About fifty years ago the United States was involved in a military conflict in Vietnam which lasted many years and did not end well.
There was a phrase from that era – “We had to destroy the village in order to save it” –which encapsulated its own self-defeating logic. We know better than the natives. We must force them to appreciate our values.
Fast forward to 2026.
Powered by the latest surge in the TDS virus, Democrats in the General Assembly are on the verge of passing a redistricting bill which will turn the state’s Congressional map into a Jackson Pollock painting – with the sole purpose of creating four new “Democratic” Congressional seats so as to … (wait for it) … SAVE DEMOCRACY!
The putative losers in all this are rural white voters, who are already the subject of disdain if not actual bigotry in large swaths of American culture. In a geography-based map, these voters would form a natural majority in three Congressional districts and significant share in at least three others.
In the Democratic map, most of the “deplorables” will be “packed” into one District – the remainder will be divided up and thus outnumbered by suburban liberals in all others.
If this were done to urban black voters, it would be a blatant Voting Rights Act violation. But since it only applies to Trump-friendly white voters, then it’s ok!
Here’s the irony …
Back in the day, rural voters were a key part of the Democratic coalition and suburban voters were the nemesis.
Mark Warner started his 2001 Governor’s race in the hills of Southwest Virginia and ran up larger margins there than he did in Fairfax County. During the early 1990’s, when I was active in the Fifth CD Committee, Democrats held ALL the state legislative seats along the Rte. 58 corridor, bordering the North Carolina line.
Year and year, we hear that Democrats “care” about rural and small town voters. Okay …
Now for the counter-argument. But Trump did it!
Yes, it’s true that Texas led the way on this sorry spectacle, thanks to the President’s imbecilic goading. California responded in kind. But other states have shown the integrity to resist “spot gerrymandering.” Kansas, Indiana, even Maryland!
I had hoped that our new Governor would show leadership and reject this blatant attempt at disenfranchisement. Turns out she’s not that person.
So it will either come down to the Virginia Supreme Court or ordinary voters to defeat it.
Of course, the national mood is transitory. Assuming these new Districts are enacted, there will certainly be a one-time gain for the D’s.
But moods turn and, then they do, they say karma is a …
[rhymes with “rich”]
