How can we retake the House?

[SHRED]

Haven't districts been so gerrymandered as to guarantee a Repug lock into the future?
What can be done?

[pipoman]

1. Lose the pay for play system we have now and embrace labor again....but alas

The labor party is dead....

[FreakinDJ]

5. You need to talk to Bernie about that

[Demsrule86]

16. first of all...you have governors and legislatures who gerrymandered these states

during the 2010 census... only possible because many attacked Obama because he was not doing every little thing they want and did not vote. And OMG...the health care bill did not have a public option. Never mind it was the best we could do and has saved thousands of lives...elections have consequences and those who stayed home in 10 allowed the gerrymander to happen. And there is no easy answer. If Hillary has a blow out ...maybe...or there is a court case that looks hopeful...but probably the best advice would be to vote for every Democrat on every ballot with no purity test in every election (including non-presidential years)and get the states houses back before 20 or we have another 10 years of this gerrymandering to look forward to...and no coalition or revolution can fix this.

[SticksnStones]

21. Pay to play has become such a generic term

That if we ever got traction on legislating out 'pay to play' I could see (the remnants of) the Republican Party using the concept in a way that pushes out all organized advocacy.

For example, when I donate money to NARAL, I fully expect it to use those funds to fulfill its mission of helping to elect pro-choice candidates and to push back on legislation that attempts chip away at Roe v. Wade. And I full expect that NARAL's voice on the abortion issue will have greater sway than mine just dialing up my senator or congress person.

So, does that make NARAL a Pay to Player? Is that what we're calling on eliminating? Where's the delineation?

[bettyellen]

22. This is a concern- I was shocked at the distain here toward Planned Parenthood during our primaries

Establishment my ass.

[SticksnStones]

24. Well the primaries were very us/them

And I get that once PP took sides that they fell onto the field of the us/them battle.

I just don't know how you legislatively eliminate the influence of say, the NRA without catching NARAL and PP in the same net.

[bettyellen]

25. It's something to think about for sure!

[brooklynite]

2. We, can't (this year)...

...but we can increase our seats to build on progress in future elections.

[MineralMan]

6. It's possible this year, but unlikely.

There are flippable seats across the country. It's going to be up to the people in each state to identify those and work hard to flip them. We'll be helped by Republicans who don't turn out and vote at all, due to Trump. I see any district where the Republican won last time with a 5% or lower margin as potentially flippable.

Here in Minnesota, I'm devoting time to flipping our second congressional district. That's just one, but it can be done this year. Each state is different, and only people who know their state intimately can identify which races to target.

If Republican turnout is lower than usual, there is a chance to turn the House around. A small one, but worth trying for.

[LAS14]

3. Let's take advantage of this election to get a good, solid start!

[LAS14]

4. Support local candidates as well as house...

.... contenders, so we can fill the supply line for the future.

[Sunlei]

7. in states like Florida Ds can't afford to attack 'their own' like DWS & Grayson

[Demsrule86]

17. I agree completely.

[0rganism]

8. gerrymandering is a 2-edge sword

here's the thing about the most recent swarm of GOP gerrymandering: it's a delaying action for them.

e.g. gerrymandering takes one very safe 20-point seat and splits it into 4 5-point advantage seats. but it's a lot easier to tip a 5-point advantage seat than a 20-point very safe seat. eventually, just through demographic shift, they'll be overrun. a major wave election could tip those seats even sooner.

running an inept presidential campaign with a willfully ignorant douchebag at the top of the ticket is one way to create a major wave election.

and that is why the RNC is very worried right now.

[Tiggeroshii]

14. Yep.

I will put my money on a 25-40 seat pickup for the Dems this year

[Coyotl]

26. This is why Trump is playing the race card so often, to secure the white Congressional seats.

Those narrowly gerrymandered districts will only remain Republican if they can bring their base to the polls. Exacerbating the racial divide is a tactic to engage white Republican voters who might otherwise sit out an election with an loser for the nominee. Trump still loses, but they have a better chance of stopping the overthrow of the Republican Congress.

Frankly, they have known all along that the Republican nominee will lose in November (as their field of all bad candidates demonstrated). In that context, Trump may be their best candidate because hate is what they need to hold Congress.

One of the huge problems with the United States is racial segregation of housing, an effect of unequal wealth. It is too easy to gerrymander because poor people are concentrated in ghettos while those with financial means are in the suburbs and gentrified areas.

[mcar]

9. Democrats need to vote in midterm elections

If certain groups of Dems start running down President HRC as soon as she's inaugurated, like they did with Obama, it will depress D turnout.

I have hopes for a D House this time, but its not likely. We will make headway, though, and be in good shape for a takeover in 2018.

[amandabeech]

12. Redistricting takes place right after census results come out.

The next census is in 2020. That means redistricting will happen in 2021.

Redistricting occurs in state legislatures and often becomes a bill signed by the governor. The US Congress has no formal role in redistricting.

We really must focus on state elections now in order to set ourselves up to control more state houses in anticipation of redistricting in a little over four years.

[mcar]

29. Definitely

[amandabeech]

30. Thank you! n/t

[Demsrule86]

18. I hope they don't but already you see the beginning of it. nt

[Coyotl]

10. The Republicans were too greedy, so their gerrymander is going to backfire.

Their "safe districts" have too small a margin of majority to survive a wave election. They are going down in record numbers in about 55 districts.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/04/30/1521826/-45-districts-to-flip-in-a-Democratic-wave-election

[Demsrule86]

19. I hope so. nt

[Andy823]

11. Doubt it will happen

But the only thing to do is tie every single republican that hasn't come out against Trump, to Trump. If they don't condemn this idiot, then let the public know they won't stand up to this clown, and hope it prevents voters from voting for them. Then we need to get out the Democratic voters, register new voters, and make sure everyone can vote. We probably won't take back the House, but we can sure make a huge increase in Democrats, and a decrease in republicans.

[RapSoDee]

13. + 1,000

Don't just run agains the abomination that is #ComradeTrump, run against the entire freaking Immoral & Irresponsible Republican Party.

The whole stinking small-minded, anti-American, hypocritical Republican cabal needs to go DOWN DOWN DOWN in an electoral landslide.

[Demsrule86]

20. It could happen if we don't have too many 'concerned' voices

demoralizing the vote and dampening turnout.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

15. Vote in off year elections, so that state governments are not controlled by republicans,

so districts are not crazily gerrymandered.

[David__77]

23. I think that there was the same discussion prior to 2006.

I think it takes a "50 state strategy" which probably means a lot of diversion of resources.

[Coyotl]

28. It takes a 55 district strategy, and here is why and where:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/04/30/1521826/-45-districts-to-flip-in-a-Democratic-wave-election

[DemocraticWing]

34. We should target KY-06 too

The Republicans flipped it in 2012 (narrowly) but the Congressman isn't unbeatable and the Democrats have a good, progressive candidate there. It's the kind of district that "gerrymandering" can't be blamed for losing but Democrats have written off.

I suspect there are lots of seats like that, but we just throw up our hands and whine gerrymandering instead of rolling up our sleeves and getting about the business of changing people's lives.

[mucifer]

27. If we get the senate and a few supreme court seats and

if the supreme court is able to change citizen's united. That would help.

Money is a huge problem. It will take time. A lot of time. But, it could happen.

[Coyotl]

31. Remember AuH2O? Trump is a dumpster fire compared to the last KKK nominee.

[Capt. Obvious]

32. I think the number is 16

If Hillary wins by 16, the house flips.

[greymattermom]

33. Whatever happens, there has to be compromise and things have to get done

and there have to be real consequences for shut down tactics, like removing federal funding from the district of Republicans who try this.