Within all the drama of the presidential election many citizens have forgotten that this is more than just Hillary vs. Trump: It's control for- yes, the presidency- but also for the Senate. According to 270towin.com, "There are 34 seats up in 2016, of which 24 are held by Republicans. Democrats will need to gain 4 or 5 seats to take control [of the Senate]". Since it is unlikely that the Democrats will retake the House until around 2022, retaking the Senate is a great victory for the Democratic party, but not necessarily for productivity and approval ratings of Congress. This is mainly due to opposing factions holding separate halves of Congress, which will continue to result in policy gridlock for the time being. According to the article, if the Republican Party loses the Senate (and it most likely will), much of the blame will fall on Trump, as Congress has up until this point "Struggled to find a relationship with a candidate mired in personal scandals and controversies of his own making". Democratic control of the Senate may also push forward the Supreme Court justice nomination of Merrick Garland, and therefore radically reshape the structure and format of the Supreme Court. Naturally, the potential for all this to come into effect has Republicans on edge, especially those whose seats may soon be taken. This has prompted many Republicans to challenge "Hillary Clinton's legitimacy, even before she's won the contest. They are talking about levying impeachment charges against her... and blocking any and all supreme court nominees she might offer". This election has a lot at stake, more than just who sits as the face of this country, but the policy and progress that we can make as a country.
Questions to consider:
Questions to consider:
- Do you think that Democrats retaking the Senate would help in any way to ease gridlock? Explain.
- Do you believe that Democrats will be able to retake the 5-7 needed seats to regain control of the Senate?
- Is Trump responsible for the high likelihood of the Republican party losing their political control over the Senate?
I do not believe Democrats taking the Senate will ease tensions. The two political parties are highly polarized now; they are looking to take away power any possible way. They are not fulfilling their job of bettering America. By only thinking of how to better their own personal gains, tensions increase leading to a greater divide. So no, this is not the solution to end gridlock created by individual gains.
ReplyDeleteA Democrat-controlled Senate would do little to ease the gridlock going on in Washington DC. If anything, the polarization of the parties would only cause more conflict. It is interesting to note how Trump's nominations marks an interesting phenomenon, because he has offended many within his own party. However, Republicans will most likely jump at this opportunity to push their legislation through, now that they control all 3 branches of government.
ReplyDeleteI agree that a Democratic controlled Senate would not affect the current state of gridlock we are in. In fact, it could even cause more tension because it would further polarize the parties. Now knowing that we will have a Republican controlled federal government for at least the next four years, we can expect gridlock, but we also must expect that one side will have to give in eventually and that will more than likely have to be the Democrats.
DeleteTrump's election will galvanize the Democratic voter base in support of Congressional Democrats. As such, the next Senatorial elections will likely lead to the election of large numbers of Democrats. These elections will be a reaction to Trump's more outlandish and extreme policy.
ReplyDeleteAfter this election, it is clear that the Democratic Party and its base won't elect the typical Democrat. It seems that the leftist wing of the party is what stuck home, and I think that it is the future of the party.
ReplyDeleteThe Democrats taking over the senate would only really mean one thing, more gridlock. The two parties are already extremely polarized and I think the only thing this would do is create more polarization between Republicans and Democrats. Now that the Republicans do have control of three of the branches of government, they are going to do whatever it takes to pass legislation.
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