The era of unilateral disarmament is over
By 
Virginia is for lovers, of democracy:
Virginia voters approved a plan on Tuesday to gerrymander the state’s congressional map to significantly favor Democrats, according to The Associated Press. The new map could eliminate four of the state’s five Republican-held seats for the 2026 midterm elections, giving Democrats a significant boost in their quest to regain control of the House.
The victory by Democrats in Virginia brings the national redistricting war roughly to a draw, effectively blunting the advantage Republicans built last year when they redrew maps for a partisan edge in Texas and other states. Beyond the red-versus-blue calculations, the vote is likely to further buoy Democrats as they seek to capitalize on President Trump’s low approval ratings and the unpopular war with Iran.
Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the New York Democrat who would take over as speaker if his party wins control of the chamber, said many people expected Democrats to “roll over and play dead. “Democrats did not step back,” he said. “We fought back. When they go low, we hit back hard.”
No matter how many people pretend not to understand this, a scenario in which one party gerrymanders and the other does not is the worst one for democracy. Republicans in Congress and/or the Supreme Court are free to agree to end this disequilibrium any time they want. Also, if I understand the definitely good faith arguments being advanced by conservative pundits to explain why Viktor Orban was just an ordinary democratic ruler, since it’s still theoretically possible for Republicans to carry every seat in Virginia there’s no legitimate basis for complaint even in isolation now.
For a little digestif, enjoy the new Bezos Post single “the Republican gerrymander in Texas is fine, actually” b/w “it is outrageous that there is a temporary retaliatory gerrymander in Virginia.” Wow, I wonder why this did not prove to be persuasive to the Virginia electorate!
Ari Berman puts things in broader perspective.