The violence that occurred today in the Capitol on Electoral College Day was hopefully the both the worst as well as the final blast of the Trump four-year horror show. Having revved up his supporters on the mall--as he had promised to do since he lost the election-- President Trump dispatched them to Capitol Hill to create chaos. Trump himself, meanwhile, returned to the White House to watch his most loyal believers on television, literally fiddling the television stations while watching the seat of America’s Legislature being attacked. Not for a moment did Donald Trump accept any responsibility for the mayhem that his minions were dispatching.
Facing a pathetically ill-prepared group of Capitol Police and Metro D.C. Police, Trump’s loyalists marched into the Capitol, entered the House and Senate Chambers, and paraded through the Capitol almost totally at will. Destroying windows and doors while trying to occupy offices the rioters carried on without restraint as the various arms of law enforcement endeavored to organize various police and military agencies. They worked to safely secure the Members of the House and Senate as well as their staffs and then to bring order to the Capitol.
America’s long nightmare and its worst President is ending in its most ugly display; but it is almost over. There will be more regulations promulgated, more people to be embarrassed, and more pardons to be given; but today will likely be the denouement. Ironically, America’s national horror show on the Capitol could well sabotage even the enthusiasm that some Members of Congress had to carry on their futile effort to block completion of the electoral college certification process.
----------
Georgia and the Democrats
The Democrats’ double win yesterday in Georgia have forced Senator Mitch McConnell to retire—at least for the next two years from his role as Majority Leader. The Georgia defeats, his age, and the future direction of the GOP--even if they regain the Senate in 2022--will probably deny McConnell a role as the future Republican Senate Leader.
The election of two Democratic Senators from Georgia—one Black and one Jewish—speaks legions about where Georgia is moving in the New South. Coupled with the fact that Joe Biden carried the state, their victories portend potentially much tougher political sledding for many Republicans in Georgia and throughout parts of the old red South.
Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff will join a Senate that will to return to regular orders once the President-elect is sworn. It will be interesting to see if the Republicans meet the new President half-way in this effort. Biden’s first advantage will be that he is likely to have very limited opposition to obtain Senate approval of his cabinet.
There will be progressives in both chambers who will seek to force a more left-wing agenda. Incoming Majority Leader Schumer as well as Speaker Pelosi know, however, that they have limited wiggle room with their slim Democratic margins in both chambers. Biden, who championed legislative deal-making during his Senate days, will be well tested to seek out the more moderate elements of the Republican Party to help him move his legislative agenda.
-----------
Considering the sad events that transpired today in Washington, Americans still should take some pride in their country. During his emotional victory speech last night in Atlanta, Rev. Raphael Warnock noted that among the votes he had received was that of his mother. Warnock said: “The 82-year-old hands that used to pick somebody else’s cotton went to the polls and picked her youngest son to be a United States senator.”
Comments