Considering Masterson’s argument for redistricting

With the failure of the Republican leadership’s push to call a special redistricting session, Kansas has now joined states like Indiana and New Hampshire, where a critical number of Republican legislators were unmoved by Trump’s unprecedented demand that state parties redraw their congressional districts in the middle of the decade to make them more Republican-friendly.Why didn’t the Republican caucus in Topeka quickly acquiesce to the president’s insistence on creating a map that will supposedly increase the odds of the GOP maintaining control over the House of Representatives? There are many reasons, and the fact that the Republican leadership plans to try again during the regular session in January suggests that they think those reasons can be overcome, and votes will be there eventually.But one reason that may not go away is a pretty profound one — that the theory of representation employed as a justification for the redistricting push is, historically speaking, un-American.Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson’s enthusiasm for redistricting was clear from the start. He quickly rounded up sufficient votes for a special session from his Republican colleagues, and talked broadly about how redistricting was essential to the success of Trump’s agenda.

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