Democrats Could Win Congress And Finally Qualify To Be Blamed For It

Winning an election is an excellent way to acquire responsibility for problems that will continue answering to somebody else.

Reuters’ October 25 analysis of possible midterm outcomes describes the limits facing Democrats even if they take one or both chambers of Congress. Trump would retain his veto and substantial executive authority. Senate rules and narrow margins could obstruct legislation. Control would still matter: committees, investigations, spending negotiations and, with the Senate, appointments. None of the outcomes is decided.

So this is not the argument that voting changes nothing. It is the argument that Washington sells several different products under the label power, and you should inspect the box before assembling the government.

The imaginary House Majority Starter Kit includes a gavel, a subpoena pad and an envelope marked Things You Are Now Responsible For. The envelope is significantly larger than the box.

Inside: inflation, every foreign crisis, the federal deficit, the emotional condition of the stock market and the fact that an airport sandwich costs whatever it costs. The kit does not necessarily include the votes required to change any of them. Those are sold separately, in states where the advertising is unbearable.

One particularly useful observation in the Reuters analysis is that a Democratic victory could give Trump a political foil with whom to share blame. The president would still possess the veto. The opposition could acquire the invoice.

That is a beautiful division of labor if you are the person keeping the veto. It resembles hiring a new mechanic, refusing to let them open the hood, then announcing that the engine began making that noise under their management.

Democrats should not treat this as an excuse to deliver a commemorative hearing instead of a plan. Oversight is real work. So is explaining which lever controls what, which votes are missing and who is blocking them. A press conference announcing that democracy is complicated will not satisfy a person whose insurance bill is extremely straightforward.

But watch the transfer of accountability. It can happen faster than the transfer of committee offices. One minute, a president says congressional critics cannot stop him. The next, they are apparently powerful enough to have caused the entire economy.

The new members should keep their receipts. In Washington, the warranty on absolute presidential authority expires the moment someone else can be blamed.

Source: Reuters, October 25. The starter kit and mechanic are satirical analogies; election outcomes remain uncertain.