In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln announced he was suspending the most basic of civil rights: the right of habeas corpus, which prohibits the government from imprisoning you without charges.When a court ordered the federal government to release an unindicted U.S. citizen, Lincoln simply ignored the order. The Bill of Rights and the courts were now null and void. Such niceties could not be indulged when the very existence of the Republic was at stake.Democrats today think they are the Republicans of 1861. They may not be fighting a literal war against secessionist slave states, but they have been delayed in their efforts to draw a mid-decade partisan gerrymander. In their mind, they are now justified in using any means necessary to gain and keep power — anything less is bowing to autocracy.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) won last year after saying she opposed mid-decade gerrymandering. She and her party promptly voted to replace the sensible, balanced, non-partisan congressional map with a shameless gerrymander.
Virginia Democrats pointed to similar Republican mid-decade gerrymanders to justify their act of vandalism. To this point, they could argue that turnabout is fair play, even if it means effectively disenfranchising your own people for partisan gain.
