Congress Becomes Even More Bifurcated.
Taken from the article:
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/440041-mcconnell-pledges-to-be-grim-reaper-for-progressive-policies
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday vowed to be the "Grim Reaper" for progressive policies if Republicans hold on to the Senate in 2020.
On the surface, Democrats will have to take the Senate even if they win the White house in 2020. Alternatively, there are a lot of policies that can be implemented through Executive Orders, and many Democrat candidates for president have already stated their willingness to use them liberally to create policies that some would argue are drastic. Senator Kamala Harris has issued a bevy of promises to her constituents with this strategy in mind.
Since WW2 the number of E.O.s issued by presidents have been increasing, while legislation passing through congress has stagnated. Now, I'm not complaining about congress passing less legislation if the quality of those bills were increasing, but I'm not sure that's the case. The impetus for most of these bills is funding pet projects that Representatives will use to bolster their standing with their constituency. Since the House is controlled by Democrats and the Senate is controlled by Republicans, gridlock ensues and bills usually won't get moved forward unless both parties can come to an agreement which seems to happen less and less these days.
Although listening to Joe Biden talk about reaching across the isle and gaining support for legislation from people whose views he disagrees with is reassuring, some were quick to chastise him for it. They conflated his politics with theirs and condemned him for working with such unsavory people. When did compromise become so unpopular? If we can't compromise, what is the alternative? Will E.O.s and flooding the courts with partisan judges become the "new normal" as a way to influence public policy? Will congress simply become the issuer of blank checks?
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/440041-mcconnell-pledges-to-be-grim-reaper-for-progressive-policies
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday vowed to be the "Grim Reaper" for progressive policies if Republicans hold on to the Senate in 2020.
"If I'm still the majority leader in the Senate think of me as the Grim Reaper. None of that stuff is going to pass," McConnell said while speaking to community leaders in Owensboro, Ky.
On the surface, Democrats will have to take the Senate even if they win the White house in 2020. Alternatively, there are a lot of policies that can be implemented through Executive Orders, and many Democrat candidates for president have already stated their willingness to use them liberally to create policies that some would argue are drastic. Senator Kamala Harris has issued a bevy of promises to her constituents with this strategy in mind.
Since WW2 the number of E.O.s issued by presidents have been increasing, while legislation passing through congress has stagnated. Now, I'm not complaining about congress passing less legislation if the quality of those bills were increasing, but I'm not sure that's the case. The impetus for most of these bills is funding pet projects that Representatives will use to bolster their standing with their constituency. Since the House is controlled by Democrats and the Senate is controlled by Republicans, gridlock ensues and bills usually won't get moved forward unless both parties can come to an agreement which seems to happen less and less these days.
Although listening to Joe Biden talk about reaching across the isle and gaining support for legislation from people whose views he disagrees with is reassuring, some were quick to chastise him for it. They conflated his politics with theirs and condemned him for working with such unsavory people. When did compromise become so unpopular? If we can't compromise, what is the alternative? Will E.O.s and flooding the courts with partisan judges become the "new normal" as a way to influence public policy? Will congress simply become the issuer of blank checks?
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