Editorials & Other Articles

Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(128,483 posts) Sun Aug 17, 2025, 03:00 PM Aug 17

News Analysis: Newsom's decision to fight fire with fire could have profound political consequences

Deep in the badlands of defeat, Democrats have soul-searched about what went wrong last November, tinkered with a thousand-plus thinkpieces and desperately cast for a strategy to reboot their stalled-out party.

Amid the noise, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has recently championed an unlikely game plan: Forget the high road, fight fire with fire and embrace the very tactics that virtue-minded Democrats have long decried.

Could the dark art of political gerrymandering be the thing that saves democracy from Trump’s increasingly authoritarian impulses? That’s essentially the pitch Newsom is making to California voters with his audacious new special election campaign.

As Texas Democrats dig in to block a Republican-led redistricting push and Trump muscles to consolidate power wherever he can, Newsom wants to redraw California's own congressional districts to favor Democrats.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/news-analysis-newsom-s-decision-to-fight-fire-with-fire-could-have-profound-political-consequences/ar-AA1KFyy1

3 replies

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News Analysis: Newsom's decision to fight fire with fire could have profound political consequences (Original Post) Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Aug 17 OP

Where do they come up with these narratives? BeyondGeography Aug 17 #1

Should we surrender without a fight? Or go down swinging? bucolic_frolic Aug 17 #2

I really think Dem leaders need to speak in clearer terms. Don't speak around something go directly at it. Srkdqltr Aug 17 #3

BeyondGeography

(40,647 posts)

1. Where do they come up with these narratives?

Reply to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Sun Aug 17, 2025, 03:04 PM

Aug 17

Look at the party’s approval ratings. That’s Democrats telling their leaders to get tough with Trump, which has been going on for months.

Also, Democrats are by definition “virtue-minded,” which is not at all incompatible with wanting to get tough on a thug.

bucolic_frolic

(52,336 posts)

2. Should we surrender without a fight? Or go down swinging?

Reply to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Sun Aug 17, 2025, 03:07 PM

Aug 17

I see risk to what he's doing, not least of all to his own political career. But we need good slogans to sell the policy, and a lot less grandstanding. Trolling Trump with golden images only goes so far and with the faithful. This is a war for the political middle.

Srkdqltr

(8,878 posts)

3. I really think Dem leaders need to speak in clearer terms. Don't speak around something go directly at it.

Reply to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Sun Aug 17, 2025, 03:45 PM

Aug 17

A lot seem to like to pretty up what they say when they should be speaking directly. Trump isn't going to like what they say anyway .

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