(OK, sure! : ) – promoted by atdleft)

First off, I want to say that I am looking forward to meeting a lot of folks I’ve only heard about online at the “Blue House at the Brew House” blograiser at the California Democratic Convention next Friday.

Just a few days ago, I went to the YearlyKos fundraiser YearlyKos fundraiser in Washington, DC. You can see some of the pictures from that event, including a photo of me with Dengre, in NYBri’s recommended diary.

As you all know, I defeated Richard Pombo, a seven-term Republican incumbent, and was elected to Congress in 2006 on a wave of grassroots and netroots support. But, what some of you may not know is that I ran in 2004 and lost.

Sometimes, it takes more than one election cycle for voters to realize it’s time for a change. That’s why I am proud to post the following request on Calitics today.

Come over to the other side of this diary for the rest of the story.

When the pundits and power-brokers were telling us we could not defeat Richard Pombo, thousands of Democracy for America supporters pushed back, voting to give me DFA’s 2006 "Grassroots All-Star" endorsement, a crucial turning point that provided our campaign with a major financial boost.

Today, seven excellent grassroots candidates are competing to win DFA’s  first congressional endorsement of 2007. You can help me grow the Democratic majority in Congress in 2008 by voting for your next DFA Grassroots All-Star right now:

http://www.democracy…

DFA’s early endorsement helped me win a seat in Congress, showing that bottom-up, people-powered grassroots organizing works. Your Grassroots All-Star vote changed the race, helping us attract significant early support from the netroots and crucial media attention.

As Charles Chamberlain commented in a diary on Daily Kos yesterday, even the National Journal recognized the power of this endorsement:

Even after McNerney’s impressive primary upset, the DCCC was not sold on his viability. But over the summer, he began picking up extensive “netroots” support and captured the imagination of liberal Internet activists. He also won the “Grassroots All-Star” online voting contest run by Democracy for America, a political action committee inspired by Howard Dean. The group’s endorsement triggered campaign contributions for McNerney from around the country.

Now, you can make a difference again. Democracy for America has put together a list of candidates that came extremely close last year, ran an excellent grassroots campaign, and have already thrown their hat back in the ring. These candidates need your help to finish what they started in 2006. It’s up to you to decide who DFA will support next.

Please vote today for DFA’s 2007 Grassroots All-Star:

http://www.democracy…

Don’t stop there. We won the Grassroots All-Star competition in 2006 because our supporters spread the word about this important competition to their friends, family and neighbors — in the grassroots and the netroots. So, after you vote today, please recommend this diary on Daily Kos and ask your friends to support your candidate.

Getting out the vote is how you took back Congress in 2006 and it’s how we’ll grow our Democratic majority in 2008. You can get the ball rolling now by voting for your DFA Grassroots All-Star candidate today and telling your fellow Kossacks to do the same.

IMPORTANT: According to DFA, the first-round deadline is Sunday at midnight. So, you’ve got three days to GOTV!

Please use this diary to talk up your favorite candidate and why you think they should be the next DFA Grassroots All-Star!

Thank you for everything you do.

Jerry McNerney
Member of Congress
2006 DFA Grassroots All-Star

Wow! Big news this morning on the CA redistricting front: California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez is now proposing that independent redistricting apply to Congressional as well as State Legislative districts. This puts Nuñez at odds with Speaker Pelosi, who has opposed independent redistricting for California House districts.

Is this good for Democrats?  Bad for Democrats?  Follow me behind the fold…

First… there’s no question that state legislators drawing their own districts presents a conflict of interest. Whether or not you believe that independent redistricting would create many more “competitive” districts (and I’m skeptical), it’s clear that our state’s lines were not drawn to represent communities, but to protect incumbents. Period.

Does the same apply to Congressional districts? Well, under our current system, Congressmembers do not draw their own lines; the State Legislature does that. But party collusion meant that protecting incumbents still took first priority in 2000. Take a look at our Congressional districts and you’ll see what I mean.

So from that standpoint, it makes sense to hand Congressional redistricting over to an independent body as well.

But now things get complicated.

The question Pelosi raises – and it’s a fair one – is whether enacting this reform solely in California gives Republicans too great a political advantage. Won’t we lose good Democrats while Texas keeps its Republicans in power?

Maybe, but I’m not so sure. At this point it’s important to clarify the difference between protecting incumbents and boosting majority seats. The latter is what Tom DeLay did in 2003 in Texas… that is, instead of drawing districts around all the incumbents to protect their seats, DeLay redrew the map to add Republican seats by consolidating (and therefore eliminating) Democratic seats. This was later ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States – in large part because it amounted to racially-based gerrymandering.

But that is not what happened in California in 2000. After the last redistricting, the number of California’s majority Republican and majority Democratic districts remained the same. All the seats were made safer but no new Democratic seats were created. The motive was to decrease competition, not to engineer partisan gain.

So… if Texas allowed an independent panel to redraw their Congressional district maps, it would mean an almost certain gain for Democrats. In California, however, an independent map could hypothetically benefit either side. Who stood to gain the most would come down to which party was best able to compete in any newly competitive districts.

In fact, if we’d had more competitive Congressional districts in California last November, Democrats could very well have picked up more seats in our state. Instead, our “safe” seats map shielded our Republicans from their party’s most disastrous election in recent history.

So Pelosi is correct that independent redistricting should be applied to all states – BUT I disagree with her assessment that applying it only to California would endanger our Congressional majority. Competitive seats are only a threat if we are afraid to fight for them. If we fight and win, competition will strengthen our party – and give voters greater confidence in the process. I salute Nuñez’s stand and urge Speaker Pelosi to back down from her opposition.