Yesterday, President Obama's emotional address on gun control shared space with the tortuous fight on redistricting in Florida. The former engaged people emotionally on both sides of the argument. For the most part, redistricting is inside baseball, followed by politicians, interest groups, and partisan activists.
Yet, they are both vital parts of the same democratic process. Each has consequences for the other. When I did phone banking for the re-election campaign of Suzanne Kosmas in 2010, so many of the Democratic voters I talked to told me they were not going to vote. They were disappointed that President Obama had not fixed the economic crisis, that they were still suffering. It was an emotional response. The result in Florida was that the Republicans were able to create redistricting maps that suited the special interests they represent. Low turnout by Democrats in many states also produced Republican-controlled governors' mansions, state legislatures, and, of course, the U.S. House of Representatives.
How do we move beyond our focus on inside baseball issues to fire up Democratic and progressive independent voters for 2016?
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