Georgia elections | Joe Biden | The Vital Importance of Controlling Congress for the President-Elect | APTZ | WORLD

After the November elections, the Democrats retook the White House, retained control of the House of Representatives, and this week managed to regain control of the Senate, an immense political victory that the new government of Joe Biden.

Despite the polarization of the country, especially after what happened to the attack on Capitolthe next president will have Congress on his side to carry out his plans and agenda and thus forget Donald Trump’s last four years.

After this week’s dramatic triumph in Georgia, when Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff managed to take two Senate seats from the Democrats, the distribution of forces has remained as follows: 50 seats for Democrats and 50 for Republicans. In this situation, the constitution provides that future vice president, Kamala Karris, who will also be the president of the senate, will have the casting vote to tip the balance to her party. A minimal difference, but enough.

The summary of the importance of Georgia winning and having a majority in the Senate was given by Barack Obama himself a few days ago: “This is not just about Georgia. It’s about the United States and the world. “

“[La derrota en Georgia] it is an epic disaster for the Republican Party with untold damageSaid Matt Mackowiak, chairman of the Travis County party in Texas, who did not hesitate to criticize Trump for making his organization heavier with his speech.

What is at stake

With Joe Biden as head of the White House and with his party controlling both houses, the president will be able to avoid obstruction – a practice widely used by Republicans – and make his plans run more smoothly, especially on issues like the budget, economic incentives, tax increases or the fight against climate change. Likewise, his candidates to join the cabinet would be readily confirmed.

“Having control over both houses makes it much easier for Biden to pass laws. And control over the Senate is important because that’s where the president’s nominees are confirmed in the cabinetJoel Goldstein, professor emeritus at Saint Louis University School of Law, in Missouri, points out this journal.

“It’s about who sets the agenda, decides what is discussed, what is voted on and what is thrown away”, American Enterprise Institute academic Norm Ornstein explained to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

As “The New York Times” points out, much of the economic agenda that Biden proposed during the campaign is now at stake. Although Biden describes himself as a moderate and centrist Democrat, his economic plan is considered progressive as it includes expanding Medicare health insurance, creating more manufacturing jobs and promoting clean energy, as well as increasing taxes. for the richest. Many of those policies, as well as measures to speed up a large-scale vaccination program and increase economic stimulus, could be enshrined in a budget bill this year. With Democrats in control of both houses, the long-awaited immigration reform could be achieved.

However, this doesn’t mean carte blanche for the Democrats either, as having a minimal majority in the Senate will also have to negotiate with the Republicans on other aspects where a greater difference in votes is needed.

How’s the Republican Party?

After what happened on Wednesday, in which a pro-Trump gang stormed the Capitol, spurred on by the president himself, just before Congress confirmed Joe Biden as the next president of the United States, the chips have turned into the Republican Party.

That day, one hundred Republican congressmen and 13 senators had planned not to ratify Biden and to object to the Electoral College’s votes, to postpone the nomination, to please Trump, and most importantly, his electoral base.

But when the most violent faction from that electoral base attacked the Capitol, many of those congressmen decided to withdraw. However, these lawmakers will continue to be a rabid adversary that could complicate Biden.

Biden will try to convince the most reasonable or pragmatic Republicans to distance themselves from Trump. During his years in Congress, Biden has always been a mediator and knew how to negotiate with Republicans. “ Political scientist Cynthia Sanborn, former vice rector of the Universidad del Pacífico and current professor of Political Science, points out to El Comercio. While he will have a majority in Congress, he will also have an aggressive opposition. So you have to try to convince that more reasonable group. “

Meanwhile, Republicans will have to reconfigure their armed forces for the next parliamentary election. The party that does not hold the presidency generally wins seats in the House of Representatives in the years when they do not rule, so the Republicans could win more seats in the House of Commons by 2022. The Democrats did not do very well either. in legislative races in the United States. But on the other hand, there are several factors that are against Republicans, as young and non-white voters prefer Democrats; and women are moving away from the Republican Party “Goldstein explains.

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