Who Won?

Eduardo del Buey
Foto: Afp
La Jornada Maya

Martes 13 de noviembre, 2018

Many voters in the United States were awaiting a “Blue” (Democrat) wave on election day 2018.

Now the question is, was there a wave and, if so, who won?

Democrats took control of the House of Representatives and, with it, will now be in a position to investigate possible corruption in the Trump administration. They can also potentially block key pieces of Republican legislation – equally important to the country and to the future.

With Democrat Congressman Adam Schiff taking over the Chair of the House Intelligence Committee from Trump sycophant Republican Congressman Devin Nunes, Democrats will now be able to control the investigation by Independent Counsel Robert Mueller and, as well, subpoena documents such as Trump’s tax returns in order to address suspicions that the Russian government has a hold on the President through financial transactions with his business empire.

Score one for the Democrats.

The Republicans won two extra Senate seats allowing them to retain control, albeit not with the sixty seats to ensure a “free ride”.

Despite this gain, the legislative branch will be divided and, for the first time in his administration, Trump will have to negotiate in order to get his legislative agenda passed. Despite his claims to the contrary, Trump’s ability as President to negotiate winning packages is dubious at best and, given his proclivities to insult and berate his opponents, one can question if indeed there will be a honeymoon period during this new reality.

Score another one possibly for the Democrats.

In the Georgia and Florida gubernatorial races, the Republicans’ direct racist agenda was blatant throughout. Georgia electoral machine, directly controlled by the Republican candidate for governor (who is currently Secretary of State), disenfranchised tens of thousands of African American voters thus leading to the apparent defeat of the Democrats African American gubernatorial candidate. In Florida, racist attacks by the Republican candidate and Trump himself against the African American Democrat candidate contributed to the Republicans’ narrow win.

A practical win for the Republicans, but a moral victory for Democrats who decided to campaign taking the high road versus the Republicans’ divisive tactics.

Is this a pyrrhic victory for Republicans? Democrats are now managing campaigns based on values and trying to unite the people as opposed to the Republican focus on hatred and division. Is the United States so divided that hatred and division will continue to be vital elements in any political campaign?

Both of the defeated Democrat gubernatorial candidates stressed that they sought to be leaders of all citizens and not only of their partisans.

Is this possible in today’s United States?

Women were elected to office in record numbers.

In part this can also be seen as a breakthrough by women.

Score one for the pink wave and for women across the American political spectrum.

So, what happens now?

President Trump’s diminished power can be a double-edged sword for Democrats.

On the one hand, it provides them with a platform upon which to craft a series of policy proposals and messages that they can use in the lead up to the 2020 elections. They can show that they are listening to voters from all sides and are ready to address all of their concerns from a common-sense point of view and leave ideology aside. They can reach out across the aisle and, if they succeed, show that they are ready for a more positive form of government. If they fail, then they can present their proposals to voters in 2020 and show that Republicans are obstructionist and negative.

They can also ensure that the Mueller investigation continues apace but without the Democrats controlled House getting bogged down in its politics.

On the other hand, they could resist the temptation to focus exclusively on going after the President at the expense of positive messages and policy proposals. Let the independent investigation and possible prosecutions remain under Independent Counsel Robert Mueller’s control. Rather than spend the next two years on a witch hunt, they should focus on passing useful legislation that benefits the majority of voters.

One caveat, however. Democrats should realize that any useful bi-partisan legislation could result in Trump’s claiming that not only can he work across the aisle but that he is in fact an effective President.

Of course, since Attorney General Jeff Sessions was fired last Wednesday, this may lead Trump to try to remove Independent Counsel Mueller before the Democrat controlled Congress takes office. This would result in a direct confrontation between the next Congress and Trump that could leave the Democrats appearing to be overly vindictive and lead Trump’s supporters to double down, reducing any chance of cooperation across the aisle. This will require strong strategic thinking by the Democrats to avoid becoming a single-issue party at the expense of strong core policies capable of connecting positively with a majority of voters.

Finally, Democrats must identify potential candidates for all levels of the 2020 elections who are capable of galvanizing enthusiasm not only among committed supporters but also among independents and disenfranchised Republicans disenchanted with the excesses of Trump and his followers. As well, they must ensure that all Democrats vote on election day and that the next presidential candidate campaign strategically to avoid the type of defeat the party suffered in 2016.

This will require political maturity and a positive and inclusive vision for the future. Democrats will also need to decide if they have the strength and unity to play as dirty as the Republicans do if the situation calls for this. Republicans all tend to rally around the party while Democrats wander off strategy regularly.

Managing politics in the next two years will require common sense, and party unity rather than ideology.

Can the Democrats achieve this in the short time available?

Let’s see.

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