"The ability to retaliate against Donald Trump's power grabs and other outrages is a rare pleasure for Democrats, which is why Gavin Newsom's counter-gerrymandering effort in California is so wildly popular among Democrats. If Democrats can't stop Trump's egregious policies in Congress (and they really can't) and the U.S. Supreme Court is either enabling him or slow-walking efforts to rein him in (which it clearly is), then they need different arenas in which to contest his authoritarian ways."
"But Democrats shouldn't reflexively ape Trump's every excess, particularly in formulating an agenda for their eventual return to power. They currently have the high ground with a small but strategically critical share of voters who dislike partisan power grabs no matter who is carrying them out. These voters may not want to restore Democrats to power in 2026 or 2028 if they believe that when it comes to lawless conduct, "both sides do it.""
Democrats derive rare satisfaction from retaliating against Donald Trump's power grabs, motivating Gavin Newsom's counter-gerrymandering effort in California. Congressional constraints and a friendly or slow-moving Supreme Court leave Democrats to seek alternative arenas to contest perceived authoritarianism. California's response to Texas's legislative redistricting, though costly and requiring a constitutional amendment via ballot initiative, is a strategic counter. Democrats should avoid reflexively imitating Trump's excesses because moderate voters oppose partisan power grabs regardless of perpetrator. Preserving constitutional restraints and stable institutions prevents cyclical lurches between authoritarian governments and a potential democratic meltdown. Current Democratic efforts are measured and strategically necessary.
Read at Intelligencer
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