Ratfucked : the true story behind the secret plan to steal America's democracy

**The explosive account of how Republican legislators and political operatives fundamentally rigged our American democracy through redistricting.** With Barack Obama’s historic election in 2008, pundits proclaimed the Republicans as dead as the Whigs of yesteryear. Yet even as Democrats swooned, a small cadre of Republican operatives, including Karl Rove, Ed Gillespie, and Chris Jankowski began plotting their comeback with a simple yet ingenious plan. These men had devised a way to take a tradition of dirty tricks―known to political insiders as “ratf\*\*king”―to a whole new, unprecedented level. Flooding state races with a gold rush of dark money made possible by __Citizens United__, the Republicans reshaped state legislatures, where the power to redistrict is held. Reconstructing this never- told-before story, David Daley examines the far-reaching effects of this so-called REDMAP program, which has radically altered America’s electoral map and created a firewall in the House, insulating the party and its wealthy donors from popular democracy. __Ratf\*\*ked__ pulls back the curtain on one of the greatest heists in American political history. 5 maps "The explosive account of how Republican legislators and political operatives fundamentally rigged our American democracy through redistricting,"--NoveList. Journalist David Dalcy's explosive look at the new frontier of political dirty tricks--a coordinated assault on representative democracy through gerrymandering. Here, Daley documents an unprecedented effort by Republican legislators and political operatives to hack American democracy through an audacious redistricting plan called REDMAP. Following the election of President Barack Obama, a group of men--including Karl Rove, Ed Gillespie, and Chris Jankowski--envisioned a daring campaign to flip state legislatures, where the power to redistrict is held, in battleground states in advance of post-census redistricting. Republican politicians nationwide then pressed their advantage by aggressively redrawing state and congressional lines in their favor. While gerrymandering has long been a quirk of our system, during this decade--thanks to state-of-the-art technological advances in map-making and voter tracking as well as a flood of dark money after the Citizens United decision--it has ushered in a thoroughly entrenched and hyperpartisan Republican era. If our politics appear more broken and extreme than ever, REDMAP explains why. Launched with just $30 million, this entirely legal scheme has proven to be one of the most successful, yet damaging, games of political "moneyball" in American history. Deeply troubled by this development, Daley began an investigative odyssey that led him to uncover the stories behind these new districts, hacked and cobbled together by a new breed of wonks, stat geeks, and political hatchet men. Delving into court documents, cutting-edge statistical analysis, and interviews with many of the REDMAP architects themselves, Daley reconstructs this never-before-told story and pulls back the curtain on one of the greatest heists in American political history: our democracy.--Adapted from dust jacket. "The explosive account of how Republican legislators and political operatives fundamentally rigged our American democracy through redistricting, "--NoveList. Journalist David Dalcy's explosive look at the new frontier of political dirty tricks--a coordinated assault on representative democracy through gerrymandering. Here, Daley documents an unprecedented effort by Republican legislators and political operatives to hack American democracy through an audacious redistricting plan called REDMAP. Following the election of President Barack Obama, a group of men--including Karl Rove, Ed Gillespie, and Chris Jankowski--envisioned a daring campaign to flip state legislatures, where the power to redistrict is held, in battleground states in advance of post-census redistricting. Republican politicians nationwide then pressed their advantage by aggressively redrawing state and congressional lines in their favor. While gerrymandering has long been a quirk of our system, during this decade--thanks to state-of-the-art technological advances in map-making and voter tracking as well as a flood of dark money after the Citizens United decision--it has ushered in a thoroughly entrenched and hyperpartisan Republican era. If our politics appear more broken and extreme than ever, REDMAP explains why. Launched with just $30 million, this entirely legal scheme has proven to be one of the most successful, yet damaging, games of political "moneyball" in American history. Deeply troubled by this development, Daley began an investigative odyssey that led him to uncover the stories behind these new districts, hacked and cobbled together by a new breed of wonks, stat geeks, and political hatchet men. Delving into court documents, cutting-edge statistical analysis, and interviews with many of the REDMAP architects themselves, Daley reconstructs this never-before-told story and pulls back the curtain on one of the greatest heists in American political history: our democracy.--Adapted from dust jacket The Explosive Account Of How Republican Legislators And Political Operatives Fundamentally Rigged Our American Democracy Through Redistricting--novelist. After Obama's Historic Election In 2008, A Small Cadre Of Republican Operatives Began Plotting The Party's Comeback With A Simple Yet Ingenious Plan. These Men Had Devised A Way To Take A Tradition Of Dirty Tricks-- Known To Political Insiders As Ratf**king-- To A Whole New, Unprecedented Level. Flooding State Races With A Gold Rush Of Dark Money Made Possible By Citizens United, The Republicans Reshaped State Legislatures, Where The Power To Redistrict Is Held. Daley Examines The Far-reaching Effects Of This So-called Redmap Program, Which Has Radically Altered America’s Electoral Map And Created A Firewall In The House, Insulating The Party And Its Wealthy Donors From Popular Democracy. The Mastermind: It Will Take Years To Recover -- Pennsylvania: So This Wasn't A Personal Attack -- North Carolina: Truly Space-age Software -- Maptitude: Donald Duck Kicking Goofy -- Michigan: A Garbage Dump Is The Cherry On Top -- Ohio: A Small Carve Out Down 77 In Canton -- Democrats: They Just Whistled Past The Graveyard -- Florida: Tampa Is Far From Perfect -- Wisconsin: They Put My District In A Woodchipper -- Iowa: The Redistricting Unicorn -- Arizona: You Can't Get Any More Partisan Than This -- A Theorem To Detect Ratfucking. David Daley. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 223-240) And Index.