Republican Victory? Meh.

Much is being made of the Republican wave in yesterday's elections.  The Republicans won the Senate, increased their numbers in the House, and won governorships in 3 blue states.  Does this mean things will change?  Maybe.  Mitch McConnell, the new Majority Leader, said he plans to use the power of the purse.  That would be the power that the Republicans won back in 2010 and have repeatedly failed to capitalize upon.  Yes, the Democrat Senate torpedoed efforts to defund Obamacare and to hold the line on this spending or that.  The Democrat Senate also refused to pass a budget because that would require compromise, so we have spent the last 4 years on continuing resolutions.  But now, with a Republican Senate, the Congress will finally pass a budget.  Which Obama will almost certainly veto.  And the Congress will be unable to override.  Which will lead to a looming shutdown.  Oh, Mitch McConnell declared he would not allow a shutdown.  Therefore, if Obama threatens a shutdown, McConnell has already announced his intent to cave.  Yes, this is so much better.

As I have said before, the Republicans are spineless.  They will not use the same tactics that Democrats have used against them.  Look for rule changes to re-empower the minority in the Senate rather than allow Harry Reid to suffer under the rules he imposed on the Republican minority.

I have railed against Obama for telling ISIS that US ground troops would not be deployed or telling Iran that a military option was off the table with regard to their nuclear program.  It hamstrings your ability to reach a diplomatic solution.  Criminals surrender to the police because their is a credible threat of force.  Imagine if the police declared that they would never draw a gun or a club to subdue a perp.  Would that increase or decrease the likelihood of someone resisting arrest?

Obama has crippled his foreign policy by publicly announcing what is and isn't on the table.  Mitch McConnell has done the same even before he has taken power.  By declaring what you won't do, you assure that that is what your opponent will force you to do.  If I was Obama, I would absolutely veto everything to the point of government shutdown and watch the Republicans cave.  Duh!  And, if I was Putin, I would poke and prod to see just how 'flexible' Obama is after his last election.  If I was Iran, I would gladly let Obama browbeat Israel and 'negotiate' with me while my nuclear program advanced unimpeded.

 

This election was a rejection of the current path of the country and therefore Obama's policies.  If it had been a rejection of Republican intransigence, one would have expected a different result.  When Bill Clinton suffered a no-confidence vote in 1994, he triangulated and struck a path down the third way.  That was more spin than truth but he did compromise.  Obama did not compromise after the "shellacking" of 2010 and he won't compromise now.

 

Two thirds of voters say the country is on the wrong course, which surely guided their vote.  With a Republican Congress, we will still continue down that wrong course but there will be a bit more use of the brakes.