How A Nazi Philosopher Explains the GOP Gerrymandering Strategy

Welcome to Radio Free America, Aaron Kleinman’s take on stories that matter in state politics but aren't getting enough attention.

On Tuesday, South Carolina Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said in a floor speech that he believed in the ideals of the Declaration of Independence — that to secure their rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. A decade ago, this statement would have passed by without notice. But now, it is worth a story in The New York Times because the Republican Party has increasingly turned away from those values to start a nationwide race to the bottom to gerrymander the country into one-party states.

Republicans have faced midterm headwinds from unpopular presidents before, like in 2006 and 2018. But back then they didn’t try to counteract them in a race to the bottom through mid-decade gerrymandering. That’s not to say that they haven’t engaged in electoral dirty pool, but there was some inherent acknowledgment that redistricting was a nasty business that you should only do right after the Census. And it seemed they believed that Democrats still deserved some voice in Congress, even if it’s less than what they might be entitled to based on how well they did statewide. After all, as Massey notes, the consent of the governed has to include at least a few people you don’t agree with.

But this view is inapposite to the animating philosophy behind the new Republican Party, as embodied by people like right-wing megadonor Peter Thiel and Vice President JD Vance. Thiel has shown no real fidelity to the ideas of America’s founders; rather, he has embraced the ideas of right-wing German philosophers like Carl Schmitt.

Schmitt, a prominent Nazi, did not believe in the consent of the governed. Rather, he saw politics as a zero-sum struggle where your enemies must be dominated at every turn. Redrawing political districts every two years to maximize your chances, regardless of whether it is in line with American ideals, fits right into that worldview. Thiel notably is very close to Vance, who led the failed push to split Indianapolis into four different congressional districts. 

Of course, you don’t have to think Peter Thiel is secretly behind this push to think it has its roots in Schmittian thought. Republican proponents of maximalist gerrymandering are admitting as much with their own rhetoric. Just watch the video above from scandal-plagued Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles. Is that Thomas Jefferson or Carl Schmitt? Jefferson might’ve idealized the yeoman farmer, but it didn’t mean he thought cosmopolitanism was a threat to his way of life. That was Schmitt. 

I want this to be a wake-up call for Democrats. The good news is that even in spite of all the recent setbacks, they can still win the House if they win the national vote by about 4%, which seems to be at the low end of outcomes as long as gas is $5 a gallon. And in 2028, they can bring the national map back to fairness as New York, Oregon, Washington, Virginia, Colorado, New Jersey, Minnesota,Wisconsin and Maryland could all try to redraw districts themselves if downballot Democrats do well enough in 2026-2027. 

But continuing to allow politicians to gerrymander the country for partisan purposes is a weapon that Schmittian conservatives will use relentlessly unless there’s some type of legal prohibition against it. Which means they need to think of every lever possible to enact a nationwide ban on partisan gerrymandering. I suggested the Manchin Solution; my friend Joel Wertheimer thinks Democrats should threaten a government shutdown in 2027 if the budget doesn’t include one. In any event, now is not the time for weak knees. Act like you know you’re up against a Nazi philosophy.

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The “Make It Make Sense Show” is the hottest show online, tripling its viewership in the last week. Of course, that’s because the Status newsletter ran a story on this Jeff Bezos-funded program, pointing out that it had a bare 182 subscribers in spite of its lavish resources and billionaire-friendly talking points. (That number has since gotten above 500. Way to go, guys!)

Jason Koebler has a great breakdown of everything they’re doing wrong at 404 Media. But really I just want to  focus on the four interchangeable dudes above. Listen, I’m a white guy who likes to go on podcasts, but I promise you that if you ever invite me on yours, I will not wear a shirt with a collar.

Tonight, I’ll be going to Squawkin Sports at DSK in Brooklyn, where Leander Schaerlaeckens will be talking about “The Long Game.” His new book covers the rise of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team from an afterthought to a group that can occasionally humiliate England with a tie (something our country has been doing for centuries). I’ve been reading Leander’s work for more than a decade, and I know that this will be good. As a bonus, if you live in New York, you can come to his reading tonight, where you can not only get his book but the chance to buy me a beer. What an honor (spelled without a U because England stinks!).

Thanks to everyone who submitted baseball earwigs last week. That said, as an unabashed Earl Weaver fan, I can’t get Delco De Leche’s Dream Weaver remix out of my head.

But let’s move away from baseball toward the aforementioned soccer. The most exciting contest in sports is on for the next few weeks as Tottenham and West Ham compete for 17th place in the Premiership. Loser faces the indignity of seeing Deadpool and Mac in the opposing stands next year. Who should I be cheering for to go down? Hit reply and tell me what you think.

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