The New Republic: Brian Beutler: ‘Six Reasons I’m Thankful for a Republican Congress’

Source:The New Republic- Speaker of the House John Boehner (Republican, Ohio) and incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican, Kentucky) the two Republican leader of Congress.

“I generally don’t go in for sentimental holiday rituals like announcing New Year’s resolutions or giving children candy on Halloween. But in the interest of promoting counterintuitive thinking about American politics and juicing this website’s holiday traffic, I’m making an exception this Thanksgiving. So here goes:

Today, I am thankful that Republicans won the midterm elections and will soon control the U.S. Senate.

I’m not arguing that a fully Republican Congress will produce better policy than a divided Congress, or that Democrats should feel relieved to have lost the midterms so badly. All I’m suggesting is that a Republican Senate is the best outcome for me, personally, and for the growth interests of my employer. And also, maybe—in the longer term—for the country’s fragile, wheezing political system.”

You can read the rest of Brian Beutler's piece at The New Republic 

Here is sort of what the lighter more positive side of a united Republican Congress at least for Democrats, but perhaps bad for the rest of the country.

A party that now doesn’t believe in government will somehow have to govern, at least at the legislative level. That means finding ways to fund things they don’t believe in. Because the President is still a Democrat, at least until Congressional Republicans finds a way to impeach and convict President Obama. And they’ll have to work together to make anything law really.

Senate Republicans will have to work with Senate Democrats at least to pass just about anything that doesn’t have to do with the budget and appropriations. Unless Harry Reid and Senate Democrats take the cynical route and say:”You know what, go ahead and pass that, we won’t stop you, we’ll just use it against you and your vulnerable members in the election.”

America will truly get to see how divided and childish the Republican Party has become. With House Speaker John Boehner and new Senate Leader Mitch McConnell playing my two dads with their Tea Party, anti-government children who hate school so much and just want to stay home and play video games and eat cookies. And mess around on their smart phones. While debating among themselves, especially in the Senate about whether they should vote on nominations to government agencies that they believe shouldn’t exist in the first place, or voting to eliminate those agencies all together.

Democrats at least in Congress will get the next two-years off and be able to plan their path back to power. With House and Senate Republicans giving them boatloads of material everyday and commercials to use against them in swing districts and swing states. And I’m thinking especially in Democratic leaning states like Illinois and Pennsylvania where Senator Mark Kirk and Senator Pat Toomey who both have been in Congress for a while, will have a choice to make. Figure out how to govern and make government work with a Democratic President and risk a Tea Party primary challenge. Or go with the Tea Party and put their reelection in jeopardy against a mainstream Democrat.

The good news for Democrats, is that now they get the ten-percent or so Congressional approval rating off of their backs and put it squarely on the shoulders of the Republican Party. With a divided Congress they couldn’t do that, because they were in the Congressional Leadership controlling the Senate. Now they are essentially along for the ride with 188 or so seats in the House in the next Congress and 45-46 seats in the Senate in the next Congress. With Congressional Republicans having clear majorities and responsibility to figure out how to govern. And to figure out how to govern with members who don’t believe in government. At least when it comes to the economy. Good luck, GOP! 

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