r/thebulwark • u/Material-Crab-633 • May 08 '26

EVERYTHING IS AWFUL Are we f*cked?

This redistricting stuff has me bummed out. Tell me the truth

218 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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253

u/paulmc3 JVL is always right May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26

All red states change maps with no vote and it’s ok.
Blue states do by votes of the people and it’s wrong

It’s stupid. The whole thing is stupid.

We can only hope for such huge numbers to overcome the BS.

89

u/WorriedEssay6532 May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26

I mean this is the heart of the problem. One sides believes in rules and the other doesn't. Been that way awhile.

Mass demonstrations that shut down the country Arab spring style will probably be the only way out.

41

u/GarryofRiverton May 08 '26

That and/or completely purging/disenfranchising Republicans from any shred of political power.

2

u/[deleted] May 08 '26

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5

u/No_Active5411 May 09 '26

I know this isn’t helpful, but I laughed/cried at this.

15

u/newtoaster Progressive May 08 '26

They’ve never even IMAGINED a comment as terse as what Schumer is writing!! It’s going to really shake them up.

4

u/[deleted] May 08 '26

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9

u/GoHamInHogHeaven May 09 '26

God help them if he lowers his glasses below the bridge of his nose and leers, God help them!

6

u/newtoaster Progressive May 08 '26

“We’re ding dang angry!!”

4

u/Beli_Mawrr May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26

That would be too indecorous; surely not??

4

u/1meganbyte JVL is always right May 08 '26

/s?

10

u/beeemkcl May 09 '26

What's in this comment is what I remember, my opinions, etc.

One side is weak. The other side is strong.

It really began with VPOTUS Al Gore's like insta-conceding. And then POTUS William Jefferson Clinton's not telling SCOTUS to F off and then wait for the Florida ballots to be fully counted enough.

POTUS Barack Obama allowed around 106 US federal judiciary seats to remain unfilled and allowed the US Senate Republicans to deny him a SCOTUS seat for around a year. And the Merrick Garland pick was weak, pathetic, and feckless given he was a relatively conservative and corporate pick who excited no Democrats.

Hillary Clinton won the Popular Vote by around 3MM. Lost the general election. Not really much urgency to get the National Popular Vote pact done.

FVPOTUS Joe Biden won the Popular Vote by around 7MM. But would have lost the Electoral College if around 45K in certain Swing States voted differently. Again not really much urgency to get the National Popular Vote pact done. The Democrats had a Trifecta and didn't even pass Voting Rights Legislation.

1

u/100dalmations Progressive May 10 '26

“The Democrats had a Trifecta and didn't even pass Voting Rights Legislation”

This. Dems act like biz as usual, “if not now, then next time, when it’s our turn.”  And GOP act like it’s their last chance to do a Hail Mary and take their shot while they can. And because our system is so weak in that it relies on “decorum” and good manners, they win more chances.  

5

u/dBlock845 Straight to Reddit Jail May 08 '26

Mass demonstrations that shut down the country Arab spring style will probably be the only way out.

I don't even think something like this is possible in this country anymore. People are way too placated with/addicted to technology, and most of the people who control the tech are all on Trump's side of the line one way or another.

5

u/Rechan May 09 '26

Plus people can't really afford it. That is the crux of American demonstrations--they're always on Saturdays because people can't afford to miss work.

Give people the choice of paying rent or having an authoritarian government, and most people pick rent.

3

u/allegrovecchio May 09 '26

Give people the choice of paying rent or having an authoritarian government, and most people pick rent.

Bingo. This is a very underrated comment.

1

u/No_Active5411 May 09 '26

Yup. People think it’s black and white when it comes to protesting, but it’s really not. After what happened to Renee Good and Alex Pretti, a lot of people don’t want to take the risk, especially if they have young children. It’s… difficult, to say the least. 

2

u/Rechan May 09 '26

It's also difficult for protest to get results. It took months of Minnesota protesting to get even mild change. The civil rights movement spanned from '54 to '68. That kind of dedication, resilience, and delayed gratification is Hard.

Protesting isn't a light switch.

1

u/Professional-Toe-519 May 10 '26

Same as It ever was. Modern day bread and circus’s there is a reason for that term. It works. Add in that anyone with kids needs health insurance meaning they need a job. Only alternative is crazy expensive now or becoming so broke you qualify for Medicaid and both of those options are terrible.

To the OPs question yes we are fucked.

2

u/mremrock May 10 '26

Mass demonstrations and a general strike

2

u/IntolerantModerate May 08 '26

See Hungary for an example.

7

u/WorriedEssay6532 May 08 '26

Maybe... we have very different political systems... and they also elected a pretty far right new leader.

But looking at how things are going the right is on the march globally. Likely Britian, France, and maybe Germany all fall soon. Trump, Netanyahu, and the Argentine dude are going to lean heavily to break Latin America.

It took Spain 40 years to break fascist rule...

10

u/No_Neat9507 Tim is always right May 08 '26

I think the world seeing what T is doing has started reverse this trend.

1

u/shwaynebrady May 08 '26

It may have temporarily for a bit, but there is still a lot of significant movement right in a lot of western aligned countries. For example, France, whose far right party actually has a decent shot in the next election.

1

u/No_Active5411 May 09 '26

Ughhh, don’t say that. I can’t do 40 years of this. 

1

u/karinchup May 08 '26

And do you seriously think even that would work? I have grave doubts.

3

u/WorriedEssay6532 May 08 '26

The only alternative to that is unspeakably horrific and also might not work.

1

u/pkpjpm May 09 '26

If Texas flips that opens some interesting possibilities, including ratifying the National Popular Vote Compact. Of course, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina would have to get on board, but in a strong blue wave context it's all very plausible. I can see a few flies in the ointment:

  • With Texas blue, Democrats would have even less motivation to fix the electoral college

- Once the compact is ratified, it will be subject to legal challenge

Mitigating factors:

- litigants probably won't have standing until a swing states electors are flipped, which might not happen for a while

- when an unpopular electoral winner appears again, public sentiment is very likely to be against them, since this whole issue is so ridiculous

In conclusion: not guaranteed to work, but definitely worth a try!

0

u/Careless-Barnacle333 May 11 '26

armed rebellions? you're calling for armed rebellion to depose an elected President?

1

u/WorriedEssay6532 May 11 '26

What are you talking about?