Redistricting fight exposes tit-for-tat double-standard

Ask any parent of a child who has retaliated against another, and the refrain is often the same: “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” Sure, it is an overused, pithy statement, but it is so universally true and understandable that even a child can grasp it. Yet too frequently it falls on deaf ears among politicians and their most die-hard partisans, and the results can be detrimental.

The ongoing congressional redistricting fight is Exhibit A of this sad reality, and it comes from the top. Beginning last year, President Donald Trump began pressuring Republican-led state legislatures to redraw their congressional maps. Trump’s reasoning seemed clear: to bolster the House of Representatives’ slim Republican majority and/or mitigate losses in the upcoming midterm elections. After all, Republicans worry they are facing a rout in November.

This is a blatant partisan ploy, and while there is nothing necessarily illegal about mid-decade redistricting efforts, they generally occur every 10 years following the census. What Trump urged states to do is akin to changing the rules to benefit one side halfway through a game. But instead of a meaningless contest, the goal is to make congressional maps less representative of the electorate. This has sparked a tit-for-tat race to the bottom.

Deep red Texas was the first state to answer Trump’s call to action, and after adjusting its maps to favor Republicans, the GOP is expected to pick up anywhere from 2-5 seats. Trump and his supporters applauded the result, while Democrats bemoaned it. Former Democratic Rep. Collin Allred responded, “I’ve never seen anything this brazen, this broken and this spineless.”

The blue state of California, never happy to be outdone by Texas, decided to retaliate with its own redistricting, which may add five Democratic seats. This could potentially leave the state’s representation heavily skewed with 48 Democrats and only four Republicans in its delegation. Nevertheless, Democrats cheered, Trump and company lashed out, and this added fuel to a chain reaction of further partisan battles.

Missouri, Ohio, Utah and Virginia have redrawn their maps too. The Virginia effort came via a referendum and aims to change the Democrats’ 6-5 edge into a 10-1 edge, but its future is in doubt. Courts have already put a hold on it. That aside, while Trump has celebrated Republic-led redistricting, he not-so-surprisingly felt different about the Democrat-led Virginia referendum. He called it a “blatant partisan power grab,” as if the Republican initiatives weren’t.

Florida is the next state poised to fiddle with its maps to benefit the GOP, and this has sparked an awkward public spat between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. Jeffries retorted, “Our message to Florida Republicans is F around and find out.” Meanwhile, DeSantis offered to take Jeffries fishing and let him stay in the governor’s mansion. Something tells me if Jeffries and DeSantis switched places, they would adopt the opposing positions without question.

While there is often a partisan element to our country’s once-a-decade redistricting, it has been weaponized conspicuously for partisan purposes, which is not the original intent. “Some districts gain residents, others lose them,” the Brennan Center explained. “Districts also may change demographically. That’s why district boundaries are redrawn every 10 years to ensure each district has about the same number of people and that districts are reflective and representative of the electorate.” Some states even put redistricting decisions in the hands of nonpartisan redistricting commissions.

Clearly this is not what is driving the irregular mid-decade redistricting fad. So when will the madness end? Presumably before the elections, but my fear is that Pandora’s box has been opened. Unless the courts or Congress intervene, redistricting will now become a semi-annual tool to score cheap political wins, at the expense of precedent and representation.

There is plenty of finger-pointing, as each side attempts to exculpate itself, but there is ample blame to go around. Yes, Trump ignited this spat, although horribly gerrymandered maps existed before him. Illinois’ map is an obvious example of this. Regardless, Republicans didn’t have to answer his call, and many didn’t. Georgia lawmakers refused to meekly obey and deserve plaudits for their principled stand.

As other Republican states took a different approach, Democratic states responded in kind, as each side upped the ante further. In the end, neither side is entirely innocent. Remember, two wrongs don’t make a right. There are guilty parties among Republicans and Democrats, but unfortunately, it is voters who will pay the price.