The Universal String Theory of Wingnut Vengeance
Wendy Davis is the Texas senator who led the epic — and only temporarily, alas, successful — fight in that state’s legislature against one of the worst pieces of anti-choice legislation ever dreamed up either by the mind of man, or the hair of Rick Perry. Also, you may recall that, yesterday, on John Roberts’s day of jubilee, the Supreme Court removed the viscera of the Voting Rights Act. And now, we bring to you, the Universal String Theory Of Wingnut Vengeance.
Because of yesterday’s day of jubilee, the other, less evolved primates in the Texas legislature are now free to redistrict an end to Davis’s meddlesome political career.
The move didn’t just imperil Davis’ re-election. It took away the ability of minority voters to band together and elect the candidate they wanted-violating a core principle of most redistricting efforts to keep “communities of interest” together. Minority voters, Davis said, “were being separated very purposely from each other-and therefore from the power to ever express their preference at the ballot box again.” A federal court sided with Davis and the U.S. Justice Department last August-just months before the 2012 election-striking down Texas’ redistricting plan and ordering it to draw up new lines. Her district substantially restored, Davis was re-elected last year by a nearly identical margin to her 2008 victory.But redistricting happens every decade, and next time around, Davis and her constituents might not be able to count on Section 5.
Funny how things work out, ain’t it?
If I hear one more teevee liberal tell me that yesterday’s day of jubilee will be “bad for the Republicans in the long-term,” I going to go Elvis on my flat-screen. The amount of damage that can be done now in the short-term is likely to be permanent. Hell, poor John Lewis looked like he’d just stepped back out of a time machine yesterday.