As we discussed in class, one of the outcomes of the recent election is the shift of party dominance in the government. Not only has the presidency changed parties, but Republicans also now have control of both chambers of Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate. This has alarmed many Americans, as this impending overwhelming power of one party looms over the US. But what does this Republican dominance mean and how will it affect our country?
One of the most important facts is that even though Republicans outnumber the Democrats in Congress, Democrats still have a strong say in government. The Republican majority is only by a few people: the House of Representatives was won by the Republicans 239 to 192 with 218 needed to win the majority. The Senate was even closer: Republicans won 51 to 48 with only 51 needed to win the majority. Clearly, the Democrats are not completely powerless; in fact, it's quite the opposite.
The House has been in the hands of Republicans for a while, and the Senate only just barely became majorly Republican.
Additionally, there will most likely not be a significant passing of laws because of this majority. Not all Republicans are going to agree on certain topical issues. Majorities are not going to be easy to reach because of the Republicans' wins. There are different factions in each of the parties that disagree with each other on different issues, so even on a bill that proposes a reform that is favored by a certain party, not everyone in that party may agree and vote for it. Bills, measures, and nominations will most likely not be passed at an alarming rate now that Republicans dominate. For example, replacing the late Judge Scalia requires sixty votes from the Senate after cloture, so just because the Republicans outnumber the Democrats does not necessarily mean that the Democrats have no power.
Even though the idea of one party dominating the legislative and executive branches of government sounds scary, the reality is that both parties still will be strong enough to fight each other. One party's power is not lost to the other. New elections will come, and the majority may change yet again. The important thing is to be active and know how to wield your power in government and support your party: contact your representatives, fight for your beliefs, and, most importantly, vote if you have the chance.
Sources:
http://www.house.gov/content/learn/legislative_process/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appointment_and_confirmation_to_the_Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States
https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Congress_elections,_2016
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/113th_United_States_Congress
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/114th_United_States_Congress
I like how you had a call to action at the end letting everyone know that they still have power even though they are just the common people because this is a democracy. I also like how you touched on the point of young people voting when they are old enough because their vote really does matter.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting post. Its easy to think that republicans now have complete control over the U.S, but this post does a great job of showing how this is not entirely the case. I also like the call to action at the end, because people not feeling motivated to vote was a problem during the election.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting post. Its easy to think that republicans now have complete control over the U.S, but this post does a great job of showing how this is not entirely the case. I also like the call to action at the end, because people not feeling motivated to vote was a problem during the election.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! To add on to what you are saying, Republicans stand very divided out the moment. Many Republicans refuse to associate themselves with Trump and Pence as they feel they are radical and non-presidential. The democratic party on the other hand has only fractures of disunity compared to the huge gaps between Republican beliefs. Just because there is a majority of a very VERY general ideology does not mean those people will hold majority on any actual actions.
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