Short Stuff from the Traveling Ph.D.

motherjones:

This is what the new gerrymandered Ohio district centered on Columbus looks like. It’s a beaut.

Unlike Luis Gutierrez’ famous “earmuffs” district in Chicago, this district wasn’t drawn as a majority-minority district for Voting Rights Act compliance. (The VRA requires the creation of majority-minority districts.) It was drawn purely as a Democratic vote sink. 

This is a great early example of what the GOP is going to be able to do now that the party has unprecedented control over redistricting in the wake of massive state-level victories in the 2010 elections. For more, check out this story.