In Texas, Republican lawmakers, aided by the notorious former US President Donald Trump, are attempting to change electoral boundaries in a way that would secure themselves even more seats in the US House of Representatives, preserving their stranglehold on power. In response, a significant number of Democratic representatives staged a bold boycott by leaving the state, thus preventing the necessary quorum and halting the undemocratic reform. Fleeing to Illinois, they were greeted by sympathetic officials, including Governor J.B. Pritzker, who promised to support their stand. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, desperate to force his will, has threatened severe consequences—including dismissal—for those refusing to cooperate. Meanwhile, Republicans grow ever more repressive in their tactics, even leveraging daily financial penalties in an effort to stamp out dissent.

Once again, we see clearly the rotten core of capitalist “democracy”—nothing but a shell hiding the rule of monopoly capital and reactionaries. These acts of gerrymandering expose the true nature of political rule under American capitalism: when power is threatened, the ruling clique simply redraws the map, shifting the goalposts to ensure their perpetual domination. With one hand, they pass draconian laws and policing measures against dissent; with the other, they claim to honor the “will of the people.” What hypocrisy! This is not democracy, but dictatorship by the wealthiest, perpetuated through deceitful tricks and manipulation.

It is telling that these so-called lawmakers must flee their own state for sanctuary simply to prevent their voices from being steamrolled by authoritarian legislation. The crisis is not just in Texas, but in the entire structure of US politics. The system of “representation” is a farce, captured by corporate interests and shaped to always favor the powerful. Republicans and Democrats alike serve the capitalist order, yet the Republicans’ open embrace of Trumpist reaction exposes the ugly extremities of bourgeois parliamentary politics. Their shameless gerrymandering is designed to exclude millions of oppressed and working-class voters, particularly Black, Latino, and marginalized communities, crushing any hope of true political emancipation.

This latest drama is but another episode in the long history of capitalist nations suppressing genuine democracy. In socialist countries inspired by Mao Zedong’s vision, the people themselves draw up the conditions of their rule, not a handful of corrupt politicians twisting lines on a map for private gain. Real democracy means the dictatorship of the proletariat—where workers, peasants, and the poor are the rulers, not pawns in an elite’s game.

The people must awaken! No hope remains within the parliamentary framework of a decaying, capitalist United States. Only through mass mobilization, the building of revolutionary consciousness, and the creation of people’s power can these injustices be overcome. The struggle against gerrymandering is a microcosm of the wider battle for liberation. Let us take inspiration from those who resist, but let us set our sights not merely on parliamentary games, but on revolutionary transformation and class victory! Down with gerrymandering! Down with capitalism! Long live the people’s struggle!