The next two years are still going to be a massive shitshow of epic proportions.
Well, that was certainly an interesting election, wasn’t it? Gen-Z and women showed up and saved everyone’s bacon in heroic fashion. As I have previously stated on The LEFT Show, it is well past time to start paying attention to these epic young people, if for no other reason that they outnumber the oldsters, and they just proved, again, that they’ll flex when they need to. They need to be SEEN and HEARD.
That’s a topic for a different Not-A-Blog post. A-hem.
On Saturday night, when we found out that Democrats held the US Senate (you know, without Evan McMullin taking an “independent” seat all by himself over in the corner, LOL) there was a lot of cheerful hooting and chest thumping – deservedly so – all across the land.
The mood, on social media at least, was celebratory. I was stuck in a TikTok rabbit hole when the feed suddenly went a little nuts with ecstatic screaming and exclamation. I put down the phone, and flipped on the news to solidify the fact that Democrats took their 50th seat, locking in place a firewall against what’s going to happen in the House over the next two years.
The House …
Well, therein lies the problem(s).
First, their majority is going to be awfully small. Passing legislation with a micro-majority won’t be easy, especially when you have as many layers and levels of nutjob all clamoring for attention. Any legislation that does sneak its way through will run up hard against the Senate and, chances are, Biden won’t really have to bother with his veto pen at all – unless Shumer does something silly, which isn’t outside the realm of speculative possibility but is highly unlikely.
Second, that doesn’t change the fact that Republicans will now be in control of the House, and more importantly, the House Committees. This is where the shitshow happens.
Remember Benghazi? That’s going to look like a calm and rational process compared to what’s about to happen.
I predict Republicans, who desperately need to calm down and take a few moments of reflection, are going to behave like conspiracy nutjobs on an Adderall binge. It’s revenge time, and they’re going to revel in it like a dog rolling in stink.
Targets?
The obvious:
- Hunter’s Laptop
- At least one Biden impeachment
- The January 6th Committee
- Dr Fouci
- Covid (even though this was mostly a Trump joint)
- Transgender Children
- Women’s Sports
- The FBI and DOJ
- Social Security
- Medicare and Medicaid
- The Affordable Care Act
- The Debt Ceiling
There’s going to be more, as well.
I’m not trying to be a wet blanket. I’m delighted by the Senate news and I’m optimistic about Warnock’s chances in the run-off. I just don’t think that there’s a chance in Hel that Democrats retain control of the House.
I watch the news like it’s my job, and the narrative is all wrong. At this point, people should be getting ready for the onslaught of stupid that we’re about to be put through, but everyone is still running around in circles with their hair on fire, pointing at the Senate and thinking that everything is a-okay.
It’s Not.
There is nothing more dangerous than a cornered animal, and the GOP is certainly cornered. McCarthy will most likely be denied the gavel he so desperately wants. Whatever ends up filling that seat is going to be a rabid, foamy mouth weirdo with a bent for delusional gibbering.
I don’t know that the Hardcore Trump Republicans have enough juice left over to take control of the House, but they are still, despite the election results, a force of dipshits to be reckoned with. Feckless and Impotent to be sure, but political inertia will count for a lot for the next 24 months, especially the closer we get to 2024.
Yes, we dodged a few bullets this year, but not enough to secure democracy, just enough to buy it a little more time.
Democrats have a lot of work to do for the next two years. A LOT OF WORK. While the Utah State Democratic Party might as well be a clown car for all the damage leadership did to itself this year, other, better State Parties need to look to the past to find a path to getting our political system back to some semblance of sanity.
It’s time to resurrect the State Party Partnership. Howard Dean’s 50 State Strategy was one of the best political strategies of the last 100 years. It’ll need a rebrand to stroke everyone’s egos, but that’s simple,
The Joe Biden Democratic Prosperity Plan.
There. Done. The blueprint is already written, the process has already proved itself out. All that remains is find the will and the fortitude to organise, proselytize, and engage these new voters in a way that is both respectful and honest.
Get ready, folks. It’s going to get ugly.
