Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
GOP Controls it All
As the last few votes are being counted for various House races, it has become clear that the Republicans will control the White House and both chambers of Congress. That means that everything that happens for the next two years in the United States government will be their fault. If the resistance plays its cards right, the general ineptitude of the Trumpist cadre will turn into policy defeats, and that could create an opening to break the stranglehold MAGA has on the country.
Yesterday, this journal detailed how the Trump administration is likely to bungle its way through the next few years. People who do not have the understanding of the material are being put in charge of things because they are loyal to the president. Data should inform public policy, not one's attachment to a given leader. Consequently, one expects very little to be done right by the incoming administration.
Over in the House, the Republicans are going to have a very small majority again. Mr. Trump has endorsed Speaker Mike Johnson for another go round, and so one, does not expect this Congress to have the same trouble electing Speaker that the last one had. Last time, there were divisions within the Republican Party. That forced Mr. Johnson to work with the Democrats to get certain fundamental things done. It is less certain that that is going to be the case this time around because the pressure on the members still living in the real world instead of MAGA world is going to increase exponentially. It is true that nothing is written in stone here; this Congress is likely to get more done than the last Congress if only because the House has a somewhat united Republican majority.
In the United States Senate, the Trump administration wanted Senator Nelson of Florida to be the new leader, replacing Mitch McConnell. Instead, Mr. Thune of South Dakota carried the day. Indeed, Mr. Scott was knocked out in the first round of voting, and Senator Thune carried the day on the second ballot. Mr. Thune is not a rabid MAGAt. He will put up a few boundaries, but mostly, he'll be tapping the brakes more than he's going to turn the steering wheel. That gives this journal some pause for reflection as they are going to maintain the filibuster. When push comes to shove, they will find a way around the filibuster, but it gives Democrats an opportunity to throw some sand into the gears. And they will do it for as long as they can and so long as it is effective.
The fact to take away from all of this is a simple one. There is nobody for the Republican Party to blame, except the Republican Party for the next two years. They will claim credit for their successes, and they would be entitled to do so. The massive failures they are likely to foist upon the public may result in Democrats getting the House back in two years time.
Of course that presupposes that the elections in 2026 will be held and will be meaningful. The jury is still out on that score.
© Copyright 2024 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
|
|
|
