Quantcast
Published On: Sat, Dec 1st, 2018

What the November 6 Election Results Mean for America

The November midterm elections are finally over. There are still recounts, particularly in hotly contested Florida, but the general results are in and they show that the Democrats have regained significant control over Congress. They’ve done it through their numerous noteworthy wins including the ushering in of the youngest woman to ever take a House seat. Republicans for their part strengthened their hold on the Senate.

photo/ Amber

Various analysts have differing interpretations of what transpired on Election Day. John Cassidy of the The New Yorker, for example, said that the results represented a strong rebuke against the Trump administration. This view is contested by the interpretations of Damon Young of The Root. Young says that the results were expected to be disastrous for the Republicans, but they clearly are not, or at least not with the same intensity as Democrats have hoped for.

Debates can go on as to which party gains the upper hand in the aftermath of the elections, but one thing’s for sure now: the Federal government’s legislative body is divided, and it sure has important ramifications to the federal affairs of the USA.

Legislative bills will be hotly contested

When the two chambers of Congress are dominated by different parties, it means that legislation, especially that which touches on very sensitive topics such as protecting gun rights, will be intensely debated. You see, a bill becomes a law only if the two chambers agree on a unified version of it, and agreement is one of the last things that happen when senators and congressmen think and vote along party lines. Currently, gun use is still pretty much protected. In fact, it is regarded as a constitutional right of any American citizen. So, you can still very much ask lawyers to defend you if you feel that your right to own and use guns is being trampled upon by others.

However, because of the recent events that involve guns–the most recent being the October 27 synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh–talks about regulating gun use further are again alive. With the Democrats taking control over the House, stricter regulations might be introduced, and their efforts might be significantly downplayed by a Republican-dominated Senate. So it’s going to be an endless tug-of-war between the two bodies.

Investigations will be launched

There is no question about it; Donald Trump and his administration’s priorities and stance on certain issues are controversial to say the least. The first two years of his term went by smoothly because Congress was dominated by his Republican party.

However, with Democrats dominating the House now, investigations can be launched and the House’s oversight powers might be better exercised. As citizens, we can expect more subpoenas issued to members of the Executive branch of the Federal government especially when they act on issues that are hotly debated such as immigration policies.

Major Presidential appointments will go smoothly

When Brett Kavanaugh was appointed by the President to be one of the US Supreme Supreme Court’s justices, Democrat influence was strongly felt in a Senate that is only slightly dominated by the Republicans, 51-49. Even though the appointment eventually pushed through, it still unfolded into a lengthy political drama that strongly made an impact on the nation’s narrative, especially on the issue of sexual assault.

The exact numbers are not yet clear because of the Florida recount, but the Republicans’ stronger hold on the Senate is already almost certain. This means that all the President’s major appointments will push through with much less resistance there.

Author: Mahendra

On the DISPATCH: Headlines  Local  Opinion

Subscribe to Weekly Newsletter

* indicates required
/ ( mm / dd ) [ALL INFO CONFIDENTIAL]

About the Author

- Outside contributors to the Dispatch are always welcome to offer their unique voices, contradictory opinions or presentation of information not included on the site.

Leave a comment

XHTML: You can use these html tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

like_us_on_facebook

 

The Global Dispatch Facebook page- click here

Movie News Facebook page - click here

Television News Facebook page - click here

Weird News Facebook page - click here 

DISPATCH RADIO

dispatch_radio

THE BRANDON JONES SHOW

brandon_jones_show-logo

Archives