On August 16th, the California Senate became the first state legislative body in America to vote to turn over redistricting powers to an independent agency. Although it was hailed by hopeful reform advocates, it was an illusion. It was all part of a kabuki play launched last year when the Democratic leaders of California’s legislature promised to do redistricting reform “the right way” … if only voters went along with them in defeating Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s redistricting reform initiative, which they did. . . .
Meanwhile, after this extraordinarily laughable episode, with the press clearly not buying the explanations of Democratic legislative leaders, it’s obvious that only public pressure and the intervention of the governor will get the entrenched political class to honor its promises. What else is new?
Didn’t Kaus predict exactly this?