Caucuses were briefed. Polls are being shared. And the push to swing California bluer is taking shape.
California’s Texas-thwarting gerrymander has swiftly transformed from fantasy to reality.
Democrats in the House and the state Legislature are coalescing around a plan to draw a half-dozen Republican incumbents into oblivion — and persuade California voters to approve the new congressional maps before next year’s midterms. Party leaders are closely tracking the dual-track developments in which lawmakers in Texas and California are moving, in partisan parallel, to shore up their respective party’s House majorities. California Republicans are casting about for a way to avoid extinction.
It all points to a high-stakes, big-dollar brawl thrusting California to the center of the political universe.
Political brinkmanship is unfortunately part of the democratic process. If it wasn’t an option that politicians wanted to hold in their pocket, then they could have legislated it away a long time ago. Having Congress be bicameral was supposed to be a hedge against this sort of behaviour, but even the senators are bat shit insane nowadays.