Per Merriam-Webster, one of the definitions of the word “politics” is, “The total complex of relations between people living in society.”

Otherwise put, politics, when managed correctly, constitutes the organization of society for maximum peace, tranquility, prosperity and thriving. It is the art of how disparate people get along.

Of course, the practice of politics involves competition and rivalry in sorting out policy differences. The exercise is often messy. The making of sausage is not for the faint of heart. Similarly, as more than one wag has observed, politics ain’t beanbag, meaning that it can be a rough and unbecoming sport.

Even with those caveats, America is failing this test by virtually any standard. We have replaced all semblance of good faith and mutual care with constant, steroidal ugliness and gamesmanship. We define ourselves by who we are against and regard those on the other side as enemies instead of just wrong-headed.

In short, we have supplanted the constructive resolution of differences with an approach of total war.

Nothing better illustrates these depths than the unwise, unnecessary, unprecedented mid-decade redistricting battles that we have seen recently in state after state.

In our endless game of political tit-for-tat, there is often dispute as to which side started any given battle. Though in this case, there is no doubt. The instigator was President Donald Trump and his chosen venue was Texas.

In June, just five months ago, Trump leaned on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to convene a special legislative session to redraw congressional district lines. Trump made no secret of his motives. The explicit purpose was to gerrymander his way to a net gain of as many as five new Republican seats in what looks to be a difficult 2026 mid-term election.

Among Trump’s formidable skills, he has a predator’s instinct for sensing weakness and turning it to his advantage. He took stock of Abbott’s obedience and knew he would be eager to please. Ditto for the majority Republicans in both houses of the Texas legislature.

Sure enough, the legislature complied and Abbott signed the new law before August was complete. Despite boasts to the contrary, Texas got messed with by the president.

As night follows day, Trump’s White House pressed its advantage and other red states fell in line. Missouri, Ohio and North Carolina all passed new, Republican-friendly maps in short order. It is under consideration in Kansas and Florida.

Historically, states have redistricted early each decade with fresh census data in hand to comply with one-person, one-vote requirements. Yes, partisan considerations are often at the fore and gerrymandering is too common.

But at least there is a rationale, even a necessity, for this decennial exercise. This mid-decade chicanery lacks any such reason just as it takes place absent any new census information. There is no curtain to pull back here. The sole, exclusive purpose is partisan advantage.  

One might think that a few self-respecting Republican governors or state legislators would blow the whistle. If Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, of all people, can stand up to this president, where is the backbone of other Republicans much lighter on the MAGA loyalty?

A hopeful sign, if rather little and rather late, comes in Indiana where a handful of Republican state senators have refused to engage in the shenanigans despite intense pressure from Trump and toady Gov. Mike Braun.

All of this mischief took an unexpected turn this past week when a three-judge panel overturned the rigged Texas map in favor of the plan in place since 2021. Notably, the decision was written by a Trump appointee to the federal bench. We will soon know if the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes in the matter, though time is short as candidates face a December 8 filing deadline.

Our toxic political brew requires two inputs and Democrats were not going to be silent for long. California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom seized the chance to burnish his party credentials by sponsoring a ballot issue to authorize his state to counter the Texas gerrymander with his own.

Let’s wrap up today by bringing this home to Colorado. Voters here, in their wisdom back in 2018, vested the responsibility of Congressional map-making in an independent, non-partisan commission.

By my gauge, Attorney General Phil Weiser is as likely as not to be Colorado’s next governor. A la Gavin Newsom, Weiser sensed opportunity to score points among Democratic partisans by endorsing a repeal of the Colorado amendment to allow for our own mid-decade tomfoolery.

The suspicion is that Weiser knows better. If he is to lead Colorado, we can hope that he has the bearing to resist such enticements and respect the state’s independent character. 71% of Colorado voters approved the 2018 measure, not exactly an ambiguous statement about taking the naked politics out of this process.

The only way to resist a race to the bottom is to refuse to join in the descent.

Eric Sondermann is a Colorado-based independent political commentator. He writes regularly for ColoradoPolitics and the Gazette newspapers. Reach him at EWS@EricSondermann.com; follow him at @EricSondermann