Tipsheet

What This CNN Political Commentator Said About Redistricting Is Not Grounded in Reality

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  May 12, 2026 3:30 PM

I mean, this was an inevitable narrative from a race-obsessed party: political commentator Bakari Sellers tried to make the redistricting fight, and the recent Louisiana v. Callais decision appear as if America hasn’t moved beyond Reconstruction. Are there still areas that need improvement? Sure, but that’s true for any society—we all have problems. Not acknowledging progress is madness. It also frustrates normal liberals like Bill Maher because it’s obvious: Black Americans can vote, sit wherever they want, eat wherever they want, and so on—the list goes on—there's no Green Book anymore. Sundown protocols are a thing of the past. 

Here’s how he put it: “If someone fell asleep in 1896 and woke up today, they would say the only difference is now Black Americans have TV shows and wear nice suits.” 

He later said the Klan hoods had been replaced with Brooks Brothers attire. Oh, please, man. Enough. Pollster Frank Luntz admitted these lines probably slap—as the kids would say—on BlueSky, the left-wing Temu Twitter platform, but it’s not based in reality. 

Scott Jennings couldn’t let this slide, since both the Callais decision, which narrowed the use of the Voting Rights Act to draw race-based congressional districts, doesn’t mean black voting rights are being stripped at all. There’s still one man, one vote—it’s just that the South will be sending more Black Republicans to Congress, and that makes Democrats queasy since it’s going to nuke a lot of their fundraising material. 

I heard you say that people are losing representation. People are losing their voice. No voter has lost their voice at all. No one's been disenfranchised. Every voter in America before these court rulings could go cast a ballot this November and every voter in America, white, Black or otherwise, can go cast a ballot right now. 

The lines may be changing, but every voter still has the same amount of voting power, one vote, that they had. It's just that this Supreme Court said your race doesn't necessarily have to dictate your political identity. The fact that you're an American citizen and you're franchised gives you one vote. That is your political identity and it is incumbent upon both parties, Republicans and Democrats, to run people who speak not to just one constituency, but all American interests. To me, that's, that's how the November election should be run.”

Well said.