My last faux pas came from http://www.wedrawthelines.ca.gov/. Legislative and board of equalization boundaries used to be drawn by lawmakers every few years to reflect new population data. When voters passed Proposition 11 (the Voters FIRST Act) in the November 2008 general election, that responsibility transferred to the people in the form of a new Citizens Redistricting Commission.

Call me stupid, but I actually care about the political process. I recently filled out an online application to serve on the Redistricting Commission. Shortly after applying I received this disqualification email:

Your application has been received.  Your responses to the questions
on the application indicate that you either do not satisfy the
eligibility requirements for serving as a member of the Citizens
Redistricting Commission or you have a disqualifying conflict of
interest that prohibits you from serving on the commission.  As a
result, you will not be included in the pool of applicants from which
the commission will be selected.  Specifically, you have been
excluded from the applicant pool because:

Your party registration has not remained the same since
November 18, 2005.

If you believe that there has been an error or you have questions,
please e-mail us at votersfirstact@auditor.ca.gov or call
1-866-356-5217.

Basically, the email says that I am excluded from the process simply because I have declined to remain a consistent and loyal follower of a political party. Hitler and Stalin would be proud of these tactics. My unhappiness with political partisanship (I switched to independent last year) actually prevents me from serving on this “nonpartisan” committee.

I think it is laughable that the criteria being applied to disqualify applicants actually encourages partisanship on the commission rather than discouraging it.  The rule guarantees that only loyal komrades will be included on a commission dedicated with the task of ”changing” the boundary lines. Anyone who has switched affiliations in the past 5 years is automatically rejected.

It is clear that this new redistricting process only another attempt by politicians to retain the status quo.

Still, I will hold on to hope. If you are a California resident, I encourage you to apply to the commission. The deadline is February 12, 2009 - two more days.

From Zero Hedge

NY GOVERNORE IGNORES PRESSURE TO END ELECTION QUEST

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press Writer Michael Gormley, Associated Press Writer 25 mins ago

ALBANY, N.Y. – Gov. David Paterson isn’t scrapping his plans to run for the office he inherited 18 months ago, despite growing pressure from Washington and intervention by the Rev. Al Sharpton, who has contacted the governor and the White House over his concern.

“My plans for 2010 are to run for governor of the state of New York,” Paterson said Sunday after serving as grand marshal to the African-American Day Parade in Manhattan. “I am running for office.”

Paterson’s remarks come amid mounting pressure from Washington and within New York to drop out because of his low poll numbers and concerns from other Democrats that he might hurt their chances in 2010.

“I think the White House is very concerned about 2010,” said Lee Miringoff of the Marist College poll, which last week found Paterson mired in some of the lowest approval ratings of any New York governor.

“They are worried that Paterson’s pick for the U.S. Senate, (Kirsten) Gillibrand, might be vulnerable,” Miringoff said. “They are also worried they might lose that seat and they want the head of the ticket to be stronger than Paterson’s numbers are.”

Asked if he was concerned about losing some Democratic support because of his low poll numbers, Paterson said: “No, I feel like in this very difficult economic time, just about all the governors are facing the same types of problems.”

But the signals from Washington Democrats may be what Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, riding high in the polls, needs to increase fundraising for a possible run for governor. Cuomo has refused to challenge Paterson so far and has declined to say if he will seek the job held by New York’s first black and legally blind governor.

“The White House is giving Cuomo all the political cover he needs to get in this,” Miringoff said.

In addition to governor, every statewide office and the majority of state Senate seats will be decided in the 2010 elections.

A Cuomo spokesman wouldn’t respond to requests for comment Sunday.

“Clearly, the governor is not doing well with New York voters right now,” said Steven Greenberg of the Siena College poll. “But, again, the election is 14 months away .. that’s a lifetime in politics, or multiple lifetimes.”

Sharpton said on his radio show Sunday that he has spoken with the White House and Paterson about his concern that Democrats do what is best for the people of New York. He wouldn’t say whether he was advising Paterson to drop out.

Obama has not spoken with Paterson about the race, said a senior White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive political matter. But it’s no secret that Democrats — in New York, in Washington and at the White House — are very concerned about Paterson’s re-election bid.

The White House has not ordered Paterson to leave the race and would not do so, the official continued, saying only that the governor can make the decision about what’s right for him, the party and the state. But Paterson and his advisers have been made aware of Obama’s concern about losing the governor’s office in such a key state, the White Office official said.

Another senior Democratic adviser in New York said those seeking Paterson’s withdrawal are suggesting he could land a Washington job in the Obama administration. The adviser spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official wasn’t authorized to speak for Paterson or the New York congressional delegation.

Paterson is scheduled to present a plan later this month to the Legislature to deal with a more than $2 billion deficit that likely will require politically unpopular cuts in funding for some of Albany’s most powerful special interests.

Last week, the Marist College poll found 20 percent of New York voters approved of Paterson’s performance as governor, compared with 21 percent in June. Only 24 percent of Democrats felt he was doing well. Seventy percent of voters said Paterson isn’t a viable candidate for 2010, including 65 percent of Democrats.

In comparison, Cuomo’s job approval rating is 69 percent. Sixty-seven percent of New Yorkers felt he should run for governor, including 77 percent of Democrats.

As lieutenant governor, Paterson moved to the governor’s office in March 2008 after Eliot Spitzer resigned amid a prostitution scandal. Since then, his popularity has plummeted and the state’s economic situation has deteriorated, with job losses mounting and the unemployment rate rising to its highest level in 26 years.

“I found that to be stunning, that the White House would send word to one of only two black governors in the country not to run for re-election,” said Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, reacting to news accounts on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

“That will be very interesting to see what the response from black leadership around the country will be about the president calling the governor to step down or not run for election,” said Steele, who is black.

AP Radio Correspondent Julie Walker and AP Writer Philip Elliott contributed to this story from New York and Washington.

Will we see Wall Street bankers walking away in handcuffs a la Charles Keating? Everyone knows there is dirt if you look in the right places and Cuomo is our best chance to sweep it up. The current administration is either too entrenched or too stupid to do what is right.