The Current Events Room
Voters punished the Pelosi Democrats
Joe Biden won, but it was a lonely victory. House Democrats lost about a dozen seats, clinging to their majority by the skin of their teeth. If it hadn’t been for some friendly court-ordered redistricting, they'd have done even worse. In January, Democrats will have about 223 seats, a majority of 11, meaning their agenda will be unable to survive even six defections from the party line.
This outcome remains something of a marvel, given the margin of Biden's win in the popular vote. But the reasons are everywhere to be seen. The Democratic Party’s increasing radicalism frightened normal people, including centrist Democratic members of Congress seeking reelection. The party of “defund the police,” “zero deportations,” and urban mobs in Portland, Minneapolis, and elsewhere proved a tough sell to voters. The louder "the Squad” of socialists squawked, even attacking Pelosi at one point as racist and sexist, the more attractive the Republican candidates became in swing districts.But radicalism is not the only issue. The record of the Democratic House during this past Congress has been appalling in several ways. Voters had as many reasons to punish Pelosi as they could think of.
She and her troops blocked a deal on coronavirus aid, perhaps sensing that new payments could put Trump over the top. Pelosi’s refusal looked pettier and probably did substantive electoral damage as well.
Recall also that before COVID-19, the House had accomplished little aside from slaking its thirst for impeachment in proceedings that were as undignified as they were shallow and got nowhere.
Democrats decried what they said was an abuse of power by Trump. They said Republicans would be judged harshly by voters for not holding Trump accountable. But by Election Day, Democrats were united in embarrassed silence about impeachment, and it was they whom voters held accountable. Even as Trump lost the national vote by 6.1 million, not a single Republican House incumbent who voted against his impeachment was defeated in 2020. Indeed, when the count is complete, it may turn out that not a single Republican House incumbent was defeated at all, full stop.
Voters’ priorities just weren’t what Democrats thought. They didn’t find an agenda of immigration amnesty, the Green New Deal, and pointless coronavirus lockdowns attractive. They probably also wanted to place a check on Biden, whose ambition to blow up the Senate filibuster and pack the Supreme Court would require cooperation from both Houses.
Voters might also have wanted to reward Republicans for hanging in there. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy ran a smart race. He recruited attractive candidates, including women and members of racial minorities. Many of them won, such that the Republicans will have twice as many women in the House, 26, as they did on Election Day.
At the edges in 2020, voters narrowly preferred Democrats. But they don’t buy into a left-wing agenda, and the verdict they rendered will obstruct it from making progress for the next two years. Then, Republicans will be in a position to take over the majority without requiring a substantial wave election.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politi...out&li=BBnb7Kz
I have said it before, that the democrats have bought themselves a lame horse.
The House will be slowed to a belly crawl because the Senate wont let the House do stupid stuff and the bills they want will never land on Joe's desk.
A do nothing House with a president that will never get anything done. EO's? That'll change again, just like every other president is want to do.
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