Red Mapping

[SamIam]

Last night, NPR news reported on a phenomenon known as “Red Mapping.”

In early 2010, Republican strategists launched a new project called RedMap. The idea was to flip as many statehouses across the country to Republican majorities during the 2010 election cycle — particularly in states where congressional redistricting was pending.

"The thinking behind it, which was very ingenious, was that state legislative races are cheap, and if you can just put a bit of money into them and flip the statehouse, then you can control the redistricting process, which in turn gives the Republican Party a great advantage in putting members of Congress in the House of Representatives," says New Yorker staff writer Jane Mayer. "And most people don't pay a lot of attention to what's going on in the states. ... But it's kind of ground zero for where politics is playing out."

The Supreme Court’s ruling that corporations are individuals has allowed wealthy CEO’s and business owners to pour massive amounts of money into electing the candidate of their choice. One example of this is Art Pope, chairman of a discount store chain, who pumped millions of dollars into the 2010 North Carolina election for state representatives.

Pope and his family, either directly or through shell outfits, spent 40 million dollars on a series of smear campaigns – mostly through the mail – against Democratic candidates. 40 million dollars is an unheard of amount for a single individual to spend at the State level. The Dems were overwhelmed and Pope bought himself the North Carolina State Legislature. How nice for him.

What the country is seeing is what looks like spontaneous combustion of far right-wing Tea Party politics, but behind that there are some very instrumental players who have great family fortunes, corporate fortunes — and who are coordinating to a certain extent.

Interesting stuff.

http://www.npr.org/2011/10/06/141078...licans-win-n-c