Being an observer and chronicler of politics for quite some time now, I can certainly note one thing is vital for a campaign: positioning.
In 2010 a group of advocacy organizations including teachers unions, the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, and even then-governor Charlie Crist supported what was called the Fair Districts Amendments. The amendments, generally opposed by Republican-leaning organizations, passed.
The next year the congressional and state maps were drawn, as set by law, by the Florida Legislature. It was done over a course of several months, and included public input. The Legislature had meetings throughout the state and received input from a variety of sources, including advocacy groups, political consultants, local politicos and a variety of citizens from though out the state.
Just like all legislation which is passed in our form of government, not everyone was pleased with the outcome. Some sued, claiming the maps were drawn in violation of a recently passed constitutional amendment. I’ve got no problem with lawsuits, but the positioning on each side is pretty interesting.
Let’s be honest: the supporters of the lawsuit are clearly left-leaning politically. The opponents are mostly right-leaning politically, but also includes supporters of U.S. Representative Corrine Brown, a Democratic rep whose district is at the heart of the lawsuit.
So last week, the Legislature was sent to Tallahassee to give it another shot, in hopes of complying with a circuit court judge’s ruling. No map is going to be perfect. Each congressional district has to have the same number of voters and should be as compact as possible, while also complying with federal law relating to minority access districts. In a perfect world, the maps would be square. But people don’t all live in square blocks. The maps are also not pretty. Look at our state map — Florida itself looks quite different from Utah. Regardless of how the maps look, here’s a spoiler alert: the plaintiffs won’t like the maps.
They have proffered the judge could simply use their map and this whole lawsuit would be over. Their map, which was crafted by whom? In what public theater? Which side of the political spectrum are these groups hoping to benefit? We know. Everyone knows.
Here’s where the interesting part comes in for me. How can these groups claim to be completely nonpartisan when they are advocating for passage of maps drawn outside the sunshine by who knows who, and benefitting the campaigns of we all know who? The positioning of the plaintiffs and their supporters could challenge their impartiality in the public eye next time they come asking for support of their next “nonpartisan” issue.
Michelle Ertel is a Republican political analyst for News 13.