#gerrymandering

#gerrymandering

She had worked 22 days straight in her job as a technician at an engine plant to save up, and now Daijah Bryant could finally do what she was putting off: Christmas shopping. Bryant pushed her cart out of a Walmart in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and loaded her sedan's backseat with bags of gifts. While they would soon bring joy to her friends and family, it was difficult for the 26-year-old to feel good about the purchases.

This manifests itself in a variety of different ways, of course. Progressives believe Mitch McConnell is a big meanie who routinely ate Chuck Schumer's lunch when the Kentuckian was still his party's leader in the Senate. Conservatives believe he is a RINO whose commitment to "muh principles" meant Republicans had to play by rules Democrats would violate with reckless abandon. (Filibuster? More like old and busted!)

I think it's going to be a really steep climb, Dasha, said Short, in relation to GOP midterm efforts. The reality is that Americans like divided government. They don't want one party in control. Each time there's been one party in control, there's been a backlash. The once chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence noted that in previous midterms, the incumbent party is much more vulnerable to losing Congressional seats.

Indiana Republicans defied bomb threats, swatting incidents, and a pressure campaign led by President Donald Trump when on Thursday they voted down a bill to make an all-GOP congressional delegation. In contrast to an easy approval in the state house, 21 Republicans joined 10 Democrats in the senate to sink the plan to wipe out two Democratic U.S. House districts.

Texas can use its new, GOP-friendly congressional map while a legal challenge plays out, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, temporarily pausing a lower court ruling that had blocked the map from going into effect. With the Dec. 8 candidate filing deadline fast approaching, the high court's decision likely means Texas' new map will be used for the 2026 midterm elections.

As I started writing this, folks were heading to the polls for the first time in a long, terrible year. Hyperbole somehow failed us when the White House was (is still being) destroyed. Plus, everyone's Social Security numbers were stolen, the world's biggest anti-vaxxer wants to ban Tylenol, and SNAP benefits were frozen for the first time. Yeah, it's been that kinda year. Pandora's box has been opened and all the maladies therein have been unleashed.