21 December, 2010

Today’s A Big Day For Congress



No, not because of expected votes.

And not because they’re going to adjourn.

And not because they’re holding a hearing or a press conference.

Today the Census results will be released.

Today we will know which states gain seats in the House, and which states lose. This also affects the Electoral College and the 2012 Presidential election.

From Jamie Dupree:

The biggest change is expected to be in Texas, which is forecast to get three or maybe four extra seats in the House.
"They're going to be the big winners," said Kimball Brace of Election Data Services, a company that specializes in how the Census will change the makeup of Congress.
The big losers could be Ohio and New York, which could both see a loss of two seats, more evidence of the American transition away from the Rust Belt and into the Sun Belt.

I haven’t made much note of it, but one of the lesser talked about issues of the 2010 election was the gains Republicans made in state legislatures all over the country. The state legislatures will re-draw the district lines and eliminate districts as necessary. You can be sure that the party in power will eliminate a district controlled by the other party.

Personally I’m against this sort of gerrymandering, and prefer rectangular districts based upon population density, but that’s a topic for another post.

Anyway, you play by the rules you have and with the cards you’re dealt. Right now the rules and the cards appear to favor the Republicans.

Stay tuned.

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