The representative Emanuel Cleaver says that the redistribution hurts the Democrats, the Republicans and the Republic: NPR

Juana Summers, host:

The Missouri could be the next state to redraw its Congress cards. The governor has not yet called for a special session on redistribution, but President Trump posted on Truth Social that, Cit, “Missouri is in it”. He urges republican states to redraw their district lines to give republican candidates an advantage in next year elections for the congress. Now the Missouri has eight seats in the congress. Two are detained by Democrats, including the representative Emanuel Cleaver. His district includes Kansas City, and he’s with us now. Welcome to everything considered.

Emanuel Cleaver: Well, thank you. Delighted to be with you.

Summers: Congress, you have represented this district since 2005. Before that, you were mayor of Kansas City for eight years. When you saw the social post of truth of President Trump affirm that the Missouri is there, what was your first thought?

Cleaver: Well, I thought that, you know, it could be one of the president’s statements that he will sometimes offer to the public without any connection with reality. But I had also been in contact with friends and family in Texas, and they were all very, very safe that they were going to redirect mid-December in Texas, and I therefore realized that Missouri could very well be the next one.

Summers: My colleague Jason Rosenbaum with the public radio of St. Louis spoke with the member of the Congress of Missouri, Bob Onder, who is a republican of the suburbs of St. Louis. And they explained why the Republicans wanted to redistingu. Let’s listen to what he said.

Bob Onder: We are a republican state. The Republicans have supermajes in the Missouri Chamber and the Missouri Senate. The Republicans hold all our elected offices on a state scale, including, of course, the governor. And I believe that we must pass a card from the congress which reflects the values ​​of the state of the Missouri.

Summers: Congressman Cleaver, your response to this?

Cleaver: You know, one of the painful things for me is that the Missouri delegation may have been the only delegation to the Congress who was able to meet. We have gathered for 20 years. We – Once a month, on Wednesday, we all sit down and lunch together and work together. And so this kind of thing, unfortunately, and painfully for me, and unconsciously painful for the state, begins to tear this uniqueness.

Summers: Congress, then, what do you do when you see the States – I will use California as an example – which redesigns commissioner in order to try to obtain democratic seats, to create five additional democratic seats in the example of California. Is this the bad approach here?

Cleaver: Well, I’m not sure yet. I think history will have to make the ultimate decision. But I think Governor Newsom is right to say, ok, we will fight back. And so, at the moment, the Democratic Party will use the republican reversal to light a fire to the spirit of America which will only be extinguished by the retreat of what I call political absolutism. Now there is a danger fighting fire with fire because we have to keep in mind that the fight against fire with fire will ultimately lead to a nation of rubble and alienation and sometimes even decimation. So I said to some of my republican colleagues, if you continue to do so, understand that you will need to dig three tombs – one for yourself, one for the Democrats and one for the Republic.

Summers: Recognizing that Governor Kehoe has not yet called a special session or made announcements on redistribution, I wonder, as this conversation has been in progress, given what we have seen in other parts of the country, including Texas, including California, what do you mean to your voters in the city of Kansas? What do they say about it?

Cleaver: They are furious, and they are not only the Democrats. I think it’s the key. In fact, I felt fairly well on the fact that the institutions, some of which were republican, they do not remember that it is division and could also harm the representation that the inhabitants of Kansas City would normally receive.

Summers: Now, some may remember that your district was intended to restart in 2022. And this effort, it finally failed when the Republicans of the State feared that the Redssine district lines do not turn against it and that the republican districts are perhaps at risk. Do you think that the Missouri state republicans overcome these concerns?

Cleaver: No, I think there are concerns. Look, you put water in a ball and press it, the water will go somewhere. Let’s say you take 10,000 African-American democrats from Kansas City and put them in one of the adjacent districts. This Congress member will not be happy.

Summers: Last question, member of the Congress – If the Republicans of your Missouri State put your district back as a republican district, are you going to ask for re -election again?

Cleaver: You know, I’m going to have to look at this and think about it. From this very moment, I run and I do not consider retirement.

Summers: Congress Emanuel Cleaver from Missouri, a democrat. Congress, please join us.

Cleaver: delighted to be with you.

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