Democrats need to make “Won’t Get Fooled Again” their political theme song

This morning I woke up to news that the Virginia Supreme Court had ruled that the redistricting referendum recently approved by the state’s voters by a 52-48 margin had been overturned by the court — causing Virginia’s congressional map to revert to a 6-5 likely Democratic majority rather than the 10-1 likely majority under the redistricting proposal.

A song title popped into my head. “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” That was a 1971 song by the Who. The title perfectly encapsulated how I feel about well-meaning Democratic efforts to do the when they go low, we go high thing. Several blue states, including California and Virginia, established independent redistricting commissions aimed at eliminating partisan gerrymandering.

Both California and Virginia had to ask their voters for permission to temporarily put the congressional maps formed by the commissions on hold in order to fight back against the blatant redistricting Texas and other red states had been engaged in at the behest of Donald Trump, who is worried, with good reason, that Democrats are going to take back the House and maybe even the Senate in the 2026 midterm election.

Meanwhile, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, and maybe some other red states that have escaped my memory, have been busily gerrymandering away — establishing more safe Republican seats with no public input or involvement. Democrats tried to play fair. Republicans tried to win unfairly. Now it looks like Republicans will enjoy about a 10 seat advantage in the midterms through their unfair redistricting.

That’s why I think the Democratic Party needs to make Won’t Get Fooled Again their theme song for the foreseeable future. No more playing Mr./Ms. Nice Guy. No more going high on morals when Republicans go low. No more pulling punches in political fights. Aside from the title, it’s also a great classic rock song.

This week the United States Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of basically doing away with the 1965 Voting Rights Act that prohibited states from using Jim Crow laws to disenfranchise Black voters. Now the states of the Civil War South are free to gerrymander Black congresspeople out of office, a disgusting act that failed to recognize an uncomfortable truth: racism is still alive and well in this country, especially in the Civil War South.

Combined with the 4-3 decision by the Virginia Supreme Court to undo the will of Virginia voters on the redistricting referendum (the technical decision rested on a single word, the meaning of “election”), this was a depressing turn of events for all of us who care about the future of our democracy. But hope isn’t lost.

The Democratic Party and like-minded independents/Republicans need to fight like hell in the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election. Every blue state that is able to gerrymander new Democratic-leaning districts into being needs to do this. Forget fairness. Forget independent redistricting commissions. Wherever and whenever Democrats have the power to create more congressional seats for themselves, they need to do it.

If we end up with a Democratic majority in the House and Senate, plus the presidency, after the 2028 election, even bigger steps could be taken. Expand the Supreme Court, adding justices appointed by the new president. Make the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico states, giving Democrats four more seats in the Senate. Pass a nationwide law doing away with gerrymandering (and independent redistricting commissions; fair House maps can be drawn by an AI model).

The last stanza of the Who song can be interpreted in various ways. I find it optimistic.

I’ll tip my hat to the new Constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I’ll get on my knees and pray
We don’t get fooled again
Don’t get fooled again
No, no