Why Are We Tolerating Carpetbagging?
It's a redistricting year which means all precincts, County Board districts, State Representative, State Senator, and US House districts are all redrawn to reflect the findings from the decennial census.
Sometimes, as a result of redistricting, a sitting US House member or sitting State Senator or Representative might find themselves on the other side of the fence a district they represent once the district lines have been redrawn.
As a result, this predicament places those redistricted incumbents into a precarious situation - retire or run in a sometimes partially or fully brand new district.
There's a word for those that decide to move to a district from a different district, in an attempt to make it easier to get elected or re-elected - carpetbagging. Generally, outside of a redistricting year, the voting populace usually has no stomach for people moving into a district last minute to run for office or for someone living outside of a district to run in a district where a candidate does not reside.
Since it is a redistricting year, the rules change a little bit for state offices**. Simply put (or not), anyone can run in any district as long as they move into the district they are wanting to represent by the time they run for re-election the next election after a redistricting year. So, if you win a IL House seat in 2012, you must move in district by 2014 or if you win a IL Senate you would have to move in district in 2014 or 2016, depending on which straw you draw since IL Senate terms are broken up into 2 year-4 year-4 year terms (or 4-4-2 or 4-2-4).
The quandary we find ourselves as constituents of the newly drawn IL 54th Senate District is that our sitting Republican State Senator Kyle McCarter is finding himself challenged by a fellow Republican, State Senator and Deputy Minority Leader John O Jones. Prior to 2012, McCarter basically represented the western portion of Effingham County and Jones represented the southern portion of the county (State Sen. Dale Righter - whom we are losing as a result of the redistricting currently represents the north/northeastern part of Effingham County).
My contention is why do we tolerate carpetbagging during redistricting years? It's not our fault that an elected official was drawn out of his or her district by political dealings or other means. In the case of McCarter versus Jones though, we are left scratching or head even more as to why this race is tolerated by the constituents of the IL 54th Senate district.
You see, John O Jones was not drawn out of a district, but rather his district radically changed. Instead of stretching basically from southern Effingham County south through Jefferson County (Mt. Vernon) where Sen. Jones lives, his new district would have stretched from Jefferson County west towards the Mississippi River, then south from there.
Instead, and in my opinion, to punish Sen. McCarter for not playing nicely with IL GOP leadership in the Senate - you know, they kind of frown on independent conservative thinkers in Springfield - Sen. Jones decided to run in a district that he DOES NOT LIVE IN - like the IL 54th Senate district.
If Jones were to win the primary and then the general election AND if Jones were to draw the long straw, he could live in Mt. Vernon and not have to move into district for 3 years...if he decided to run for re-election that is. If for instance, he draws the long straw for a 4 year term and decides not to run for re-election, we would have a State Senator that would not live in district for 4 years. What incentive would Jones have to represent the 54th district if he doesn't live there? We are supposed to trust that he would represent the 54th district as virulently as he has his current district? I'm a trusting soul, but not that trusting. I believe we need someone that lives in district to represent us in Springfield.
Why do we tolerate this? Sen Jones could easily run in the district that encompasses where he lives but instead, decided to run against Sen. McCarter. Carpetbagging is the highest form of a politician being a self-centered. The fact that he or she would have the gall to think they are so important to a district that a district and its constituents just cannot live without them is appalling to me.
We would not tolerate carpetbagging any other election year, why now? What's different? In short, absolutely nothing and we should treat such behavior in the same way - DON'T VOTE FOR CARPETBAGGERS OR SEN. JONES!
** (US House rules don't change during redistricting since according to the US Constitution, one must only reside in the state where the district located or in other words, it is within the realm of possibility to have a US Representative live in the state but outside a district he or she represents in Washington DC.)
Sometimes, as a result of redistricting, a sitting US House member or sitting State Senator or Representative might find themselves on the other side of the fence a district they represent once the district lines have been redrawn.
As a result, this predicament places those redistricted incumbents into a precarious situation - retire or run in a sometimes partially or fully brand new district.
There's a word for those that decide to move to a district from a different district, in an attempt to make it easier to get elected or re-elected - carpetbagging. Generally, outside of a redistricting year, the voting populace usually has no stomach for people moving into a district last minute to run for office or for someone living outside of a district to run in a district where a candidate does not reside.
Since it is a redistricting year, the rules change a little bit for state offices**. Simply put (or not), anyone can run in any district as long as they move into the district they are wanting to represent by the time they run for re-election the next election after a redistricting year. So, if you win a IL House seat in 2012, you must move in district by 2014 or if you win a IL Senate you would have to move in district in 2014 or 2016, depending on which straw you draw since IL Senate terms are broken up into 2 year-4 year-4 year terms (or 4-4-2 or 4-2-4).
The quandary we find ourselves as constituents of the newly drawn IL 54th Senate District is that our sitting Republican State Senator Kyle McCarter is finding himself challenged by a fellow Republican, State Senator and Deputy Minority Leader John O Jones. Prior to 2012, McCarter basically represented the western portion of Effingham County and Jones represented the southern portion of the county (State Sen. Dale Righter - whom we are losing as a result of the redistricting currently represents the north/northeastern part of Effingham County).
My contention is why do we tolerate carpetbagging during redistricting years? It's not our fault that an elected official was drawn out of his or her district by political dealings or other means. In the case of McCarter versus Jones though, we are left scratching or head even more as to why this race is tolerated by the constituents of the IL 54th Senate district.
You see, John O Jones was not drawn out of a district, but rather his district radically changed. Instead of stretching basically from southern Effingham County south through Jefferson County (Mt. Vernon) where Sen. Jones lives, his new district would have stretched from Jefferson County west towards the Mississippi River, then south from there.
Instead, and in my opinion, to punish Sen. McCarter for not playing nicely with IL GOP leadership in the Senate - you know, they kind of frown on independent conservative thinkers in Springfield - Sen. Jones decided to run in a district that he DOES NOT LIVE IN - like the IL 54th Senate district.
If Jones were to win the primary and then the general election AND if Jones were to draw the long straw, he could live in Mt. Vernon and not have to move into district for 3 years...if he decided to run for re-election that is. If for instance, he draws the long straw for a 4 year term and decides not to run for re-election, we would have a State Senator that would not live in district for 4 years. What incentive would Jones have to represent the 54th district if he doesn't live there? We are supposed to trust that he would represent the 54th district as virulently as he has his current district? I'm a trusting soul, but not that trusting. I believe we need someone that lives in district to represent us in Springfield.
Why do we tolerate this? Sen Jones could easily run in the district that encompasses where he lives but instead, decided to run against Sen. McCarter. Carpetbagging is the highest form of a politician being a self-centered. The fact that he or she would have the gall to think they are so important to a district that a district and its constituents just cannot live without them is appalling to me.
We would not tolerate carpetbagging any other election year, why now? What's different? In short, absolutely nothing and we should treat such behavior in the same way - DON'T VOTE FOR CARPETBAGGERS OR SEN. JONES!
** (US House rules don't change during redistricting since according to the US Constitution, one must only reside in the state where the district located or in other words, it is within the realm of possibility to have a US Representative live in the state but outside a district he or she represents in Washington DC.)
Posted by downstateiladvocate at 12/30/2011 8:00 AM 
Categories: Politics
Tags: Kyle McCarter John O Jones Carpetbagging IL 54th Senate District
Categories: Politics
Tags: Kyle McCarter John O Jones Carpetbagging IL 54th Senate District
Hey, interesting points. I mention your piece today in my post at PSR.
Carpetbagging in Illinois?
http://www.prairiestatereport.us/2011/12/31/carpetbagging-in-illinois/
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