If you’re wondering whether the Texas redistricting 
fracas is being orchestrated from Washington, look at this article in today’s Dallas Morning News.
The one Republican who’s broken ranks over redistricting is Bill Ratliff (R-Mount Pleasant). He’s not just any state senator. After President Bush left for Washington in 2001, he was succeeded by then-Lt. Governor Rick Perry. Ratliff’s colleagues then chose him to serve as acting-Lt. Governor, an extremely powerful office in that state.
Today Ratliff revealed that “in the summer of 2001 he was asked by Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land and current U.S. House majority leader, whether he, as acting lieutenant governor, would suspend the Senate’s two-thirds rule so the GOP could push through a favorable congressional redistricting plan during a special session.” Breaking the two-thirds rule is what triggered the exodus of Democratic senators to Albuquerque and prompted Ratliff to come over to their side.
Add that to this from the Houston Chronicle in mid-June …
Rove called state Sen. Bill Ratliff of Mt. Pleasant, the most likely Republican to oppose a GOP-drawn redistricting plan in Texas. Ratliff, who is undecided, said Rove stopped short of saying Bush wanted him to vote for the bill but “indicated that it could be important to the president.”
In any case, now there’s something you can do about this.
Regular readers of TPM have heard plenty from me about this ugly episode and why I believe it matters. Now Moveon.org is organizing efforts to support the eleven Democratic state senators who are now holed up in Albuquerque, New Mexico to block the latest attempt to push through Tom DeLay’s precedent-busting redistricting plan.
Here’s a letter from state Senator Rodney Ellis explaining what’s at stake and what’s happening now.
What these eleven are doing is really important.
Stop by the site. If you think this is important, get involved.
