Ask Us Anything
Redistricting, recommendations for activism, and the potential threat of JD Vance
Please take advantage of our New Year’s Sale to become a paid subscriber to Bowers News Media and Wolves and Sheep for only $6/month or $60/year. You will receive access to two paid articles per week, invites to our monthly political briefings, opportunities to ask us questions in our Ask Us Anything series, and the ability to post comments on our articles.
You have repeatedly discussed how Democrats are winning or at least breaking even in the redistricting battle. However, since the recent Supreme Court backing of the Texas gerrymander, other sources are stating that Republicans are winning—for example, NPR. Has your thinking changed on this?
(Chris) No, my thinking on this matter has not changed at all. I just think that NPR and the other sources you have read are wrong. I provided detailed reasons for that in my December 13 article, “What Indiana’s Courageous Stand Against Trump Means for the Gerrymandering Wars.” Please check it out!
Given that Donald Trump fought so hard to overturn the 2020 election and riled up people to create an insurrection with the intention of staying in office, and given that he keeps coming back to the idea of a third term, what do you think is going to happen—and why? What do we need to do to prevent his staying in the White House come January 20, 2029?
(Chris): There is no chance whatsoever of Donald Trump running for a third term. Roughly 80% of the country is opposed, it is obviously unconstitutional, and even he has ruled in out. He actually ruled it out way back in May, but reporters kept egging him on for whatever reason, possibly because they were hoping to get more eyeballs by getting him to say something outrageous. Honestly, and I write this with respect, it seems like the only people who still believe Trump is going to run for a third term are progressives who have unfortunately bought into the idea, promoted by Donald Trump, that Donald Trump all-powerful and unrestrained. We all need to disabuse ourselves of this notion.
All that said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump attempts to put his finger on the scales in order to help elect his successor. I’m dubious about his ability to succeed at this, given that the president and the executive branch lack any authority to manage, operate or certify our elections. Still, it remains a worry in the back of my mind.
I am sometimes more concerned about JD Vance becoming president than I am about Donald Trump remaining president. Donald Trump turns off a lot of people. Vance is more subtle and calculating. What are your thoughts about this?
(Matt) In several important ways, Vance is the inverse of Trump. Where Trump is blunt and instinctual, Vance—as you say—is subtle and calculating. He is also educated and intelligent where Trump is neither, and a chameleon committed to opportunistic reinvention where Trump’s narcissism binds him to a kind of destructive predictability. While being calculating, malleable, opportunistic and smart could make Vance dangerous, he is also the opposite of Trump in another significant way that could prove to be his downfall. Vance has no charisma and lacks people skills and political instincts. He could never fill the shoes of the charismatic leader of the MAGA movement, and it’s hard to see how he could rally the country at large behind whatever agenda he would set for his presidency.
I'm on Medicare (81 years old) but the cost of health care is about to go way up for most people. I wonder if it might be time for Congress to flex its arms and go for Medicare for all—which would be a good deal cheaper for everybody. Isn't the impending crisis worth making into an impending opportunity? I think most people would say “that'll never happen.” But why not?
(Matt) Indeed—why not? Opportunities can spring from crises, and the attention focused on healthcare affordability will only increase and intensify as Republicans hack away at the Affordable Care Act. When we say something will never happen, we’re really saying that it would never have happened under the conditions in place before the crisis. The chaos and destruction of MAGA governance is changing the rules of political engagement in both political parties, with the possibility that the public appetite for solutions like Medicare for All will appear common-sense and mainstream in the context of needing to rebuild from the Trump era, whereas it was readily dismissed as extreme during the decades-long Reagan era that is now finally coming to a close. Of course, it goes without saying that it will take a Democratic trifecta in 2028 before we can consider legislative fixes to any of the problems Republicans are creating. But it is wise to begin laying the groundwork now.
What’s the most effective activity for progressives to undertake in addition to electoral efforts for the 2026 elections?
(Chris) The most effective action that progressives, or anyone opposed to the Trump administration, can take is to continue dissenting against the administration in productive, democratic ways that demonstrate your own lack of fear, and which could potentially lower Trump’s poll numbers.
As I have written on multiple occasions, including “The Two Essential Strategies to Reducing Trump’s Power,” and “The Two Strategies to Defeat Trump Remain Unchanged,” the primary sources of Donald Trump’s power are, first, his popularity among the Republican rank-and-file and, second, institutions and individuals who are too afraid to openly dissent against him. You cut off the first source of power by dissenting in productive ways that a significant minority of rank-and-file Republicans can support. You cut off the second by demonstrating your lack of fear in dissenting.
We’re planning to spend the next few days with family, so Wolves and Sheep will be on hiatus until Monday December 29. Regardless of the holiday you celebrate, or whether you celebrate all, we hope you can find moments of peace to disengage from the daily chaos and recharge for the year ahead.