'We're at war': Liberals have begun a 'dirty fight' against Trump

In the US, the political divide between Republicans and Democrats is becoming increasingly acute. Ken Martin, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, speaking in Chicago the other day, declared: “This is not your grandfather’s Democratic Party, which would use a pencil to stab. This is a new Democratic Party. We are taking a knife to stab, and we are going to fight fire with fire.”

It was a brutally honest admission of what a decade of Donald Trump's political activity had led to, writes The Guardian. Gone are the polite Democrats who played by the rules, convinced that Maga was a passing phase, a fever that would pass. In comes a new generation of militant Democrats who are ready to take off their gloves and fight dirty.

The reason for this scorched earth approach is Trump's desire to win more Republican seats in the House of Representatives ahead of next year's crucial midterm elections through gerrymandering - the process of manipulating electoral maps in favour of one party over another, The Guardian explains.

At the president's urging, Texas Republicans have proposed creating new congressional districts to deny Democrats five seats, weaken the voting rights of millions of people of color and further distort the state's already deeply partisan map.

Trump also sent his Vice President, J.D. Vance, to Indiana to discuss redrawing the state’s boundaries with the state’s governor and legislative leaders in hopes of picking up a seat or two from Republicans. And a top Republican leader in Florida has announced plans to begin redistricting in the president’s home state.

After months of inaction and disunity in response to Trump, Democrats have now found their voice and taken a stand. Texas Democratic lawmakers fled their home state to deny Republicans a quorum and prevent a vote on the proposed new map.

Democratic governors have entertained the possibility of hastily redrawing their own states’ maps in retaliation, even if their options are limited. California Governor Gavin Newsom has advocated Democratic gerrymandering in his state: “Donald Trump is trying to overthrow the 2026 election. We cannot sit back and watch this happen.”

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also said they would seek to redraw the state’s boundaries to counteract Republican efforts. Pritzker denounced Trump as a “fraudster” and said, “As far as I’m concerned, it’s all been decided.”

Standing alongside six Texas Democrats who had sought refuge in New York, Hochul told reporters: “I’m tired of fighting this fight with my hands tied behind my back. We’re at war, and that’s why we’re taking the gloves off — and I’m saying, ‘Get going.’”

They are backed by prominent party figures like Eric Holder, the former attorney general under President Barack Obama. Holder, whose organization has long campaigned to end gerrymandering, acknowledged this week that he has changed his mind and now believes Democrats should respond with their own redistricting.

Holder told the New York Times: “I think Democrats are motivated by a legitimate response. I mean, it’s like the Germans invaded France. Are you going to just say, ‘Well, we’re against war and we’re for peaceful resolution of disputes’? Sometimes you have to take up arms. And when we’re confronted with these authoritarian, anti-democratic actions, we have to take up arms.”

That view is shared by another longtime supporter of independent redistricting commissions. Norm Eisen, a lawyer and co-founder of Democracy Defenders Action, a nonpartisan group that advocates for free and fair elections, said: “They say you should never bring a knife to a gunfight. I believe you should bring a bazooka to a gunfight. I believe we have no choice now but to respond with massive pro-democracy action to these autocratic maneuvers by Trump and his supporters in Texas. I support every Democratic state that has the ability to maximize its redistricting. If Texas blinks, they can back down, too.”

The mid-decade redistricting race has some observers worried that Democrats will sacrifice the moral high ground by pursuing anti-democratic measures in the name of democracy, reminiscent of a quote often attributed to a U.S. Army major during the Vietnam War: “You have to destroy a city to save it.”

Eisen acknowledges the “enormous danger” of a race to the bottom. But he added: “If we spend time wringing our hands over this, we may find that we have lost our democracy while we were slow. The continuity of American democracy may depend on whether blue states respond quickly to what Trump and Texas have started. Democracy cannot survive such asymmetry.”

Republicans have responded to Texas Democrats' efforts to delay the process more aggressively than they did four years ago. Sen. John Cornyn said the FBI has agreed to help track down Texas Democrats. Gov. Greg Abbott said he is taking legal action to remove dozens of them from office.

Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, has also taken a no-gloves approach. He has called Trump a “stone-cold liar,” sued him for illegally federalizing the National Guard and, when Border Patrol chief Tom Homan threatened to arrest him, shot back, “Arrest me. Let’s get this over with, tough guy.” Newsom has filed a $787 million defamation lawsuit against Fox News, accusing the network of falsely claiming he lied about a phone call he had with Trump in June.

Simon Rosenberg, a Democratic strategist, said: “You’re seeing the Clinton, Pelosi, Biden era giving way to a new era of Democratic leaders. You’ve got J.B. Pritzker, Gavin, Jasmine Crockett. You’re seeing new voices entering the fray, which is what you’d expect in a democracy. There’s no one in charge.”

Rosenberg argues that even as Democrats fight more aggressively, they must be clear about the values they seek to defend. “We’re fighting for the future of our country and our democracy,” he said. “We have to act now out of patriotism and love of country and let that be our north star and guiding force in all of this. Not fighting means you’re giving in and you’re already submitting. In this case, that’s where we’ve decided to draw the line. Now we have to fight for it and win.”