Last night, Democrats all over the country took a serious browbeating when the Republicans seized control of the U.S. Senate and held onto the House of Representatives. However, with Obama approaching the lame duck phase, Republicans may have a harder time on Capitol Hill than they expect.
Since 2012, obstruction has been the GOP’s go-to measure to fighting legislation and, although Congress may be controlled by Republicans, the president is still a Democrat. The Democrats still have blocking power and the president can still veto, that is, unless Congress can squeeze a two-thirds majority vote on laws.
Don’t expect that to happen, however. Republicans may have control, but they don’t have the supermajority, and they don’t have the White House. So, expect the Republicans to get a taste of their own medicine in the gridlock game. It should be noted that the “nuclear option” that Harry Reid instituted last year only applies to executive and judicial nominees, which Obama has power over.
The GOP will be championing themselves as the party that will break the gridlock and create progress. Not so fast. Gridlock will more than likely continue, and the GOP will look like the impotent bunch. There are more of them, and the people will now expect results. We have to remember that the GOP didn’t have to do much to win the majority. It was Democratic laziness that hurt, but the party can ill-afford to be so lazy on the Beltway over the next two years.
At the worst, gridlock could blow up in the Democrats face. However, with the results-driven, thoughtful observation-lacking American society we have, people should be quick to blame the GOP. One thing has to be different in 2016, though. The Democrats actually have to inspire and motivation their constituencies to vote. The Dems in 2014 displayed a weak showing.
Fiery campaigning may not be a problem for Democrats in 2016. Hillary Clinton is favored to run for president that year. And with how large the Clinton brand is, Democratic candidates will rally behind that and might actually campaign like they mean it. As bad as it may be that corporate puppet Hillary could rally Democrats, that’s the way 2016 could go down.
