NY Republicans Oppose Redistricting Reform

    Governor Andrew Cuomo put forward a bold new redistricting plan in February that would reduce the NY State Senate's roll in redistricting but not surprisingly the Republicans-who run the Senate by the slim lead of 32-30-are not playing ball.

    To be sure they claim to support reform and you'd never get them to say anything otherwise:

    "It's too soon to speculate about the final lines, but we're committed to a process that is fair, bipartisan and transparent," said Scott Reid, a Senate Republican spokesman.  {WSJ Monday 9/19/11 pg. A20).

    But talk is cheap and so are the Republicans-so cheap that they just voted against funding the government past Sept 30 because they object to funding disaster relief for the tropical storms, Irene and Lee, without further budget cuts.

   As usual the Republican counter-offer is long on rhetoric-fair, bipartisan and transparent-but very meager on substance.

    "Senate Republicans, who fear that the lines produced by a commission would make it harder for them to sustain their slender majority in coming years, are plowing ahead with their own maps, floating the idea of tacking on a 63rd seat in Republican-friendly territory."

     Tacking on an extra seat in Republican-friendly territory? That sounds real fair, bipartisan, and transparent.

      At this point backers of Governor Cuomo's redistricting plan have indicated they may be willing to compromise. Common Cause, for example, has signaled that they could get behind a plan that's not drawn by an "independent" commission-as long as districts are drawn that closely track the boundaries of neighborhoods and communities.

     The open question remains how likely you will get districts "drawn that closely track the boundaries of neighborhoods and communities" if they are drawn by a Republican state Senate.

     At this point the feeling is among the plan's backers that there is not enough time left this year so some such compromise may be necessary.

    This seems to be the same old depressing dynamic where Democrats compromise and then compromise on their previous compromise while the GOP stays put. Yet it may be that Republicans will have to do some compromising too. For the Governor''s plan is very popular with the NY public.

   "Voters gave Cuomo an 86 percent approval rating for his handling of the Irene and Lee storms. His overall approval is at 66 percent, which Quinnipiac notes is “the highest score for any governor in states surveyed by Quinnipiac University and among the highest for any New York governor[.]”

    “New York’s love affair with Gov. Andrew Cuomo persists, perhaps helped along by Irene and Lee,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a statement. “Yes, we like him. Yes, we like his policies. Yes, we think he did a good job on the tropical storms. Yes, he’s dominating the legislature. Maybe we should ask about his Queens accent.”

     "Voters are also telling Cuomo they want independent redistricting, according to the poll. Of those polled, 50 percent say they want an independent commission to redraw political boundaries. But how’s this for low expectations: even more–55 percent–do not believe the governor or the state legislature will keep their promises made during the 2010 elections to use an independent redistricting process."

     In fact New Yorkers say that don't want the State Legislature to draw the district lines of where they and members of Congress get elected and will feel "betrayed" if elected officials don't change the redistricting system.