The GOP Dummymander Trap

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Right now, state legislatures from Texas to Florida are actively carving up the 2026 map, exploiting recent court rulings to lock in Republican structural advantages. But cartography cannot outrun gravity.

To manufacture new seats, GOP mapmakers are unpacking dense Democratic districts and shifting blue voters into red suburbs. By thinning their own safe margins just as a massive Democratic wave builds on the generic ballot surveys, they are setting a trap.

BEAT THE CHEAT

No amount of legislative tinkering can stop a turnout tsunami.
The GOP is engineering a catastrophic “dummymander.”

Read The Receipts in the full Trail Mix Brief →

Tennessee Rep. Gloria Johnson: “This is not a Special Session. This is a white power rally”

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68 thoughts on “The GOP Dummymander Trap”

  8. Postal Service mulls allowing handguns to be shipped through the mail

    (The Hill) – The United States Postal Service (USPS) could begin mailing handguns if a proposed rule from the Trump administration receives approval.

    Filed last month, the proposed rule would allow Americans to mail concealable guns, like pistols and revolvers, to anyone in the country. Protections similar to those for mailing long-barreled rifles and shotguns, which require them to be unloaded and securely packaged, would likely be applied.

    The USPS reviewed public comments due on Monday before making any changes to its rules on handguns.

    Concealable handguns have been banned from being mailed unless they come from licensed dealers since 1927. The Department of Justice called the law against mailing handguns “unconstitutional as applied to constitutionally protected firearms, including handguns, because it serves an illegitimate purpose and is inconsistent with the Nation’s tradition of firearm regulation.”

    More at link

  9. PROGRAMMING NOTE: Our daily Digital Diner podcast airs 11-Noon ET on YouTube. JOIN Chatroom Here. WATCH Yesterday’s Replay Here.

    What is Actually Clicking: May 8, 2026

    1. Politics: Contradictory reports on war and peace talks fuel panic as the U.S. and Iran trade fire in the Strait of Hormuz. – Just Security
    2. Immigration: Newly released video footage exposes children being harmed by tear gas amid an escalating border crackdown. – ProPublica
    3. Law: The Justice Department launches a pressure campaign targeting slow immigration judges to accelerate deportations. – AP News
    4. Economy: U.S. crude oil exports hit record highs as global shipping logistics descend into chaos. – Reddit
    5. Trade: The White House issues a strict July 4th ultimatum to the EU regarding international tariffs. – Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce
    6. Justice: Traffic crashes sites across the web following the release of the Fulton County grand jury transcripts. – YouTube
    7. Global News: Local political assassinations in Bengal violently intersect with updates on the fragile Middle Eastern truce. – The Hindu
    8. Culture: The FDA sparks intense debate after quietly reversing its ban on fruit-flavored e-cigarettes. – Reddit
    9. Culture: Geopolitical boycotts and jury resignations completely paralyze Eurovision and the Venice Biennale. – The Guardian
    10. Culture: MSG Entertainment faces significant Q3 headwinds, triggering industry debate over live event pricing models. – Investing.com

    These are the stories driving the most traffic right now—not necessarily the stories we think you should read, and not always the most recent.

    A roundup by our AI partner Silas (Gemini).

  11. It sounds like sfb is crashing faster now. The pampering of his world by handlers, see driving in the reflecting pool, to keep him happy and not causing world damage, is not for a sane world leader. It is for a demented, diseased, delusional, senile horrible person. The weekly insane actions is now daily and even hourly on his bad days.

    He is, at least monthly, being filled with drugs. He is constantly fed Adderall and possibly other drugs. Pure, no doubt, not off the streets.

    Those running the country through the rantings of a mad man are doing everything they can to stay in power. But that idiot has to go sometime. He is going to act out any moment and physically hurt someone. That is when they try to make vance do their bidding. The question is will they succeed?

  12. Stephen Miller’s closed system of white supremacy

    Working in the Trump administration these days is no doubt a dream come true for Stephen Miller. He gets to oversee President Trump’s war on immigrants, but as a Renaissance Man of Racism, he has other irons in the fire too.

    During the time Trump was out of office, Miller didn’t sit on his hands. He founded America First Legal, a law firm deeply committed to white supremacy. If there’s a shred of diversity left anywhere, AFL will find it and file a splashy and vicious lawsuit.

    Stephen Miller’s “America First Legal” is more dangerous than you think
    Lisa Needham
    ·

    More at link

  13. https://newrepublic.com/post/210063/alabama-republicans-vote-gerrymander-state-tornado-sirens-flood

    Alabama Republicans vote to gerrymander state as tornado sirens blare

    The debate ran for five hours over House Bill 1, which allows for a new special election if federal courts lift an injunction and allow the state to redraw its congressional districts before 2030. A similarly long debate appeared certain for the other bill, Senate Bill 1, which would redraw two state Senate districts. But then, a storm with a tornado watch led to sirens and flooding in the building.

    The storm initially didn’t stop proceedings, but when the fire alarm in the building went off, debate was quickly stopped and the lawmakers called for a vote.

  14. Thanks to WinterLinde, our YouTube friend in Germany, we’re on top of next week’s Eurovision Song Contest and will be playing the songs in the Digital Diner every day (if they’re not copyright protected). We’ll also follow the controversy about Israel’s admission.

    Here is the Full Playlist of all 35 songs.

    Here is Germany’s entry: Sarah Engels – Fire
    Good Luck, WinterLinde!

  16. I’d like to know how red the districts were before they watered them down with voters who are or who lean Democrat? (I see Craig has that in the “known” column…but I don’t know and I’d like to.)

    No shortage of racists in TN, etc., but between weakening districts with non-Republican voters, and perhaps women voters who can see they are on the menu next and will vote for Democrats just this once…

    Did those hooded KKKnights hoist themselves on their own petard?

  17. We need a law banning gerrymandering with a national grid. The states can join the squares together to contain census population but they must be in blocks no wandering all over the place.
    Sample idea show in this Public Land Survey System map. These were first created in the 1800s for the allocation of land for settlement and would only need to take numbers of people into consideration.

    Meet the New and Improved Public Land Survey System (PLSS) Map Layer

  18. So much winning. NYT

    Trade Court Rules Trump’s 10% Global Tariff Is Illegal
    A panel of federal judges found that President Trump could not legally impose the tariff on most imports.

    By Tony Romm and Ana Swanson
    Reporting from Washington
    May 7, 2026

    A panel of federal judges on Thursday found President Trump had violated the law when he imposed a 10 percent tariff on most U.S. imports, dealing yet another legal setback to the White House in its efforts to wage a trade war without the express permission of Congress.

    In a split ruling, the Court of International Trade found that Mr. Trump had wrongly invoked a decades-old trade law when he applied those duties beginning in February. The president imposed the levies after his previous set of punishing tariffs was struck down by the Supreme Court.

    The decision appeared to place, for now, new limits on Mr. Trump’s trade powers, which he has wielded aggressively in hopes of resetting relationships with allies and adversaries, raising new revenue and encouraging more companies to make their products in the United States.

    While the court declared Mr. Trump’s tariffs to be illegal, it only explicitly blocked their collection from small businesses and some states that had sued over their legality. It remained unclear how the administration would interpret that order, though it is widely expected to appeal.

    The ruling marked a major setback for Mr. Trump as he prepares to travel to China next week to meet Xi Jinping, its leader, about trade. Tariffs are expected to be a major topic on the agenda, and the court decision could undercut the president’s leverage.

    The decision also raised the likelihood that Mr. Trump might once again have to pay back money collected from the illegal duties. A refund process is already underway for the roughly $166 billion collected under Mr. Trump’s prior set of sweeping tariffs.

    The White House and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Mr. Trump later criticized the judges for their ruling, while signaling that his administration would not relent in its trade ambitions.

    “So, we always do it a different way,” the president told reporters. “We get one ruling, and we do it a different way.”

    From the beginning, the Trump administration envisioned the across-the-board tariff as a temporary solution, one that would buy time for Mr. Trump to craft a more lasting set of higher rates using other legal authorities. That process is now well underway, and could yield rates akin to those that Mr. Trump announced last year using a decades-old economic emergency law.
    […]
    It marked the second major win for the Liberty Justice Center, which had prevailed against the president in the case that reached the Supreme Court. States joined small businesses in that case as well, but on Friday, the trade court found most did not have standing to challenge Mr. Trump over his use of Section 122.

    “So long as President Trump continues to try to illegally tax Oregonians, we’ll continue to go to court to stop him,” Dan Rayfield, the attorney general of Oregon, said in a statement.

    Ryan Majerus, a partner at King & Spalding, said the court had “clear concerns with the administration’s expansive reading of Section 122.” He predicted that the refund process, if it occurred, could last until 2027.

    The administration is already working on its next plan for tariffs, but those levies can’t be implemented immediately. It has proposed two trade investigations under a legal provision known as Section 301, one related to global laws against trade in goods made with forced labor, and another on other countries’ manufacturing capacity.

    Hearings on those measures were held in Washington this and last week. But the administration was counting on the Section 122 tariff to last until July, and those alternate tariffs may not be ready for many weeks.

    Timothy C. Brightbill, an attorney at Wiley Rein, said the decision was “a decisive rejection of the president’s use of Section 122 tariffs.”

    However, he added, “this decision will surely be appealed by the administration, and there is already a ‘Plan C’ in place: the Section 301 investigations that are already underway, and which will likely conclude with new tariff announcements in July.”

    He’s nothing if not determined to tax shit. Lemme see, that makes shit more expensive, right?

  19. https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/trump-tariff-dividend-promise-scrutiny-1795255

    ‘When Did I Promise $2,000 Checks?’: Trump Disowns His Own Truth Social Post

    A resurfaced exchange from a January interview is drawing renewed attention to President Donald Trump’s unfulfilled promise of $2,000 (£1,504) tariff dividend checks for Americans. During an Oval Office interview on 11 January, when asked about his pledge to send rebate checks funded by tariff revenues, Trump initially appeared to draw a blank — responding, ‘I did do that? When did I do that?’

    He eventually walked back his hesitation, telling correspondents Katie Rogers and Tyler Pager: ‘The tariff money is so substantial. That’s coming in, that I’ll be able to do $2,000 sometime. I would say toward the end of the year.’ When asked whether he would need Congressional approval, Trump replied: ‘No, I don’t believe we do. We have it coming in from other sources.’

    *After mid-terms, when it definitely won’t happen, or before mid-terms as a bribe???

  20. Sneaky Feeling Dept.

    When Vance finally coms to power, ALL the wolves, knowing Vance’s complete weakness, will start removing their Sheep-suits and will blatantly begin the final phase of their aim to abolish Democracy and rule with an iron fist.
    Because anything less means many goper will go to prison….el jusgado,

    Look for this between now and the possible mid-term elections.

  23. No more racist dog whistles, now it’s loud and literal tornado sirens.

    At least we can ID them and not let the racists try to say they were never for it part of Jim Crow 2.0 after their sorry behinds are ousted from every office in the land.

  25. ‘No, I don’t believe we do. We have it coming in from other sources.’

    Now I’m certainly not familiar with Tariff collections or the Federal Treasury’s Rules and Regs, but wouldn’t any tariff funds collected be paid into the Treasury, and Congress would have to approve the disbursement of those funds? Let’s look.

    Google AI says:

    Are tariffs collected by CBP deposited into the us treasury?

    Yes, tariffs collected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are deposited directly into the U.S. Treasury’s General Fund.

    The Flow of Funds Collection: CBP agents collect duties at 328 ports of entry across the country from American companies (importers of record).

    Transfer: These funds are sent to the Treasury, where they are treated like individual income taxes.

    No Discretion: Neither the President nor CBP can spend this money directly. Only Congress has the authority to allocate it for specific purposes.

    Usage: Once in the General Fund, the revenue is fungible and can be used for anything from reducing the federal deficit to funding military and social programs.

    And…

    Does Congress have to approve all expenditures from the us treasury?

    Yes, according to Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution, Congress must approve all expenditures from the U.S. Treasury. This is known as the Appropriations Clause, which states: “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law”.

    The Constitutional Rule

    Power of the Purse: This authority belongs exclusively to Congress, ensuring the Executive Branch (the President) cannot spend public money without legislative permission.

    Appropriations by Law: For any money to leave the Treasury, a bill must be passed by both the House and Senate and then signed by the President (or passed over a veto).

    Transparency: The Constitution also requires the government to publish a “regular Statement and Account” of all receipts and expenditures for public record.

    That’s what I thought…. So what’s this “other sources” bullshit?

  28. Craig/David
    You might want to put this on your movie list. I’m seeing it Saturday. The reviews are great and the Rotten Tomatoes rating is over 95% positive.

  29. Today in the diner…

    • Eurovision Boycotts, AI Resumes & GOP Gerrymandering
    • Why Minnesota Keeps Dead Voters on the Rolls
    • Beat The Cheat

    AI resume tricks, TN GOP gerrymandering, and why Eurovision is boycotting itself. Plus, the real reason Minnesota keeps dead voters on the rolls.

    Robots are deciding if you are qualified for a job, but humans are fighting back with invisible ink on their resumes to beat the algorithm. Meanwhile, the GOP is hard at work unpacking democratic districts and shifting blue voters into red suburbs, a masterclass in gerrymandering that Tennessee State Rep. Gloria Johnson rightly called out as a pure power grab. The plan? Dilute the vote to keep people out of Congress. The reality? This might just ignite the exact voter turnout needed to beat the cheat.

    We also dive headfirst into the chaotic glittering mess that is the Eurovision Song Contest. Countries are boycotting over Israel’s inclusion, pop stars are singing about liars, and Moldova is somehow surviving it all while fending off Putin’s political meddling. Throw in a conservative freakout over Minnesota listing dead people as deceased to prevent actual voter fraud, and you have got a classic week on the digital trail.

    Live Chat: https://trailmix.cc/chat
    Website: https://trailmix.cc
    Alerts: https://trailmix.cc/alerts

    00:00 Intro: AI Resumes & Invisible Ink
    03:25 Trump Lies & Germany’s Eurovision Entry
    08:00 Tennessee GOP Gerrymandering Crisis
    21:20 Eurovision Controversies & Boycotts
    31:25 Moldova Beats Putin Politically
    41:00 Minnesota’s Dead Voter Rolls Explained
    46:30 Sturgis Wins the Derby
    55:30 The Blues Brothers & Show Wrap

  40. The American 250 merch is even in the little grocery store. Every time I see 1776-2026 on something, it reminds me of dates on a tombstone. I’ll be having blue popsicles & blue corn tortilla chips; guacamole, no red salsa.

    The woodpecker is acting like an oligarch, taking food meant for the hummingbirds.

    IMG_0331

  41. Home

    This is the Broadway musical about the rise and fall of the Marcos regime; trailer in link. It was amazing. There was even wind in the theater to mimic helicopters when the US decided to haul the Marcoses out of the Philippines.

    https://www.philippine-history.org/edsa-people-power-revolution.htm

    The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution, occurred in the Philippines from February 22 to 25, 1986, leading to the ousting of President Ferdinand Marcos after 21 years of dictatorship. This largely peaceful uprising involved millions of Filipinos demanding democracy and is celebrated as a significant moment in the country’s history.

    * Three days…after twelve, horrible years…but between knowing this and seeing Orban get his hat handed to him, and watching Putin struggle to stay afloat.. it all gives me hope.

  42. can confirm hummingbirds are attracted to red flowers

    they love red canna

    wear a red hat and they’ll
    fly right up to you

    no “red hat” jokes plz, fuck maga

    and every non-partisan go-along-to-get-along enabler of maga, fuck them too

  43. The Virginia courts just tossed the House map voters chose, proving once again the system doesn’t give a damn about the electorate. A glorious bureaucratic betrayal. The absurdist silver lining? We can still crush their rigged lines with sheer, unignorable turnout. They can redraw the borders, but they can’t stop a stampede.

    Watch how we Beat The Cheat:

  44. Eight GOP governors are using “emergency” powers to dismantle maps and stop elections. Dem governors are clutching the rulebook while the other side uses it for kindling. SCOTUS gave you a license to gerrymander—time for blue states to crank it up and wipe out Republican seats.

  46. Poobah, damn skippy. And don’t fritter away time clutching pearls and anguishing over breaking rules that they don’t like. Just fucking do it. And BTW, Virginia better get working on their Get out the Vote efforts now – ride the anger.

  51. Anon: “so much for the blue wave huh”

    This will make the wave bigger. Like Pog said, Ride the Anger.

    In VA, Dems were already well positioned to pick up three seats under the old map, which is why I questioned spending 50 million dollars on that referendun to begin with.

    Elsewhere, Ossoff looks safer, other Senate races get a turnout boost — even Doug Jones could get a lift for AL gov.

    Saying Republicans could net 10 seats from redistricting shenanigans overlooks all the swing seats they were already losing, and losing by more now that base D voters are really pissed off.

  52. UVA Politics Center digested recent House race developments and still have Dems in good shape:

    Our overall House ratings show 213 districts rated as Safe, Likely, or Leans Democratic, 207 rated Safe, Likely, or Leans Republican, and 15 rated as Toss-ups.

  53. the oligarchs own all the information channels though

    same as 2024, you had all the momentum and then billionaires just dominated the discourse with paid propaganda

    a few should be up on charges for it

    in a different world

  54. https://www.texastribune.org/2026/05/06/texas-33rd-congressional-district-democratic-runoff-colin-allred-julie-johnson/

    Texas’ 33rd Congressional District Democratic runoff: Who is running and what to know

    The primary between predecessor and successor arose from a combination of redistricting and Allred’s move to exit the U.S. Senate race to make way for Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

    Allred, a former NFL player and civil rights lawyer, represented Texas’ 32nd Congressional District until he vacated the seat to run for U.S. Senate in 2024. Johnson, a former state representative, replaced him.

    However, Texas Republicans last year edited that district to heavily favor the GOP, in part by moving about a third of its residents — including some of the most Democratic areas — into the neighboring 33rd Congressional District. The new TX-33, where Allred and Johnson are now running, would have gone to Kamala Harris in 2024 by almost 33 points, meaning the runoff winner will be overwhelmingly favored to win in November.

    Johnson has cast Allred as an ineffective member during his three-term stint in Congress, arguing she has been more productive, including in combating the White House’s immigration policies from her perch on the House Homeland Security Committee. Meanwhile, Allred has knocked Johnson for her investments in a federal government contractor, Palantir Technologies, that has been integral to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

    He finished nearly 11 points ahead of Johnson in the March 3 primary and has outspent her over the course of the race.

  56. exactly, and you’re calling for overwhelming electoral majorities that likely don’t exist

    if you thought shit was bad now, wait ‘til “they” retain the House

    full steam ahead on phase 4!

  57. eventually, the world is going to need to take our nukes from us if we keep putting madmen in power

    I guess that’s phase 5

  58. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pentagon-begins-release-ufo-files/

    Pentagon begins releasing UFO files: “It’s time the American people see”

    The president said the disclosure was aimed at providing “Complete and Maximum Transparency.”

    “Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, ‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?'” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Have Fun and Enjoy!”

    *EPSTEIN! EPSTEIN! EPSTEIN!

    This is the first drip in their psy-op, as alluded to by the TV preacher who was told something by someone who was there…at the preacher gathering where they were alllegedly told to prepare their flocks for disclosure. Cue Ai Jesus riding Ai clouds of Ai glory.

  59. my joints are on phase 4 😭

    no one else online making geopolitical arthritis jokes come on let’s go

  60. i listened to Julie Mason’s political show, she’s a goofball but her show was good

    very throwback to a different era

    she made the point that plenty of people are making right now and I’m not going to disagree with it: that libDebs have to tailor their arguments beyond anti-Trumpism

  61. Sean Duffy Reveals He Spent Seven Months Filming Reality TV Show While in Office

    Sean Duffy Reveals He Spent Seven Months Filming Reality TV Show While in Office

    It features Duffy, his wife, Fox co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy, and their nine children.

    “Over the course of seven months, we just kinda found these moments where I might be able to do some work, I could take the kids with me, do a road trip, and our motto is, to love America is to see America,” said Duffy after the show’s trailer played on-air.

    *And all the house MAGAt has to say is they wonder what the name of the show is. FFS!

  62. Plenty of Dems are talking about voters and very little about Trump. Talarico, Platner and Roy Cooper come to mind, for starters. And they’re doing well, should be a lesson to others.

  63. Republicans Don’t Need to Win Elections Anymore. They Just Need Their Judges.

    Republicans Don’t Need to Win Elections Anymore. They Just Need Their Judges.

    The Virginia Supreme Court nullifies three million votes, boosting Trump’s effort to rig the midterms.

    It’s impossible to ignore the national context: It appears that Democrats are bound by one set of rules while Republicans play by another, and Republican-appointed judges have repeatedly put their collective thumb on the scale of elections to make sure their party prevails.

    *Dems need to do exactly what Repugz do & then some.

  64. yeah i heard a Platner ad and i guess it’s the approach (pro-wrestling tone) i’ve encouraged?

    feels dirty when i see it implemented

  65. Blue

    Per our discussion about Broadway, Great Performances on PBS has the Music Box theater version of Suffs beginning tonight. Great show.

  67. Doom scrolling the apocalypse? Relax. The news promises the new Hantavirus only spreads one-to-one. A genuinely disappointing lack of efficiency compared to COVID.
    From today’s Digital Diner menu 🍽️

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