Doing the Impossible: What Will Dem-Controlled Congress Mean for World & US?
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., pose for photographers after speaking on Capitol Hill in response President Donald Trump’s address, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, in Washington
As the US midterms continue, the American press notes that the Republicans are favored to win the majority in the House, while the race for the Senate may end in several toss-ups between Democrats and the GOP. However, what if the Dems do the impossible and take both chambers?The Dems have been considered the underdogs in the midterms race since spring 2021. American observers have argued that there is an established trend of the president’s party losing in the midterm elections and referred to decennial redistricting. However, the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan led US President Joe Biden’s approval rating to plunge, followed by steeply rising energy prices, galloping inflation, and soaring crime rates around the country.Still, let’s consider a scenario where the Democrats retain their House majority and take the Senate with a consistent margin. In that case, the Democratic Party will be capable of establishing nothing short of one-party rule: previously, they repeatedly duped their GOP peers by opting for a “reconciliation tool” to pass their spending initiatives. Over the past two years, there have been just a handful of instances where US members of Congress have reached a bipartisan consensus. Thus, one can safely assume that the Dems will act unilaterally if they take both chambers.
Foreign Policy: More Weapons to Ukraine, China and Iran in Crosshairs
The Democratic-controlled Congress will most likely continue sending weapons to Ukraine. Likewise, Dems could increase financial aid to the Eastern European state, as no one will be able to stop them from their spending spree. It is also unlikely that the Biden administration will opt to broker peace between Moscow and Kiev: one might assume that it will fight to the last Ukrainian in order to bleed Russia white, just as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin proposed earlier this year. Recent reports that National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held talks on nuclear issues in Russia presents some silver-lining for American peace activists, but the overall Ukraine strategy of the Biden administration appears to remain intact.
Opinion & AnalysisScholars: US Expansion of Coast Guard & Cyber Prowess in Asia-Pacific Part of Anti-China Strategy19 October, 18:55 GMTJoe Biden is likely to proceed with his “pivot to Asia” policies aimed at curtailing China’s influence in the Asia Pacific no matter which party takes the US Congress. For both American parties, the People’s Republic remains the top challenge to US national security interests. However, the GOP traditionally accuses the Dems of maintaining a softer approach to Beijing. Still, Taiwan provocations akin to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taipei are, apparently, on the table. Likewise, the expansion of American influence among Pacific nations and a Coast Guard build-up in the region is also possible alongside freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) in the South China Sea. The Biden administration has clearly demonstrated over the past few months that it is inclined to take on both Russia and China. Still, it raises questions whether it has the resources to proceed with this bellicose policy and whether it has the prowess to deal with unintended consequences.
World‘We Will Never Be America’s Milk Cows’, Raisi Warns as Biden Vows to ‘Free Iran’ in Stump Speech4 November, 12:48 GMTOne cannot rule out that the Biden administration could eventually return to the negotiating table with Iran and resume talks on the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), especially if it is backed by a strong Democratic-controlled Congress. Still, as of yet the talks have stalled. Meanwhile, Joe Biden recently vowed to “free Iran,” falling short of elaborating on what he actually meant. US-Iranian tensions are rising against the backdrop of protests in the Islamic Republic, which, according to Tehran, have been fanned and influenced from abroad. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan admitted on October 16 that the US is taking “a number of aggressive steps aimed at supporting the protesters in Iran.”
Domestic Issues: Federalizing It All
It’s most likely that a Dem-controlled Congress would jump at the opportunity to pass Biden’s landmark initiatives, including the voter rights bill, gun reform legislation, build back better spending packages, and codify the abortion rights protections outlined in Roe v. Wade that was overturned by the US Supreme Court earlier this year. According to some observers, these policies would have backfired with further inflation, deeper recession, plummeting markets, and possible social unrest.Meanwhile, the passage of the Dems’ voter rights legislation remains an especially troubling potentiality in the eyes of conservatives. The crux of the matter is that the bill envisages “federalizing” election rules across the country, thus eliminating the ability of states to pass laws that create conditions for registering and voting. The Democratic Party has repeatedly tried to pass various versions of the bill in the upper chamber since they gained the majority of the House in 2019. However, the legislation has been blocked every time by Republican senators.
WorldPolitburo: Are Dems Striving to ‘Win It All’ & Turn US Political Landscape Into ‘One-Party System’?22 November 2020, 15:00 GMTThe measures proposed under the bill include nationwide vote-by-mail; automatic voter registration; same-day voter registration requiring the state to register a person to vote immediately upon request, even on Election Day; barring partisan gerrymandering; overhauling the campaign finance system; legitimizing ballot harvesting; and loosening ID checks, among other measures.Some conservative observers have argued that by passing the voting rights law, the Dems would leave the doors wide open to election fraud and cheating. Furthermore, some observers have even gone so far as to suggest that the law could help the Democrats manipulate elections to preserve their power almost indefinitely, thus creating a “one party system” in the US. The latter suspicion stems from the 2020 election controversy: former President Donald Trump is still insisting that his contender, Joe Biden, won the race unfairly.
