The moderate Republicans are saying a 7-1 map could actually turn into a 4-4 but their current map (a WEAK 6-2) is as good as gold.
Now, how in the world is that? Our 7-1 map is going to change and go down the toilet but theirs is a safe bet? I'm not buying that at all. In fact, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the map in the bill right now is probably not going to hold for even a couple more elections. You don't have to be a cartographer to know that a small little district nestled up next to Cory Bush's territory isn't going to be a Republican stronghold.
Let's just put these maps all in one place and you can draw your own conclusions.
Here's the current Congressional map. We have a 6-2 split. The democrat districts are District 1 which belongs to Cory Bush and District 5 which belongs to Emmanuel Cleaver. Emmanuel lives in Jackson County and he obviously wants to keep his job in D.C.
points to consider
1. In the Pelosi map, District 2 belongs to Ann Wagner, a Republican, for now. But it's already growing in its democrat population. It's expected in the next couple election cycles, it will be a democrat district. The way this map is drawn, Trump only won by 4.9% in 2020, 10 points less than the state average. If we look back to 2018, Hawley would've only won by 1.9%! This is NOT a safe Republican seat!
2. If the trend of the last decade continues, District 2 in the Pelosi map will be blue no later than 2026 making it virtually impossible for a republican to win - even Ann Wagner.
3. ANYONE describing the Pelosi map as a 6-2 map is a dishonest broker. Period. They know exactly what they are doing. Currently, it could more accurately be called a 5-2-1 (5 Republican, 2 Democrat, 1 Swing), but it will be a solid 5-3 very soon.
4. In the 7-1 map, District 2 is strengthened and District 4 would be Republican. We'd strengthen a current district and gain one in the 4th.
5. Could the 7-1 turn into a 4-4? You tell me. Do you seriously think the democrat population is going to explode in the cities enough to "overwhelm" the rest of the counties in THREE different districts? I don't think so. In fact, we know that people in counties like Jackson and St. Louis are leaving because of left leaning policies like mask mandates.
remember this
This is common sense. The moderate RINOs would love for you to think this is complicated and you can't possibly understand what's happening. That's a load of donkey-doo. This isn't complicated. You're a smart cookie.
What do you think?
The Missouri filibuster continues over the US congressional redistricting process.
I think I'll start calling it The Freedom Filibuster! It's been going on nearly a week now and our conservative senators have done an incredible job standing up for Missourian's ability to be represented well in D.C. and, therefore, protect the Republic from Pelosi and her swamp.
Some are wondering why in the world this is such a big deal. It's just a map, right? Wrong!
Given the state of our nation and the incredibly egregious and sweeping acts being taken by the liberal democrats in power, it is PRIORITY to protect our Republican seats and hold as many as is absolutely possible to keep Pelosi from ruling that roost any longer than absolutely necessary!
Can you imagine another 10 years with that lady and her crazy cohorts in charge!?
That means the map is of the utmost importance to the future of our nation. The seats we hold are critical. They ARE worth fighting for!
the argument: country votes vs city votes
One particular senator has actually responded to many e-mails making the argument that dividing up a solid red district and pulling in blue territory would "dilute" the country folks' votes, because surely the city would overtake the country and turn it blue. Her question was, "How long before urban areas overwhelm the rural areas?"
Ok. Now I get it that when you first read that, you think "Yeah! I don't want a city (or a country) person representing me. We are very different and I need a country person like me in DC - not a democrat from over there in the city"
That's a very narrow way to look at it, in my personal opinion. Think a little bit deeper and a spend some time considering what she's actually saying here. Let's take a closer look.
The district in question, is District 5 which currently belongs to Emmanuel Cleaver. You can see a possible 7-1 map above.
- What rural republican has ever wanted another democrat to go to DC regardless of where they live? Do we really think they are so simple and narrow minded that they'd rather let another urban district go blue and have one less red seat vs. electing a "city republican" just because they live in an urban area two counties over? I don't think so. Our rural Missourians are VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED to this liberal agenda that is taking place across our nation and they want to PROTECT THE REPUBLIC.
Missourians are smart enough to know that one more democrat in DC right now supporting Pelosi is a BAD idea for everyone! If we can keep a red seat - do. it.
I believe our rural conservatives want to save the Republic as we have known it & that they'd do about anything to ensure that happens.
2. If a portion of an urban district is added to several counties that have a combined 10 point republican lead, it is going to take ALOT of democrat population growth to "overwhelm" that republican majority. ALOT. It would be highly unlikely, if not impossible. It's definitely improbable. They are not adding territory in urban areas to districts with narrow margins. Our conservative senators are smarter than that.
3. The population of those urban areas are being vacated by republicans who love liberty. Many of our liberty loving city voters are fleeing to the counties where they can enjoy more liberty and they don't have to deal with crazy mandates & tyrannical schools. The truth, in both Kansas City and St. Louis, is that although the population of more liberal citizens is growing in certain areas they are also losing large pockets of people who are sick and tired of tyranny & overreaching government. For that reason, population is also growing in the counties. This means that it would take an even larger amount of democrat population growth to "overwhelm" the surrounding counties in the district.
4. The map being proposed now in Bernskoetter's bill, the map that passed through the House in HB2117, has exactly the same issue so please don't believe this argument. They know you don't know, so they give you this argument knowing you won't like it when the truth is the same can be said of the HB2117 map which our conservatives believe is a 5-3.
the pelosi map the moderates are pushing
Here's what it looks like.
Take a look at District 3 that includes tiny parts of St. Charles county, all the way to the Mississippi River and also reaches all the way across central Missouri to include Camden County and everything in between. It literally circles St. Louis with TWO tiny districts in the city that would be democrat. Now, in THIS map you can be assured that Districts 1, 2 and 5 would all be blue. This map is nothing but a 5-3 and it's as obvious as the sky is blue.
Compare this map to the 7-1 pictured above. Which looks more gerrymandered to you?
Which district do you think is going to be more easily pushed to purple then blue?
This isn't rocket science and you don't have to be a map expert to see this map is a load of crap.
District 3 on BOTH maps is the only one you could call "gerrymandered" at all and it's WORSE on the one they are wanting to pass!! No wonder the democrats want this one!
In her email response to concerned citizens, she is basically accusing the conservatives of gerrymandering and diluting the republican voters when the map she wants is MUCH WORSE!
the only important questions
- Do you want another democrat in office or not?
- Do you want that tiny District 2 AND District 1 to be sending democrats to DC along with District 5?
If you don't want 3 democrats from Missouri going to DC, you'd better get on the phone and call the Republicans who are ramming this down our throats. It's the MODERATES who are duping you!
updated rally info
Our speaker lineup has changed!
We're excited that Senator Hoskins will be able to be with us as well as Senators Onder, Moon and Eigel.
It's come to our attention that there is another rally happening on Monday, February 14th. We don't want there to be any confusion so we have changed our label but the purpose is still the same.
We want our legislators to know...
- We see their votes and they will no longer be forgotten.
- We aren't going back to sleep. We are going to keep watching.
- We are here to support our elected officials who vote and battle according to the Republican platform they ran on.
Speaking of our elected officials, Senators Bill Eigel and Mike Moon wanted to express their thanks and appreciation to you this past week!
monday, february 14th @ 2:00 pm in the capitol rotunda
Tentative Schedule
**Subject to change based on senate leadership
2:00 pm - Capitol Rotunda
Prayer & Pledge
Guest Speakers
4:00 pm - Observe in the Senate gallery
We will be watching the senate proceedings respectfully from the gallery. There are rules and behavior expectations in the gallery and we expect our guests to abide by them. You'll receive more information about gallery expectations when you sign up.
The gallery time is subject to change and could change at the last minute. Planning around the senate schedule is nearly impossible, so please be flexible. They are notoriously late, but the question will be, "How late?"
Please sign up below to let us know you're coming. We will communicate any changes, should they happen, and also send more detailed instructions and tips for our time together Monday.
PLEASE NOTE: Consent of the Governed rallies and events are a coordinated effort between Missouri citizens and grassroots groups who are dedicated to participating in and keeping watch over our Missouri legislature. We stand firm in our beliefs and we are committed to discovering and speaking truth in a peaceful manner that would make Martin Luther King, Jr. proud. We commit to kindness, treating others with fairness, never giving up hope while we do our part.
We all know the US Congressional maps are up for debate in the Missouri Senate this week. Those of us who prefer our representation in D.C. remain a reflection of our conservative values would expect our Republican majority to create a congressional map which would protect our current Republican seats.
Gaining a seat would be even better but potentially losing a seat in a weak 6-2 map is not acceptable.
One has to ask, "If we have a Republican majority, WHY in the world is this even a debate? WHY would our Republican led assembly vote for a weak 6-2 map?"
5 lies about redistricting
LIE #1: If we don't come to an agreement and decide, the courts will do it for us. The judges are liberal and that would be worse than our weak 6-2 map.
TRUTH: According to the Missouri Constitution, the map rendering and decision making in regard to the congressional district map is the responsibility of the General Assembly, not the court system. When it is taken to court, as we can expect it will be regardless of what map that is created, the court will deem it to be unconstitutional or not but they will not draw a new Congressional map. They will kick it back to the General Assembly for them to fulfill their responsibility.
Note: This is different than how the Missouri House and Senate district maps are handled.
US District Court, W.D. Missouri, Central Division
Mar 4, 1968
279 F. Supp. 952 (W.D. Mo. 1968)
observing that when S 2c became law, the court "was relieved of the prior existing Congressional command [under S 2a(c)] to order that the 1968...congressional elections in Missouri be held at large..."were the Missouri Legislature to fail to enact a valid reapportionment statute in time"
Lie #2: February 22, 2022, is the filing date so if the map isn't settled by then, the court will draw up a map for us.
TRUTH: Campaign filing begins on February 22nd and runs through March 29th but it has nothing to do with the drawing of the map. See above. The General Assembly HAS to draw the map. If they don't agree on something in time for filing of the primaries, congressional elections will be held "at large." Of course, this isn't ideal, but it still does NOT mean that the court is going to draw up the map.
Lie #3: Secretary of State Ashcroft doesn't support a 7-1 map. He's ok with a 6-2 map.
TRUTH: Yes, the Secretary does support a 7-1 map and he's speaking out in regard to his opinion. Would he be "ok" with a 6-2 map? Well, common sense would tell you he'd be happier with a strong 6-2 than a weak one and he is definitely NOT ok with a 5-3. If you want to hear what he has to say about it, come on over to the Capitol around 11:00 am on Monday.
If you can't come to the Capitol, you might want to check this out on the SOS FB Page.
Secretary Ashcroft will talk about Missouri elections, redistricting, faith & freedom with Key Radio’s Kevin Burns Monday morning at 9:10. https://www.keygatheringplace.com/KeyRadio
And if neither of those work out for you, here's a quote from the News Tribune taken from an article dated January 11, 2022.
That includes Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who came out publicly for a 7-1 map late last year and has been vigorously lobbying lawmakers on the idea since the 2022 session began last week.
Lie #4: If we approve a 7-1 map, then Eric Holder and his redistricting committee with lots of money and power will say we're racist and sue us.
TRUTH: This might happen. It doesn't mean we are racist if they sue us. The map is likely going to get taken to court regardless of what is approved. Let's see what the court has to say.
It is interesting, though, speaking of discrimination, that 5 women were drawn out of their state districts in this process... ah, but I digress. That's a conversation for a different day.
Lie #5: Districts have to be equal "in exact person to person count."
TRUTH: SCOTUS says no. There can be an amount of deviation, which is actually a few thousand people AND the total state population can also be used to comply.
SCOTUS Rulings
Weberry v Sanders, 84 S. Ct ;526 (1964) Districts must be drawn so that "as nearly practicable one man's vote in a congressional election is worth as mch as another's."
Gaffney v. Cummings, 93 S Ct, 2321 (1973). SCOTUS found no issue with the deviation in Connecticut's map where there was 1.81% in the Senate and 7.83% in the House.
Evenwell v. Abbott, 136 S. Ct. 1120 (2016). States may use total population to comply with the concept of one person, one vote.
ok. I'm on board with the 7-1. now what
Call and email every Republican Senator who hasn't committed to support a7-1 map and request their support and vote.
Here are their names & contact info.
Dave Schatz at 573-751-3678 and/or Dave.Schatz@senate.mo.gov
Caleb Rowden at 573-751-3931 and/or Caleb.Rowden@senate.mo.gov
Karla Eslinger at 573-751-1882 and/or Karla.Eslinger@senate.mo.gov
Lincoln Hough at 573-751-2583 and/or Lincoln.Hough@senate.mo.gov
Elaine Gannon at 573-751-4008 and/or Elaine.Gannon@senate.mo.gov
Mike Bernskoetter 573-751-2076 and/or Mike.Bernskoetter@senate.mo.gov
Mike Cierpiot at 573-751-1464 and/or Mike.Cierpiot@senate.mo.gov
Jeanie Riddle at 573-751-2757 and/or Jeanie.Riddle@senate.mo.gov
Dan Hegeman at 573-751-1415 and/or Dan.Hegeman@senate.mo.gov
Justin Brown at 573-751-5713 and/or Justin.Brown@senate.mo.gov
Cindy O'Laughlin at 573-751-7985 and/or Cindy.O'Laughlin@senate.mo.gov
Paul Wieland at 573-751-1492 and/or Paul.Wieland@senate.mo.gov
Jason Bean at 573-751-4843 and/or Jason.Bean@senate.mo.gov
Holly Rehder at 573-751-2459 and/or Holly.Rehder@senate.mo.gov
Sandy Crawford at 573-751-8793 and/or Sandy.Crawford@senate.mo.gov
Bill White at 573-751-2173 and/o rBill.White@senate.mo.gov
Tony Luetkemeyer at 573-751-2183 and/or Tony.Luetkemeyer@senate.mo.gov
The government is supposed to function by the consent of the governed.
It's pretty apparent by reading the Governor's response to his defeated nomination that he's not really used to that. It's sad, really. And it's mostly our own fault.
But we are righting our wrongs and waking up, taking our place and occupying the ground that always belonged to us. We won this week and we are just getting started!
We are now going to rally behind our Conservative Caucus to show our appreciation for their willingness to fight for individual liberty! The battle at hand this week is to keep our Republican seats in the United States Congress.
The Missouri Senate will take up a bill sponsored by Senator Mike Bernskoetter Monday at noon. The bill has already passed the House and it contains a map that most believe is a weak 6:2 map. 6 Republicans. 2 Democrats.
Since it's weak, though, it could easily turn into a 5:3 map and we'd lose a Republican US House seat.
It's being brought up for perfection which means we don't have much time to make necessary changes. If they amend it to match the House bill and pass it, it's a done deal. There's a 2/22/22 deadline, so they need to work fairly quickly and get it done especially if they want to make changes, which we definitely do!
What most conservatives would prefer is a fair 7:1 map where we would GAIN a Republican seat and this is what the caucus is standing for. We are going to rally behind them!!
let's win again!
calls to action
- Start TODAY! Call & email EVERY Republican Senator listed here. Call until their voicemail is full then start emailing and keep doing it. Recruit your conservative friends & family to join you!
- Express to them that you support a 7:1 map and that you have high expectations that, as a member of the Republican party, they would do the same. Otherwise, this vote will be remembered and talked about quite often prior to the next election.
- Jason Bean, Doug Beck, Mike Bernskoetter, Justin Brown, Mike Cierpiot, Sandy Crawford, Karla Eslinger, Elaine Gannon, Dan Hegeman, Lincoln Hough, Tony Luetkemeyer, Cindy O'Laughlin, Holly Rehder, Jeannie Riddle, Caleb Rowden, Dave Schatz, Bill White, Paul Wieland.
- Email addresses follow this template: FirstName.LastName@Senate.Mo.Gov
missouri map rally Monday, february 7th
We are supposed to be governed only by CONSENT of the governed! The checks and balances in our system include the legislative branch, where We The People have opportunity not only to vote on our officials but to participate in the process of law making and other duties assigned. So that's what we are going to do!
Come join us to pray, hear some of our favorite office holders & then support our Conservative Caucus by being in the gallery when they take up the map bill and/or meeting with various senators throughout the afternoon. Here's the schedule.
10:00 am Prayer Walk. We'll pray together then divide into groups and walk the Senate halls to pray for each Senator or you can find a quiet place to sit and pray in the building.
11:00 am Guest Speakers. They are some of our favorites & we're excited to hear from them!
12:00 pm Senate Gallery for start of session and then we'll meet with various senators throughout the afternoon in small groups.
We'll break around 11:30 for lunch. Feel free to bring something from home or you can grab something in the cafe downstairs.
You'll have a seat throughout the day. No standing for hours this time! You'll walk to the 2nd floor where we'll have tables and chairs waiting for you just outside room 208.
If you haven't been to the Capitol before, you can reference this blog article with all the tips and tricks for parking, where to get a cup of coffee, etc.
parking info tips & tricks
See you soon!!
