They’re trying to split majorities into minorities.
In a sane world, this would lead to abolition of gerrymandering, or at least very egalitarian compromises. In reality, the courts are going to side with the republicans (eventually, even if it has to go all the way to the top [and it will, on emergency mode because of course the taco supreme court will want it]) and we’re even more fucked.
While looking at taco and couchie as the ringleaders, true progressives ready to not go to concentration camps would do well to remember things are built from the bottom up, and a group of 5-10 members for the local republican party is much easier to target and deal with. There’s a lot of knowledge of the local process tied up in those few people. Lose that and the ability to enter races effectively is hurt. Protest those 5-10 local people with enough people and you might be able to start knocking things out from under them. Fewer local republicans, fewer people able to file the paperwork to enter local elections, and it moves on and up.
THIS IS IMPORTANT
The GOP is getting ready for the next elections. They know they’ll never get the majority of votes so they’re applying each and every dirty trick they have ever used in the last century, well ahead of time. They’ve learned from the past.
Frankly, this requires even more vigilance & pushback! than the Epstein files otherwise we’ll once again be “surprised pikachu” when MAGA wins.
The orange Child rapist (who is on the Epstein list) is doing only one of these two things.
1 Releasing the unredacted Epstein files.
Or
2 Distracting from the Epstein files because he’s a child rapist.I wonder which one the kiddie fiddling unregistered sex offender is going to do…?
D I S T R A C T I O N
Why was he in the Epstein Report, and using FBI agents to search for and redact his name? RELEASE IT!
Not in this case.
The GOP is getting ready for the next elections. They know they’ll never get the majority of votes so they’re applying each and every dirty trick they have ever used in the last century.
Frankly, this requires even more vigilance otherwise we’ll once again be “surprised pikachu” when MAGA wins.
Democrats are warning they might retaliate
Fuck that, do it regardless of if Republicans do it or not.
Don’t give them the choice, they said they’re gonna do it, and we all know they will if they can.
So every blue state that can, needs to do it too.
Besides, the GOP had declared this war years ago already and the Dems have been plodding along pretending it wasn’t happening. I’m glad they seem to recognize it finally and are making the right motions to fight, but honestly they should have been doing this much sooner.
I’m also worried about this being a dangerous game for Democracy - but if the Dems had any messaging chops they’d get out ahead of this and say ‘we’re going to cancel out every seat the GOP steals with a blue seat’ and make sure they’ve legally established that their gerrymandered seats are only temporary until a national ban is enacted.
I don’t think the answer is to retaliate proportionally no matter what, I think it’s to retaliate disproportionately if the republicans go through with it.
If the Dems had two brain cells they’d do it while loudly publicizing it at every step of the way and relentlessly messaging that everything they’re doing is completely legal because Republicans want it to be legal, and they have a bill ready to end gerrymandering whenever they want to end it.
Alas, that would require a will to do politics and not just sit and cry that Republicans aren’t playing fair.
I mean, that’s pretty much what Newsom is doing right now.
One state doing it isn’t enough, it’s a dog and pony show. The Republicans sure as shit haven’t gerrymandered just one state. And doing it without simultaneously pushing a bill to end gerrymandering (to my knowledge there is no bill before the current Congress) becomes a poison pill, an actual example of how both sides really are the same.
We can’t wait for “if” they go through with it. If you want too long, then can’t redistrict before districts needs to be defined for the 2026 election.
The GOP has redistricting in motion. They Dems need to assume the worse and act now.
The nuke has been launched. You can’t wait for it to drop to see how big of a retaliation is warranted.
The way California is proposing it is smart. If passed, the redistributing only is enacted if the other states go through with it. It’s not “waiting” to see if they do, it’d be accomplishing the stated goal of either preventing the other states from doing so OR out-redistricting them. California doesn’t want to redistrict, it’s in democratic.
Whereas before we just had polite, gentlemanly gerrymandering?
Compared to what the GOP wants for 2026, yes.
They’re going to make the maps look like absolute spaghetti.
Worst thing I read recently, a statement from some Republican, that Gerrymandering is actually for the people:
“Redistricting isn’t just politics—it’s about ensuring the voice of We the People is heard loud and clear,” Beckwith said. “Indiana is proud to play a key role in shaping a stronger, freer future for our nation and as lieutenant governor I fully support this effort!”
That is full-on Orwellian 1984 stuff. “Slavery is Freedom” etc.
They’re going to make the maps look like absolute spaghetti
In many places they already do look that way.
I read a good article about it yesterday that gave me at least a tiny sliver of hope. Apologies, on mobile as I type this and don’t have it handy.
It basically said that some places are already so gerrymandered to death that it will be difficult to do more than they already are. One pitfall is that if they gerrymander TOO much, then there is a risk of losing seats because they spread themselves too thin.
I’m sure this is still going to suck, but imagine if districts were all fair across the nation and they decided that now gerrymandering is okay and implemented it as a new thing, the consequences would be MUCH more severe and impactful.
I mean, yeah. Aside from Maryland and I think one other, the blue states aren’t very gerrymandered. This is one of the main tools that kept the Republicans relevant… They’ve just been cheating for decades, pushing further and further
If we strip fair election laws in places like California and cheat as well, they never get a majority in Congress again. If we pass national districting laws to make them all fair, same deal.
As far as gerrymandering too much… Tech giants are hoovering up all this data in part to share with groups like Cambridge analytica, which gives ungodly levels of granular data. They got very good at predicting elections
And that’s why Democrats are freaking out about Mumdani and Republicans are freaking out in general - progressive populists are out performing the models by double digit percentage points. And that’s well past the 10 point lead they used to consider a done deal
Republicans cheat and steal to subjugate a majority of people to the will of a small minority
Democrats warn they might do something
Maybe
Depends what’s on tv.
To quote the cinematic masterpiece BASEketball, this is the vibe Democrats seem to have about things.
“I swear, you guys rip on me thirteen or fourteen more times and I’m outta here!”
— Kenny “Squeak” Scolari
You mean “Little Bitch” Scolari?
I love living in Missouri where they’re about to crack my district to get rid of another legislator and not a fucking word is known about it.
Yes it’s only one, because Missouri is fucked too but at this point they’re scrambling for every number they can get.
scRotus opened up this can of worms awhile back. donvict and texas just put it on the front page for more than one news cycle.
I used to hear my dad repeat Faux talking points about how “gerrymandering isn’t even real” or some BS. It’s been so tempting to throw it back in his face - but I know that won’t be worth my time, so why bother.
Brother?
Sure, why not? I can use a new brother.
( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)
It is only an arms race if both sides aggressively pursue the advantage. This is as best as “we might try to balance out what they did”
Dooo iiit you pussies
A “race” implies there are two sides duking it out. Not one side that makes a strongly worded statement and immediately throws in the towel.
Kindly remind that artificial borders are fractals and technically you can make the border infinitely long and thereby infinite congressional districts.
Just use a Planck length ruler.
