I’m from Virginia and still have lots of VA MAGAs in my friends list. I’m not sure if they’re getting their news from the usual suspects or from their cousin Cletus but they are convinced of two things: Gov Spanberger is a Marxist dictator and no one in history has ever done anything like what happened on Tuesday.
Now a state judge in Tazwell County VA has signed an order preventing certification of last night's results. And the US Supreme Court is weighing in on a provision of the Voting Rights act prohibiting racial gerrymandering. Want to bet Justice Clarence Thomas is not in the majority?
They did that in numerous states, including Virginia, but Republicans took the opposite tactic and drew the most extreme gerrymanders possible, like North Carolina. Virginia had to undo their fair maps to counter what Republicans did in Texas, North Carolina, and Missouri during the mid-decade redistricting requested by Trump.
With all due respect Tom, that’s not exactly what happened. Virginia didn’t “undo fair maps” to counter anything — they lost their independent commission when it deadlocked, and the courts stepped in with a neutral map. Meanwhile, Republicans in places like North Carolina, Texas, and Missouri weren’t reacting to anyone; they were aggressively pushing mid‑decade redraws because Trump demanded maps that guaranteed partisan outcomes.
The difference is simple: Democrats in several states moved toward independent or bipartisan processes. Republicans in others went for maximum advantage, even in states that were already safely red. That’s how you end up with North Carolina districts shaped like abstract art while Virginia’s map actually reflected the voters.
Everything you’ve said. Now, all we have to do is swing this state back in the blue column. I keep hoping Western NC will wake up and smell the stale coffee that Republican representation has left behind in the wake of Helene and the never ending fight to get already earmarked FEMA funding but they can be awfully hard headed so not too sure they’ll connect the dots between their misery and Republican obstruction and failure to pass a damn budget.
I agree 100%. Surely, for Republicans, this is a great example of that current saying "FAFO". For 200+ years the SCOTUS has let gerrymandering grow until it is near to smothering our democracy. That needs to change. Until then, it's up to states like VA and CA to keep the House competitive in this strange age of the gerrymander.
It is a shame that Justice Kennedy chickened out of tackling gerrymandering, on top of his authoring Citizens United. Fix those two structural defects, and democracy would work much better.
Longtime acquaintance Rob Tracinski, a writer who's a strongly anti-Trump libertarian, is running in the 6th District (now including the Charlottesville area) as a Democrat because the incumbent Republican won't stand up to Trump, Johnson, et al. He's a smart guy and has embraced the Democrats as the only option to promote democratic reforms and restore checks and balances. He's a long shot, but I wish him well.
It’s about time Dems are fighting back and winning. What is amazing is the SHOCK that Republicans feel(really?) that things don’t just go one way. I like that VA has put a time limit on the change. I’ve been here a while and we were 🤌close to a non partisan agreement on this issue, only to have it pulled back. I really hope that the Democrats take back control of the NC Legislature and our courts with good candidates who have the state’s best interest at heart and that the crap stops. I just want to enjoy this beautiful state and to get some good nights’ sleep.
I’m from Virginia and still have lots of VA MAGAs in my friends list. I’m not sure if they’re getting their news from the usual suspects or from their cousin Cletus but they are convinced of two things: Gov Spanberger is a Marxist dictator and no one in history has ever done anything like what happened on Tuesday.
Now a state judge in Tazwell County VA has signed an order preventing certification of last night's results. And the US Supreme Court is weighing in on a provision of the Voting Rights act prohibiting racial gerrymandering. Want to bet Justice Clarence Thomas is not in the majority?
What if, Democrats took the lead by drawing evenly balanced districts and pairing that with legislation that makes gerrymandering illegal?
They did that in numerous states, including Virginia, but Republicans took the opposite tactic and drew the most extreme gerrymanders possible, like North Carolina. Virginia had to undo their fair maps to counter what Republicans did in Texas, North Carolina, and Missouri during the mid-decade redistricting requested by Trump.
With all due respect Tom, that’s not exactly what happened. Virginia didn’t “undo fair maps” to counter anything — they lost their independent commission when it deadlocked, and the courts stepped in with a neutral map. Meanwhile, Republicans in places like North Carolina, Texas, and Missouri weren’t reacting to anyone; they were aggressively pushing mid‑decade redraws because Trump demanded maps that guaranteed partisan outcomes.
The difference is simple: Democrats in several states moved toward independent or bipartisan processes. Republicans in others went for maximum advantage, even in states that were already safely red. That’s how you end up with North Carolina districts shaped like abstract art while Virginia’s map actually reflected the voters.
I will add that the best victory is when the enemy collapses because of his own mistakes.
Using his tactics against him forces him into those mistakes faster.
Everything you’ve said. Now, all we have to do is swing this state back in the blue column. I keep hoping Western NC will wake up and smell the stale coffee that Republican representation has left behind in the wake of Helene and the never ending fight to get already earmarked FEMA funding but they can be awfully hard headed so not too sure they’ll connect the dots between their misery and Republican obstruction and failure to pass a damn budget.
I agree 100%. Surely, for Republicans, this is a great example of that current saying "FAFO". For 200+ years the SCOTUS has let gerrymandering grow until it is near to smothering our democracy. That needs to change. Until then, it's up to states like VA and CA to keep the House competitive in this strange age of the gerrymander.
I agree with everything in this column. Now if we can get fair maps in NC, we can get our democracy back on track.
It makes me happy too!
It is a shame that Justice Kennedy chickened out of tackling gerrymandering, on top of his authoring Citizens United. Fix those two structural defects, and democracy would work much better.
Longtime acquaintance Rob Tracinski, a writer who's a strongly anti-Trump libertarian, is running in the 6th District (now including the Charlottesville area) as a Democrat because the incumbent Republican won't stand up to Trump, Johnson, et al. He's a smart guy and has embraced the Democrats as the only option to promote democratic reforms and restore checks and balances. He's a long shot, but I wish him well.
Amen to all you have said-- thank you!
It’s about time Dems are fighting back and winning. What is amazing is the SHOCK that Republicans feel(really?) that things don’t just go one way. I like that VA has put a time limit on the change. I’ve been here a while and we were 🤌close to a non partisan agreement on this issue, only to have it pulled back. I really hope that the Democrats take back control of the NC Legislature and our courts with good candidates who have the state’s best interest at heart and that the crap stops. I just want to enjoy this beautiful state and to get some good nights’ sleep.
I was hoping this made you happy. Me too.