You are right, Russ.  Certanly the gerrymandering problem is far more complex than people think.  In an article I described a number of tactics:
https://www.davidbrin.com/gerrymandering1.htm

I followed my own advice and re-registered… as a republican!  So that my vote would count in this district. ( It has also given me a way to rock back neocons who strawman me as a ‘lefty’.)

You are right that the present sitch is untenable.  The blatant aim of Rupert Murdoch is to ignite Phase Three of the American Civil War.  I have privately studied the “McVeigh Phenomenon” by asking casually, every flag-waving super-patriot “have you ever fantacized about riding with Nathan Bedford Forest?”  It soulds very specialized and unlikely and yet I find I have made a hit 50% (!!) of the time!  Some patriots.

Liberals need to realize that the way to defeat this BEFORE McVeighs erupt everywhere is to get aggressive, but in the smart way. NOT by dissing conservatism, per se… conservative districts deserve to be represented by conservatives.  Rather, the solution lies in seeking and finding hundreds of ex-officer Blue Dogs to run in every red district… even knowing that they will be pains in the neck to liberals, when they get into Congress.  If this were done enough, then the GOP will go to well-deserved extinction.

Yes, the dems will then split, so?  Libs vs blue dogs? We should be so lucky.

But it is all about showing Red America that the  neocons are TRAITORS TO CONSERVATISM.  It is a concept that could be a sell.