Elons Grok says the following about gerrymandering in Wisconsin:
“Academic studies on partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin consistently highlight it as one of the most extreme examples in the United States, particularly following the 2011 redistricting by the Republican-controlled legislature. These studies employ various quantitative methods to demonstrate how the state’s legislative maps have disproportionately favored Republicans, often decoupling election outcomes from the popular vote.
One prominent approach is the use of algorithmic simulations to assess partisan bias. Researchers, such as those from Duke University, generated over 19,000 random Assembly maps that adhered to traditional redistricting criteria like compactness, contiguity, and compliance with federal civil rights laws. Their findings showed that Wisconsin’s 2011 State Assembly map exhibited more Republican bias than over 99% of these neutral simulations, suggesting a deliberate gerrymander. Similarly, Jowei Chen from the University of Michigan analyzed the “efficiency gap,” a metric that measures wasted votes—those either exceeding what’s needed to win a district or cast in a losing effort. Chen’s study found Wisconsin’s maps consistently produced a significant efficiency gap favoring Republicans, far exceeding what would occur under neutral political geography.
The impact is evident in election results. Studies note that despite Democrats occasionally winning statewide races—such as Tony Evers’ 2018 gubernatorial victory with 53% of the vote—they secured only 36% of Assembly seats under the 2011 maps. In 2012, Republicans won 60 of 99 Assembly seats with just 48.6% of the statewide vote, a disparity researchers attribute to “packing” Democratic voters into a few lopsided districts and “cracking” others to dilute their influence across Republican-leaning ones. This misalignment persisted across multiple election cycles, with analyses showing Republicans holding a structural advantage of 15-16% in the efficiency gap, ranking among the most skewed in the nation.
Scholars also debate the role of political geography versus intentional gerrymandering. Wisconsin’s urban-rural divide—where Democrats cluster in cities like Milwaukee and Madison while Republicans dominate rural areas—naturally tilts maps toward the GOP. However, studies argue this alone doesn’t explain the extremity. John Johnson from Marquette University, for instance, found that while Democratic concentration in urban areas creates some disadvantage, the 2011 maps amplified this effect far beyond what geography dictates, doubling the GOP’s pre-2011 advantage.
Recent developments reinforce these findings. After the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling struck down the 2011 maps for violating contiguity requirements, new maps signed into law in 2024 by Governor Evers reduced the partisan skew. Post-2024 election analyses show Democrats flipping 14 legislative seats, narrowing Republican majorities despite a strong GOP year statewide, suggesting the old gerrymander’s effects had been real and significant.
Critics of these studies, often from conservative circles, argue that competitive elections and incumbency advantages also shape outcomes, not just maps. Yet, the consensus among political scientists is that Wisconsin’s pre-2024 maps represented an outlier in partisan distortion, undermining democratic responsiveness until judicial intervention forced a recalibration.”
How do we ensure voting is on the up and up? With Elon involved - with Starlink, his other communication systems, his people - how is voting protected?
I restacked this in order to make sure everyone reads why Musk is trying to but Wisconsin Court. Trump saw a pic of two kids going to the prom….and something about one of the parents upset him…and he never forgot and he can’t let it go. Guys, he’s crazier than we thought. This is terrifying.
It really bothers me that the elections of judges has become
So blatantly political. Judges are supposed to be neutral arbiters of justice. Races like this invariably make the judges beholden to their donors. Sick sick sick
How do those people who capitulate to POS and Skum live with themselves? How do they face their kids? "What did you do in the war against the dictator, Daddy?" We're not talking about people without money, without real power? What does Putin, POS, Skum have on them, especially since there are so many people, regular folks without their advantages, speaking out and protesting and fighting as much as they can? I really, really can't figure it out.
Auggie is so cute. I miss having a dog. Someday, I will again. I hope.
I love beagles - we had one when I was a little girl. Her name was Snoopy, of course. She was so special and I told her all my secrets. Love the pics you share of your dogs. :)
Capitulation crisis? I think capitulation cascade is a more appropriate descriptor. Having moved to the US 31 years ago on an H1B visa (after 5 years in Canada and being originally from the UK), then obtained a green card and then became a citizen 21 years ago, I have lived the American dream. I have never before been ashamed to be American. But seeing (amongst many other things) the Country elect Trump twice, watch him install a vichy government and start swinging the wrecking ball at the Constitution without protest, then seeing the snivelling cowardace from Universities, the media and now prestigious legal firms, I realize how far this country has fallen. I fear the American experiment is over; welcome to tyranny. Rant over. By the way, Auggie rocks!
The wrecking ball was being swung at the Constitution well before Trump got into politics.
I believe that 9/11 was a false flag to get the American people to support another Gulf War, but I didn't realize at the time that it also allowed Bush I to push through the Patriot Act.
Then Obama came along and promised the American people that he would get us out of the two countries we were bombing and instead he raised the number of countries getting bombed to seven. At the same time, he got the National Defense Authoritization Act (NDAA) signed into law. That act takes away our right to habeus corpus, which is (or was) guaranteed to us in the Constitution.
Since the 1980s, many succeeding Presidents have paved the way for Trump.
Oh Hell go back to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in '64, or if you really feel your gage William Randolf Hearst in the "remember the Maine" campaign. We've really been that kind of country for quite a long time.
This one is different since I remember LBJ and I can't say that of Hearst. If we did have a government shutdown, it would never have reopened. In modern memory I think Lee Attwater was significant.
They really only care about power but you can't have it without the money.
Elons Grok says the following about gerrymandering in Wisconsin:
“Academic studies on partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin consistently highlight it as one of the most extreme examples in the United States, particularly following the 2011 redistricting by the Republican-controlled legislature. These studies employ various quantitative methods to demonstrate how the state’s legislative maps have disproportionately favored Republicans, often decoupling election outcomes from the popular vote.
One prominent approach is the use of algorithmic simulations to assess partisan bias. Researchers, such as those from Duke University, generated over 19,000 random Assembly maps that adhered to traditional redistricting criteria like compactness, contiguity, and compliance with federal civil rights laws. Their findings showed that Wisconsin’s 2011 State Assembly map exhibited more Republican bias than over 99% of these neutral simulations, suggesting a deliberate gerrymander. Similarly, Jowei Chen from the University of Michigan analyzed the “efficiency gap,” a metric that measures wasted votes—those either exceeding what’s needed to win a district or cast in a losing effort. Chen’s study found Wisconsin’s maps consistently produced a significant efficiency gap favoring Republicans, far exceeding what would occur under neutral political geography.
The impact is evident in election results. Studies note that despite Democrats occasionally winning statewide races—such as Tony Evers’ 2018 gubernatorial victory with 53% of the vote—they secured only 36% of Assembly seats under the 2011 maps. In 2012, Republicans won 60 of 99 Assembly seats with just 48.6% of the statewide vote, a disparity researchers attribute to “packing” Democratic voters into a few lopsided districts and “cracking” others to dilute their influence across Republican-leaning ones. This misalignment persisted across multiple election cycles, with analyses showing Republicans holding a structural advantage of 15-16% in the efficiency gap, ranking among the most skewed in the nation.
Scholars also debate the role of political geography versus intentional gerrymandering. Wisconsin’s urban-rural divide—where Democrats cluster in cities like Milwaukee and Madison while Republicans dominate rural areas—naturally tilts maps toward the GOP. However, studies argue this alone doesn’t explain the extremity. John Johnson from Marquette University, for instance, found that while Democratic concentration in urban areas creates some disadvantage, the 2011 maps amplified this effect far beyond what geography dictates, doubling the GOP’s pre-2011 advantage.
Recent developments reinforce these findings. After the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling struck down the 2011 maps for violating contiguity requirements, new maps signed into law in 2024 by Governor Evers reduced the partisan skew. Post-2024 election analyses show Democrats flipping 14 legislative seats, narrowing Republican majorities despite a strong GOP year statewide, suggesting the old gerrymander’s effects had been real and significant.
Critics of these studies, often from conservative circles, argue that competitive elections and incumbency advantages also shape outcomes, not just maps. Yet, the consensus among political scientists is that Wisconsin’s pre-2024 maps represented an outlier in partisan distortion, undermining democratic responsiveness until judicial intervention forced a recalibration.”
Source: Grok
I don't think any replug has so thoroughly discarded their daughters like this scumbag did . "father" material, he is not !
in these ultra fraught times , Charlie, thanks for todays Eli
I mistakenly called Augie "Eli ; apologies Augie
How do we ensure voting is on the up and up? With Elon involved - with Starlink, his other communication systems, his people - how is voting protected?
Get him the f*** out of there he's using his money to f****** buy an election get him the hell out
Just another item to be purchased.
I restacked this in order to make sure everyone reads why Musk is trying to but Wisconsin Court. Trump saw a pic of two kids going to the prom….and something about one of the parents upset him…and he never forgot and he can’t let it go. Guys, he’s crazier than we thought. This is terrifying.
It really bothers me that the elections of judges has become
So blatantly political. Judges are supposed to be neutral arbiters of justice. Races like this invariably make the judges beholden to their donors. Sick sick sick
Gawd! I love the dogs!
Is Pete ok? Haven’t seen him for a while . …
Sorry to tell you Pete passed away several years ago.😢
Oh no. I’m sorry about that.
Thank God for dogs!
How do those people who capitulate to POS and Skum live with themselves? How do they face their kids? "What did you do in the war against the dictator, Daddy?" We're not talking about people without money, without real power? What does Putin, POS, Skum have on them, especially since there are so many people, regular folks without their advantages, speaking out and protesting and fighting as much as they can? I really, really can't figure it out.
Sending kisses to Handsome Augie.
Auggie is so cute. I miss having a dog. Someday, I will again. I hope.
I love beagles - we had one when I was a little girl. Her name was Snoopy, of course. She was so special and I told her all my secrets. Love the pics you share of your dogs. :)
“$40 million in legal services to causes Trump has championed” Meaning his private foundation. Oh, wait…
The judiciary for sale... never thought I'd see the day when Americans have sold out their country.
I just don't understand how bribing voters is simply "controversial." To me is just plain old bribery. And it's against the law.
Fortunately, here in Minnesota, which is next door to Wisconsin, judges are debarred from running campaigns. It prevents this kind of thing.
Capitulation crisis? I think capitulation cascade is a more appropriate descriptor. Having moved to the US 31 years ago on an H1B visa (after 5 years in Canada and being originally from the UK), then obtained a green card and then became a citizen 21 years ago, I have lived the American dream. I have never before been ashamed to be American. But seeing (amongst many other things) the Country elect Trump twice, watch him install a vichy government and start swinging the wrecking ball at the Constitution without protest, then seeing the snivelling cowardace from Universities, the media and now prestigious legal firms, I realize how far this country has fallen. I fear the American experiment is over; welcome to tyranny. Rant over. By the way, Auggie rocks!
The wrecking ball was being swung at the Constitution well before Trump got into politics.
I believe that 9/11 was a false flag to get the American people to support another Gulf War, but I didn't realize at the time that it also allowed Bush I to push through the Patriot Act.
Then Obama came along and promised the American people that he would get us out of the two countries we were bombing and instead he raised the number of countries getting bombed to seven. At the same time, he got the National Defense Authoritization Act (NDAA) signed into law. That act takes away our right to habeus corpus, which is (or was) guaranteed to us in the Constitution.
Since the 1980s, many succeeding Presidents have paved the way for Trump.
I've thought much the same as you for years, Susan. But I seldom say as much, lest I be labeled a conspiracy theorist.
Oh Hell go back to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in '64, or if you really feel your gage William Randolf Hearst in the "remember the Maine" campaign. We've really been that kind of country for quite a long time.
This one is different since I remember LBJ and I can't say that of Hearst. If we did have a government shutdown, it would never have reopened. In modern memory I think Lee Attwater was significant.
They really only care about power but you can't have it without the money.
They certainly don't give a rats ass about you.