Well readers, here we are with a new month, a whirlwind of news, and somehow the same stupidity. It’s almost impressive how we manage to combine chaos with hypocrisy.
This month there was a lot to choose from, but two things that went hand in hand: the Supreme Court gutting the Civil Rights Act and the newest form of oppression. Well, it’s not really new, but the current version: gerrymandering.
It’s no wonder a large percentage of Americans today think the Supreme Court is political, because it is. Sure, conservatives can claim it isn’t, but it wasn’t too long ago when the court approved marriage equality that they were saying the same thing. It also wasn’t too long ago they were promoting Donald Trump to politicize the Supreme Court and push Project 2025. And look where we are now, somewhere around Chapter … honestly, who even knows at this point. They’ve defunded education so thoroughly that they can’t even read anymore.
However, what astonished me most in all of this was how quickly the goalposts changed. I remember being on the panel when Proposition 50 was on the ballot in California. You remember that? The one we the people voted on after Texas decided to just redo their maps without any public input, and the local Republican Party lost their minds? Ring any bells? Great! So it passed.
But ALL OF A SUDDEN, when states like Louisiana, Florida, and others started doing the exact same thing WITHOUT the input of their people, Republicans were practically drooling at the mouth with excitement. Turns out it was never really about gerrymandering or democratic process after all. It was about ensuring the people didn’t have their voices heard and that minority voices specifically were silenced. They’ve finally started saying the quiet part out loud without even having to say it.
The same party that’s been denying what they are has finally revealed themselves through their actions. No, the Republicans didn’t actually want your input. No, the Republicans didn’t want your vote, well, not unless you vote the “right” way. No, the Republicans didn’t want minorities in the process. No, the Republicans didn’t care about fair procedures.
Because if they did care, maps wouldn’t take five days to draw up in back rooms. Because if they did care, when they held the majority not once but twice now, they could have adopted a system similar to California’s independent redistricting commission and implemented it nationwide. Because if they did care, they could have created a system where minority voices are genuinely heard. Because if they did care, our gas would be cheaper by now. Because if they did care, our lives would be demonstrably better. Because if they did care, our job market would be thriving.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth I need to acknowledge: I’m not saying Democrats have delivered any better in this situation. I am beyond frustrated with my own party as well. We have a supermajority in California facing a housing crisis and a cost-of-living standard that’s through the roof. Can any party actually get it right?
Yet here we are, with generations of politicians who seem determined to blame younger generations, who ironically haven’t even had a chance to get into power yet, while older generations refuse to release that torch until it’s pried from their dead, cold hands with a chisel and pickaxe, IF you’re lucky. All while they complain about the very policies they themselves implemented and voted for.
The hypocrisy is suffocating. Older generations lecture us about responsibility while refusing to take any themselves. They vote for policies that gut opportunity, then wonder why young people can’t afford homes or families. They destroy the systems that benefited them, then blame us for the wreckage.
This isn’t about age, it’s about accountability. It’s about a political class, on both sides, that’s more interested in maintaining power than solving problems. It’s about leaders who’d rather win gerrymandered districts than earn genuine support from diverse constituencies.
May this upcoming election be better than the rest. And I’m not even here to solidly sway you on a side. Obviously I’ll be voting Democrat because I want a country left standing by the end of this administration. But I’m asking you: Vote your values. Vote for someone that your children and grandchildren can look back on with pride. Vote for candidates they can point to and say, “That’s what you fought for.”
History will look back at this moment one day. I sure hope we can say we worked hard to correct it, that we stood on the right side when democracy was under assault, that we chose principle over partisanship when it mattered most.
For those reading as we look ahead, I wish you all a beautiful Memorial Day. May you take a moment to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the freedoms we cherish today, and honor their families as well. They fought for a democracy where every voice matters, where districts are drawn fairly, where the people truly govern themselves.
God bless them, their loved ones, and our great nation. May we prove worthy of their sacrifice.
Andrew Taban is a former legislative staffer. “Democratic Voices” appears Tuesdays and rotates among several local Democrats.
