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>>> WELCOME BACK TO FLASHPOINT. HERE WE GO AGAIN, NORTH CAROLINA MUST ONCE AGAIN REDRAW THEIR
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT LINES
BEFORE THE 2020 ELECTIONS.
JUDGES RULED CURRENT LINES GIVE
REPUBLICANS AN UNFAIR
ADVANTAGE.
THEY PUT TOGETHER A LIST OF
CRITERIA TO USE IN THE
MAPMAKING EFFORT AND THEN BEGAN
DRAFTING MAPS.
NEXT BRINGS PRIMARY WILL HAVE
TO BE PUSHED BACK THOSE STATE
LAWMAKERS DO NOT REDRAW THE
DISTRICTS IN TIME.
BY THE WAY, FOR THOSE KEEPING
COUNT, THIS WILL BE THE THIRD
CHECK OF CONGRESSIONAL MAPS IN
EIGHT YEARS.
THE FIRST CONVERSATION ABOUT
THE BUDGET, IF IT WASN'T ENOUGH
TO MAKE YOU SKEPTICAL ABOUT
POLITICS THEN THIS CONVERSATION
WILL.
WHERE DO THINGS STAND?
>> RIGHT NOW, THIS IS THE
SECOND REDRAWING WE ARE HAVING
TO DO, WE JUST FINISHED
REDRAWING THE STATE LEGISLATIVE
DISTRICTS FOR THE HOUSE AND
SENATE LAST YEAR FOR THIS NEXT
ELECTION.
>> GROW QUICKLY FOR OUR
VIEWERS, WE GOT CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICTS, THE FOLKS AT THE IN
DC AND THEN YOU HAVE THE
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS, BOTH HAD
TO BE REDRAWN.
>> RIGHT, AND THERE STILL IS A
LITTLE LITIGATION FOR A COUPLE
DISTRICTS IN THERE BUT FOR
LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES WE ARE
STILL RUNNING UNDER THE THIRD
SET OF DIFFERENT MAPS IN THE
THIRD STRAIGHT ELECTION AND IT
WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SEPARATE
DECADE.
THESE CONGRESSIONAL MAPS, IS
COMING ON THE HEELS OF THE
COURT DECISION TO REDRAW THE
STATE LEGISLATIVE MAP FROM THE
SAME CRITERIA.
AND SO WE WILL SEE BUT WE ARE A
50-50 STATE AND WE HAVE 13
CONGRESSPEOPLE IN DC.
10 OF THEM A REPUBLICAN AND
THREE ARE DEMOCRAT.
>> IN A PERFECT SYSTEM, THAT'S
BEING GENEROUS. IF YOU GO OFF
OF REGISTERED VOTERS, THERE IS
SUBSTANTIALLY MORE DEMOCRATS.
>> BUT YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER
THERE'S A LOT OF HISTORICAL
DEMOCRATS IN NORTH CAROLINA
THAT ARE NOT TRADITIONAL VOTING
DEMOCRATS LIKE THOSE IN THE
VIEWERSHIP.
ONCE AGAIN, WE ARE NOT A
PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM.
WE WANT TO BE A PARLIAMENTARY
SYSTEM THEN LET'S DO THAT AND
GIVE THE GREEN PARTY FOR
PRESENT.
I DON'T THINK IT'S THAT
SIMPLISTIC.
I WILL SAY THIS, IT LOOKS
MILLETT SAY IT'S 100 % CORRECT,
I WAS THERE WHEN WE DREW THESE
MAPS THE FIRST TIME, I WAS IN
THE COMMITTEE WITH
REPRESENTATIVE LEWIS WHO I
THINK IS A WONDERFUL INDIVIDUAL
AND SAID THE ONLY REASON IT IS
10 REPUBLICANS AND THREE
DEMOCRATS IS I CAN'T FIND A WAY
TO MAKE 11 REPUBLICANS AND TWO
DEMOCRATS.
AT THE TIME THAT WAS LEGAL AND
THE STATE HAS NOW RULED THAT IS
NOT LEGAL AND THEN OTHER COURTS
RULED IT ACTUALLY IS.
IT'S AN INTERESTING DYNAMIC BUT
I GUESS, HERE IS WHAT I WOULD
ASK FOR PEOPLE TO CONSIDER.
WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE ON
GERRYMANDERING.
GERRYMANDERING IS ABOUT
PROTECTING CLASS.
WE PROTECT INCUMBENTS.
SHOULD WE GERRYMANDER FOR
INCUMBENT?
IF YOU LOOK AT IT, ALMOST ALL
THE CHANGES CAME OUT ON THE
STATE MAPS AND YOU ARE IN THE
CHAMBER THEN. WAS ALL THE
DISCUSSION ON THE STATE MAPS
WHEN YOU SAT AROUND ON THE
COMPUTERS AND CHANGE THINGS, IT
WAS FOR ONE REASON.
TO PROTECT INCUMBENTS.
WE DON'T WANT TO GERRYMANDER
AND LET'S EITHER NOT
GERRYMANDER FOR ANYTHING OR
LET'S SAY IT'S OKAY TO JUST
TELL ME WHERE THE LINE IS.
>> SO WITH THAT, THERE IS A
NUANCE POINT OF THAT.
THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
PROTECTING INCUMBENTS AND
AVOIDING DOUBLE BUCKING OF
INCUMBENTS.
THESE DISTRICTS WERE NOT DRAWN
TO MAKE SURE WHOEVER WAS THE
INCUMBENT WAS GOING TO GET
REELECTED.
IT WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE
DIDN'T HAVE THREE INCUMBENTS IN
THE SAME DISTRICT WHICH IS WHAT
HAPPENED IN A FEW OF THE MAPS
WITH CHARLOTTE IN PARTICULAR.
AND SO IT IS A FINE LINE AND IT
IS NUANCED AND I DON'T WANT TO
OVERSTATE THIS AND THAT IT DOES
DEPEND ON WHERE PEOPLE ARE
LOCATED BUT YOU HAVE TO MAKE
SURE THAT PEOPLE'S VOICES ARE
HEARD.
YOU CANNOT HAVE A STATE IN
WHICH THE GOVERNMENT IS
COMPLETELY RUN BY PEOPLE WHO
ONLY HAVE TO FACE THEIR PRIMARY
ELECTION.
THAT IS 10 % OF THE ENTIRE STATE
. AT A MAXIMUM IT'S HAVING A
SAY --
>> WHAT ABOUT THE CITY OF
CHARLOTTE?
I DIDN'T SEE THIS PASSION ON
THOSE VOTES?
COUNTY COMMISSION IS UNANIMOUS,
THE MECKLENBURG DELEGATION, 17
MEMBERS OF THE MECKLENBURG
DELEGATION ARE IN RALEIGH, 12
IN THE HOUSE AND BY THEN THE
SENATE.
NOT ONE OF THOSE IS A
REPUBLICAN.
SO I JUST WANT SOMEONE TO
EXPLAIN TO ME, AND LOOK, ON THE
RECORD I HAVE WRITTEN BILLS AND
THEY ARE GOING TO PASS, TRYING
TO PASS INDEPENDENT
REDISTRICTING.
I 100 % REPORT SUPPORT IT.
HOWEVER, TELL ME WHEN IT IS
GOOD FOR THE GOOSE AND NOT FOR
THE GANDER CUSHION MAXIMUM I
COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU.
IF ANYTHING, THE MAP RETRYING
SHOWS US THAT WE DON'T NEED TO
BE WITHIN A HAPPY MILE OF
WHATEVER ROOM THAT IS HAPPENING
IN AND AGAIN, THAT'S WHAT
HAPPENS.
YOU GO TO THE MACHINE AND YOU
SAY OKAY, LET'S TRY TO FIGURE
THIS OUT AND THERE'S JUST TOO
MUCH PRESSURE AND LEGISLATURES
AND LAWMAKERS SHOULD NOT BE
ENGAGING THERE.
THE CHARLOTTE CITY COUNCIL,
NONPARTISAN.
MAKE IT NONPARTISAN DISTRICT.
>> ABSOLUTELY HAPPY WITH IT.
>> SURE.
>> AND THE OTHER THING WE HAVE
TO THINK OF, KEEP IN MIND, WE
HAD