Elections and Soul-Saving

Many Democrats believed that the November 3 election could be the one that saved America’s soul, but it fell just a little short. It’s true that, barring some very unlikely event, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will take office as President and Vice President on January 20. But the soul may be only half-saved, as the two runoffs for US Senate seats in Georgia at the beginning of January seem to be necessary to seal the Democratic deal. It’s a long shot: the Democrats would have to win both seats to hold the absolute thinnest majority. Even then, the Senate would basically be split down the middle.

Should the Democrats not win both, is it the end of the world? In practical terms, the instances in which all Republicans vote one way and all Democrats the other are relatively rare – or  at least, used to be. One or two Republicans typically peel off, and there is no guarantee that all Democrats will vote the party line all the time.

Should Mitch McConnell retain the title of Majority Leader, is that the end of the Biden administration’s chances to get its program through? Mr. McConnell’s big thing has been putting conservative judges on federal courts, a goal which he has pretty much achieved. Also, Joe Biden was once a Senate colleague of McConnell’s – and I have heard more than one observer say that McConnell was one of the more reasonable members of the Senate once, though we may have to go back quite a ways for that.

President Trump may think of himself as a great negotiator and dealmaker, but is he? It seems to me that he either gets his way or threatens to pull the plug. I think of negotiating as a technique used by both sides in a dispute to get the best deal for themselves in a situation that ends in a compromise. Mr. Biden seems more suited to that process.

For Democrats, the election may have solved one problem with the expected removal of Donald Trump from office, but little else has changed. Very close to half the electorate voted for him, and those people are still out there and resistant to being dissed and flown over. Maybe that split down the middle will teach both sides the art of the deal. The other way is not an option now.