The editors of the Wall Street Journal ponder Joe Biden’s mandate:
As the votes continue to be counted in swing states, Joe Biden has the best chance to become the next President. But the closer we inspect the nationwide election returns, the more the result looks like a defeat for the rest of his Democratic Party and especially for the progressive agenda. Mr. Biden would take office without a mandate beyond addressing Covid-19 and not being Donald J. Trump.
Not being Donald Trump? Mission accomplished! I suspect that “addressing Covid-19” will be a lot tougher. Fortunately for Mr. Biden, he has a compliant media to protect his back.
There was no blue wave, and certainly no mandate for progressive change. If anything, the fevered Democratic and media anticipation of a “transformational†election drove more voters to turn out to stop it. When Mr. Trump finally focused on the economy and progressive agenda in the last weeks of the campaign, his support rose and lifted Republicans in some places as well.
Meanwhile, Mr. Biden’s campaign platform boiled down to he’s not Donald Trump, he’ll do a better job fighting Covid-19, and he won’t take away your health care. His TV ads were largely biographical, contrasting his character to Mr. Trump’s.
Mr. Biden barely mentioned the agenda his aides developed with Bernie Sanders, and the press barely asked him about it. When the former Vice President did finally admit in the last debate that he wanted to “transition†the economy from fossil fuels, his campaign had him scramble to explain it away.
Mr. Biden does have a mandate to defeat Covid-19, rolling out the vaccines already in the pipeline and setting an example by wearing his mask. He has a mandate not to tweet, not to call the press “the enemy of the people,†and not to make himself the center of attention all the time. He also has a mandate to work across the aisle with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
That’s cute. I don’t believe there’s any prospect for that whatever if only because of the House. Can anybody remember a case of Nancy Pelosi compromising with Republicans? Me, neither. Her own caucus, yes, but not Republicans. Remember that when I say “Republicans” I mean the present Republican Congressional leadership rather than a right-leaning think tank 25 years ago.
I think they’re understating the risks ahead for Democrats. More about that in my next post.
I remember George W Bush taking 35 days and a legal fight in the Supreme Court to win the White House — he also arrived with a 50-50 Senate and a 9-seat House majority.
He still managed to pass a massive tax cut, the patriot act, start the war in Afghanistan, withdrew from the Kyoto accords, no child left behind act during the first 2 years.
And then won a bigger congressional majorities in the midterms.
I believe with the exception of the tax cut and the no child left behind act, none of it was in his mandate from the campaign.
Presidential mandates are often created by events.
Offhand, Pelosi compromised so that the 2019 budget could be passed. The humanitarian relief bill the same year had more Republican votes than democrats as I recall. What I dont remember is McConnell compromising when Obama was president. Enlighten us. Also, make some predictions. Where will McConnell compromise with Biden?
Steve
Biden does not believe in any of this “limited mandate†stuff. He says, “They’ve given us a mandate for action on Covid, the economy, climate change, systemic racism.â€
Pelosi claims Biden and Congressional Democrats have a mandate.
They can cite the example of Bush in 2001.
Here is a take on what current politicians believe about representative government. Every winner believes they have a mandate; indeed a duty to push as hard they can for the outcomes they want (within the confines of the law).
Whether that take is corrosive to said representative government is another question.
Why are we talking about a mandate? Nothing will get through the Senate unless this Senate seats flip after all. While Dave is quick to criticize Pelosi we should remember that McConnell is the one who has stopped everything in the Senate. The one who who stopped confirming judges in Obama’s last year and denied Garland a hearing. I would predict that he lets close to zero legislation get passed that is initiated by the Democrats.
Steve
The Senate passed its own version of COVID-19 aid Part II. Reconciliation was rejected by Pelosi.
Basically, that’s what every president has done. It’s also why I have scoffed at the newspaper columnists making happy talk. What is most likely to happen is that Joe Biden will dash to the left, consistent with the form of centrism he’s maintained throughout his career, changing with the center of the Democratic Party. If the Democrats get the majority or even 50 votes in the Senate, with the end of the filibuster, it suggests a series of measures will be passed in fairly short order including a third round of pandemic aid (I think a second round is likely to pass during the lame duck), the “public option” the Democrats have wanted, and some form of the GND.
DC and Puerto Rico statehood and abolishing the Electoral College will be tougher. They could also expand the number of associate justices in the Supreme Court.
I have no idea. I don’t study Republicans. In Illinois there’s basically no need to. They’re mostly irrelevant. The problems that I see here are due to Democrats.
“The Senate passed its own version of COVID-19 aid Part II. Reconciliation was rejected by Pelosi.”
The House passed its own version. They dont reconcile but it is all Pelosi’s fault? Explain that?
Steve
Because that’s the way our Congress works. The House passes a spending bill. The Senate then passes its version. The House then joins the Senate in a reconciliation process. Speaker Pelosi refused to do that.