true\" data-preload=\"metadata\" data-autoinit=\"true\" data-autoplay-fallback=\"muted\" data-autorun=\"true\" data-device-class=\"deskweb\" data-viewable-fired=\"true\">\n<div id=\"powa-e447f5c2-07fe-11e6-bfed-ef65dff5970d-1-powa-shot\" class=\"powa-shot\">\n<div class=\"powa-shot-image powa-shot-click powa-shot-click-play\">\n<div class=\"powa-shot-logo\" data-logo=\"wapo-wonkblog\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"powa-e447f5c2-07fe-11e6-bfed-ef65dff5970d-1-powa-pane\" class=\"powa-pane\">\n<div class=\"powa-shot-masthead\">\n<div class=\"powa-shot-title shadow franklin-light\">Gerrymandering, explained<\/div>\n<div class=\"powa-shot-sharing\">\n<div class=\"franklin-bold powa-shot-sharing-embed powa-shot-sharing-item\">\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"franklin-bold powa-shot-sharing-social powa-shot-sharing-item\">\n<div><span class=\"powa-tease\" style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\">The process of re-drawing district lines to give an advantage to one party over another is called &#8220;gerrymandering&#8221;. Here&#8217;s how it works.<\/span><span style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"powa-byline franklin-light\" style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\">(Daron Taylor\/The Washington Post)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Some state legislatures\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/wonk\/wp\/2014\/05\/15\/americas-most-gerrymandered-congressional-districts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">are more brazen about the process than others<\/a>. Maryland&#8217;s districts, drawn by Democrats, are one particularly egregious example. North Carolina&#8217;s, drawn by Republicans, are another. Advocates of reform\u00a0have proposed various solutions to the problem over the years. In some states, redistricting is put in the hands of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/azredistricting.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an independent commission<\/a>. In others,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/politics-government\/state-politics\/article47576450.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lengthy court battles<\/a>\u00a0are playing out to draw the districts more fairly.<span style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>But a fundamental problem with district-drawing still remains: as long as humans are drawing the lines, there&#8217;s a danger of bias and self-interest to creep into the process. There is another way, however: we could simply\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/wonk\/wp\/2014\/06\/03\/this-computer-programmer-solved-gerrymandering-in-his-spare-time\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">let computers do the drawing for us<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>From a technological standpoint it&#8217;s fairly straightforward\u00a0&#8212; a software engineer in Massachusetts named Brian Olson\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bdistricting.com\/2010\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote an algorithm to do it in his spare time<\/a>. As I described it in 2014, Olson&#8217;s algorithm creates\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bdistricting.com\/2010\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&#8220;optimally compact&#8221; equal-population congressional districts in each state<\/a>, based on 2010 census data. It\u00a0draws districts that respect the boundaries of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.census.gov\/2011\/07\/20\/what-are-census-blocks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">census blocks<\/a>, which are the smallest geographic units used by the Census Bureau. This ensures that the district boundaries reflect actual neighborhoods and don&#8217;t, say,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vox.com\/2014\/5\/8\/5695350\/this-is-what-america-would-look-like-without-gerrymandering\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cut an arbitrary line<\/a>through somebody&#8217;s house.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>To see what this looks like in practice, compare this map of our current congressional districts (top) with one we\u00a0stitched together from Olson&#8217;s output (bottom).<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-content inline-photo inline-photo-normal vertical-photo\"><a name=\"19562f7f11\"><\/a><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hi-res-lazy courtesy-of-the-lazy-loader\" src=\"https:\/\/img.washingtonpost.com\/wp-apps\/imrs.php?src=https:\/\/img.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/wonkblog\/files\/2016\/01\/maps.jpg&amp;w=1484\" data-hi-res-src=\"https:\/\/img.washingtonpost.com\/wp-apps\/imrs.php?src=https:\/\/img.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/wonkblog\/files\/2016\/01\/maps.jpg&amp;w=1484\" data-low-res-src=\"https:\/\/img.washingtonpost.com\/wp-apps\/imrs.php?src=https:\/\/img.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/wonkblog\/files\/2016\/01\/maps.jpg&amp;w=480\" data-raw-src=\"https:\/\/img.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/wonkblog\/files\/2016\/01\/maps.jpg\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Big difference, isn&#8217;t it? You can check out\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/wonkblog\/files\/2016\/01\/gerrymandering_compact.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a larger version of the compacted map here<\/a>. Rather than a confusing snarl of interlocked districts, you have neat, trim boundaries that make intuitive sense. Here are some individual state comparisons I made back in 2014 that let you see some more of the detail:<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-content inline-photo inline-photo-center vertical-photo\"><a name=\"c03a748c6c\"><\/a><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/wonkblog\/files\/2016\/01\/Screen-Shot-2016-01-13-at-11.35.35-AM.png?ssl=1\" alt=\"Screen Shot 2016-01-13 at 11.35.35 AM\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-content inline-photo inline-photo-center vertical-photo\"><a name=\"27eb47ea75\"><\/a><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/wonkblog\/files\/2016\/01\/Screen-Shot-2016-01-13-at-11.35.23-AM.png?ssl=1\" alt=\"Screen Shot 2016-01-13 at 11.35.23 AM\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Algorithms like this one prioritize compactness &#8212; that is, ensuring that voters are geographically close together. One of the telltale signs of gerrymandering is dramatically non-compact districts that squiggle and squirm out in all different directions &#8212; evidence of lawmakers trying to bring far-flung voters into a single district in order to achieve the partisan mix that best favors their party. Or, as Obama said: districts that let politicians pick their voters, rather than the other way around.<\/p>\n<p>Many political scientists are\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailykos.com\/story\/2015\/05\/12\/1384062\/-Compactness-is-a-terrible-standard-for-redistricting-and-determining-if-maps-were-gerrymandered\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">skeptical<\/a>\u00a0about the merits of drawing districts based on compactness. Their general argument is that districts are ideally based on communities of interest &#8212; people who share a common\u00a0demography, culture, class, etc. There&#8217;s no particular reason, they say, that grouping voters by geographic proximity ensures this coherent community any more than drawing lines according to any other metric. Moreover,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/poseidon01.ssrn.com\/delivery.php?ID=164026089095087071074096067071117106103071022042063039098083030018007028098098087104027098125022121046105080106001103103106016010025046089088000006009126093090026033089008122117005087103029123121020081005006112124093015067088075080006122074022095099&amp;EXT=pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">algorithms can be biased too<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a point well-taken. But &#8220;community of interest&#8221; is an incredibly squishy term. You can define it pretty much however you want. As I wrote in 2014, if you&#8217;re a politician in search of a figleaf justification for putting voters from disparate corners of the state into the same congressional district, you can always find one. Communities of interest are a great ideal, but in practice they&#8217;re so fuzzy that they open the door to all manner of redistricting shenanigans,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/wonkblog\/wp\/2014\/05\/15\/americas-most-gerrymandered-congressional-districts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">as we&#8217;ve seen<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The main obstacles to automated redistricting are legal. For starters, the Voting Rights Act mandates that in some states,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailykos.com\/story\/2015\/05\/12\/1384062\/-Compactness-is-a-terrible-standard-for-redistricting-and-determining-if-maps-were-gerrymandered\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">race needs to be a factor<\/a>\u00a0in redistricting to ensure that minority voters are represented in Congress. Again: a nice idea. But there&#8217;s a tradeoff: packing all your minority voters into one district diminishes their clout everywhere else. We&#8217;ve\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/jacksonville.com\/news\/2015-10-09\/story\/judges-decision-sends-districts-drawn-voting-rights-groups-florida-supreme\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">seen this in the real world in Florida<\/a>: the 5th District was originally drawn as a majority-minority district by Democrats. But Republicans saw fit to keep it that way in subsequent years, because it gave black voters less power in the surrounding districts.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, the prospect of an open, transparent algorithm drawing districts based on population and compactness may be an improvement upon\u00a0the status quo, where politicians draw the boundaries that best serve their interests. Of course, the chances of this ever becoming reality are slim: doing so would require state legislators to voluntarily cede their redistricting powers to a computer program. And if there&#8217;s anything lawmakers dislike, it&#8217;s giving up power.<\/p>\n<p><em>Laris Karklis contributed to this story.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"cdXfx92egonOKq\" class=\"chain-wrapper standard-chain in-chain border-bottom-hairline border-bottom-100-pct pb-layout-item pb-chain pb-c-standard-chain full\" data-chain-name=\"no-name\">\n<div class=\"chain-content no-skin clear\">\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fBq6x51egonOKq\" class=\"moat-trackable pb-f-theme-normal pb-f-dehydrate-false pb-f-async-false full pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-article-article-author-bio\" data-chain-name=\"no-name\" data-feature-name=\"no-name\" data-feature-id=\"article\/article-author-bio\" data-pb-fingerprint=\"0f7Y1cjOKqD\">\n<div class=\"pb-bottom-author-wrapper border-bottom-hairline border-bottom-100-pct\">\n<div class=\"pb-bottom-author\">\n<div class=\"pb-headshot col-xs-0 col-sm-2\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" _1-to-1 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-apps\/imrs.php?src=https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/arc-authors\/washpost\/80b963d2-4f59-4ca2-92e6-639c4514cf71.png&amp;w=180&amp;h=180&amp;t=20170517a\" data-threshold=\"180\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"pb-author-info col-sm-offset-2\">\n<div class=\"pb-author-bio\">Christopher Ingraham writes about politics, drug policy and all things data. He previously worked at the Brookings Institution and the Pew Research Center.<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/follow?screen_name=_cingraham\"><i class=\"fa fa-twitter\"><\/i>\u00a0Follow @_cingraham<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By\u00a0Christopher Ingraham\u00a0January 13, 2016\u00a0Email the author \u00a0\u00a0 In his\u00a0State of the Union speech, President Obama called on lawmakers and the public to take a number&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":343,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-state-politics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018-03-01_14-28-50.jpg?fit=912%2C524&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s8VBh7-226","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":246,"url":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=246","url_meta":{"origin":226,"position":0},"title":"Supreme Court to hear Texas case on racial gerrymandering","author":"Donnie","date":"January 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Supreme Court also faces the prospect of making decisions on two additional redistricting cases, in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. | Win McNamee\/Getty Images By\u00a0CRISTIANO LIMA 01\/12\/2018 04:18 PM EST The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear arguments on whether federal and state district maps discriminate against people of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;State Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"State Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018-03-01_11-21-11.jpg?fit=821%2C447&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018-03-01_11-21-11.jpg?fit=821%2C447&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018-03-01_11-21-11.jpg?fit=821%2C447&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018-03-01_11-21-11.jpg?fit=821%2C447&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":228,"url":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=228","url_meta":{"origin":226,"position":1},"title":"The Supreme Court Finds North Carolina&#8217;s Racial Gerrymandering Unconstitutional","author":"Donnie","date":"May 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The justices end a six-year fight over 2011 congressional maps that diluted black voting strength in the state. J. Scott Applewhite \/ AP VANN R. NEWKIRK II \u00a0MAY 22, 2017 You don\u2019t see a Kagan-Breyer-Ginsburg-Sotomayor-Thomas majority often in U.S. Supreme Court decisions, but today that quintet joined together to deal\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;State Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"State Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018-03-01_12-00-42.jpg?fit=819%2C535&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018-03-01_12-00-42.jpg?fit=819%2C535&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018-03-01_12-00-42.jpg?fit=819%2C535&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018-03-01_12-00-42.jpg?fit=819%2C535&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":185,"url":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=185","url_meta":{"origin":226,"position":2},"title":"Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker sued for not calling special elections","author":"Donnie","date":"February 26, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"FEBRUARY 26, 2018 Dan Whitcomb (Reuters) - An pro-Democratic redistricting group headed by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder sued Wisconsin\u2019s Republican governor, Scott Walker, on Monday for declining to hold special elections for two vacant seats in the state legislature. \u00a0 FILE PHOTO: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker speaks during\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?cat=11"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018-03-01_14-26-19.jpg?fit=694%2C479&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018-03-01_14-26-19.jpg?fit=694%2C479&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopplaybook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018-03-01_14-26-19.jpg?fit=694%2C479&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1387,"url":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=1387","url_meta":{"origin":226,"position":3},"title":"The royal scam and the Supreme Court","author":"Donnie","date":"July 3, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"With its disastrous immunity ruling and exquisite timing, the conservative Supreme Court majority has given us a Fourth to remember. By Yvonne Abraham Globe Columnist,Updated July 3, 2024,\u00a07:35 p.m. The justices' bench in the Supreme Court chamber in Washington.AMIR HAMJA\/NYT Happy Fourth of July, friends! 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