Episode notes
David Daley is a journalist, the former editor-in-chief of Salon.com, and the author of "Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn't Count." During our conversation, David talks about the watershed 2010 REDMAP initiative (short for the Redistricting Majority Project) and how gerrymandering has essentially rigged U.S. Congressional elections. He also talks about the second-order consequences of the success of REDMAP: that our political system increasingly incentivizes political extremism and disincentivizes compromise and working across the aisle.
David believes that gerrymandering is an existential threat to our democracy, and I tend to agree with him. This subject reminds me of the Charley Munger quote: "Show me the incentives and I will show you the outcome." To me, gerrymandering isn't a partisan issue; we owe it to ourselves to have a rep ...