Politics: A Stump Speech of Hypocrisy

Former diplomat and Democratic Senator Adry Stevenson once remarked that a hypocrite resembles a politician who cuts down a redwood and then gives a speech promoting its protection. If that’s the case, this week’s political events were reminiscent of such a hollow speech.

In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul described the actions of Texas Republicans during the midterms as “legal riots at our Capitol.” This raised eyebrows.

Meanwhile, Texas Democrat Jolanda Jones elevated the discourse, claiming that the term “riots” didn’t quite encapsulate the situation. She boldly stated, “I compare this to the Holocaust.”

Others in the Democratic Party echoed the sentiment that these events signified the demise of democracy, with figures like former President Barack Obama weighing in. Yet, it’s curious; when Democrats themselves were involved in extreme gerrymandering, there was no such outcry.

In Illinois, Governor JB Pritzker, flanked by Texas lawmakers who had fled to avoid legislative quorum, declared that gerrymandering was an effort to “steal” Congressional seats and “push people away.” Yet, it seemed ironic given that Illinois is noted for its own gerrymandered districts.

What’s particularly striking is the lack of shame in these declarations. Pritzker’s appearance on Stephen Colbert’s show, which typically doesn’t shy away from mocking conservatives, showcased this. When he declared his fight against gerrymandering in Texas, the audience erupted in applause. Colbert even presented a map of Illinois, a state with notoriously contorted districts, to which Pritzker had a flippant response, much to the laughter of the crowd.

To summarize, Pritzker called gerrymandering a threat to democracy while simultaneously making light of his own state’s practices, and the audience was on board with both claims.

Democratic outrage appeared almost comical. In Massachusetts, Governor Maura Healey promised backlash against Texas Republicans through gerrymandering, despite Massachusetts’ districts already being so skewed that Republicans haven’t held a seat since the 1990s.

We seem to have entered an era of unabashed anger and hypocrisy, with everyone chuckling along.

It’s tough to fully exclude Republicans in a supposedly democratic state, but California Governor Gavin Newsom has joined the fray, promising new gerrymandering efforts in California—a state where Republicans made up about 40% of the congressional vote yet only held 17% of House seats last year. Achieving this would indeed require substantial financial backing, even with California facing a significant budget shortfall.

This could just be the tip of the iceberg.

In light of the gerrymandering backlash, Democratic strategist James Kerrville spoke candidly, suggesting that Texas House Democrat Caucus Speaker Jean Wu, who also fled to Illinois, could help strategize. He advocated for packing Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia as states to secure Democratic advantage, claiming this shift would ensure Republicans could never regain power.

Such ideas aren’t unprecedented among Democrats. In a discussion from October 2020, Harvard Law Professor Michael Klerman underscored the need for Democrats to utilize their power to enact enduring laws. There’s a certain irony in this notion.

Kerrville further acknowledged that altering the legislative and judicial branches for the sake of democracy can sound paradoxical. That said, he suggested that doing all of these things together might somehow make it alright—a bit like saying setting a single house on fire is wrong, but burning an entire city is justified.

Still, Kerrville maintained, “If you want to save democracy, you have to do all of them because we are far from anything resembling democracy.”

Those tunes of hypocrisy often go unnoticed, and perhaps the more concerning issue is that it seems like nobody cares. You can reshape the Supreme Court, districts, and voting rules, all the while cloaking it as a preservation of democratic values.

They can even appear virtuous while committing multiple affronts to true democratic principles.

There’s a glint of hope though. Citizens could band together to end gerrymandering altogether. Instead of yielding to anger, the nation might direct its effort towards banning or at least limiting partisan redistricting. If that happens, these politicians could find themselves without a stage to stand on.