Posted on 10/29/2014 11:40:38 AM PDT by Mozilla
With less than a week to go before the 2014 midterm elections, it is looking more and more like the Republicans will take control of the Senate and increase their hold on the House, possibly even taking over more state legislatures and governorships. This will essentially make President Obama a lame duck for the remainder of his time in office.
So how does that play out, with a repudiated leftist president still pursuing a progressive liberal agenda, faced with a Congress controlled by the opposition? We explore three possible options: The best case,worst case, and most likely scenarios.
Best Case Scenario
The Republicans ride an election night wave, picking off all of the expected Senate seats and even a couple that weren’t considered in play. With a solid majority in both houses of Congress, the GOP immediately sets about finishing business that has been sitting idle for the past few years.
New Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell brings to the floor all 300+ House bills that Harry Reid has been ignoring. Numerous pieces of legislation are passed that repeal the worst bits and pieces of Obamacare, but not the whole law. Job creation is put on the front burner, and energy production is unleashed, by way of a reduction in the corporate tax rate and a roll back in burdensome regulations.
Congress actually passes a budget that works and reduces the deficit, with key cuts to the bureaucracy. The worst agencies in the Executive Branch see their budgets slashed, and entire projects are defunded. The Senate opens up their Committees to launch investigations into Obama administration malfeasance, just like the House has been doing. A few of the worst offenders in some of the more spectacular scandals are actually held accountable and forced to resign in disgrace. Criminal investigations, led by special prosecutors, are turned loose on the administration.
President Obama initially vetoes everything that comes across his desk, but after Congress overrides his veto a few times, Obama reluctantly agrees to sign the bills, attaching signing statements and spinning the PR to make it seem like the bills are his idea.
Obama signs a few executive orders to bypass Congress, but they are of little significance, as Obama is cowed under the threat of an impeachment. Congress passes several pieces of legislation that specifically address and override prior executive orders, by rule of law.
Americans are pleased that things are finally getting done, and the Congressional approval rating rises from the teens to the twenties, and even the thirties in some polls. Obama is increasingly viewed as an obstructionist president, who does little more than pitch a fit at every GOP backed bill, and serves as a stumbling block for true progress and the long overdue economic recovery for the country.
Republicans are perfectly set up for 2016, as Democrats have been unable to shake the stigma that Obama has cast upon their party. The GOP has a robust primary and emerges with a good candidate that a majority of Americans, both moderate and conservative, can agree upon. The Democrat primary is a complete mess, and Hillary Clinton ultimately decides not to run in these trying times and certain defeat for Democrats.
Worst Case Scenario
The GOP squeaks through a win, with a one seat majority. Election night proves to be too much of a nail-biter, and the final results come down to run-off elections in Louisiana and Georgia, which don’t take place until December and January, respectively.
Widespread voter fraud is later discovered, and there is ample evidence that the fraud played a key role in the election results, but the media ignores it, and nothing is done.
In the meantime, the lame duck Senate under Harry Reid pushes through several controversial bills, using the “nuclear option” simple majority rule. They also confirm several partisan hack nominees that are quickly put up by Obama, to fill open spots in the administration.
With only the slimmest of a majority, Republicans struggle over the next two years to get anything accomplished, as the Democrats play the spoiler role that the GOP has inhabited for the past several years. The few bills that do get passed are immediately vetoed, and Republicans are unable to muster the numbers to override the vetoes.
Obama steps up his destructive agenda and completely ignores Congress, even more than he has already. He wears out several pens and phones, enacting amnesty and essentially ruling by fiat and Executive order for two years. The tyranny goes to a whole new level, and Americans suffer for it.
Unable to gain any traction, Republicans are stymied at every turn. The media jumps in on the fray, and doggedly criticizes the GOP for getting nothing done, hypocritically ignoring the past several years under Harry Reid. Americans quickly lose faith that the GOP offers any hope for change, and congressional approval rates plummet from the teens to single digits.
Mired by backstabbing and infighting, and under constant attacks by Democrats and the media, the GOP has a horrible 2016 primary season, and an exceptionally weak and unlikable candidate somehow emerges as the candidate for president. That candidate is handily beaten by Hillary Clinton, and Democrats end up reclaiming the Senate, placing America right back where it was before 2014.
Most Likely Scenario
The Republicans pick up the seats needed for a majority, but lack a clear cut victory or strong mandate from the people. They also lack a solid vision and plan for the future. The next two years are essentially spent managing the status quo.
The Senate manages to pass some of the backlog of bills that Harry Reid has been ignoring, but Obama vetoes the best of them. Meanwhile, Obama wears out his pen and phone with numerous executive orders and fiat decisions, and continues his tyrannical assault on the Constitution.
More scandals emerge from this most scandalous administration, and the Senate opens Committee investigations, but nothing of consequence is done, and nobody is really held accountable for their actions, whether criminal or otherwise.
Americans become bored with the continued gridlock in Congress, even as Republicans hold a majority, and are further disillusioned by the entire process. The 2016 presidential election sees the lowest voter turnout in history, while Independents and third parties see a spike in growth, as more and more Americans decide that both major parties stink, and neither one will fix what truly needs fixing in our country.
Obviously, we are hoping for the best case scenario, yet steeling ourselves for the worst. Of course, the status quo scenario is the most likely outcome, which means that we are in for much of the same for at least the next two years.
I'll take: 'Shallow threats and Empty promises" for $500 Alex
In the worst case scenario I would be alert to another Jumpin’ Jim Jeffords situation.
I disagree. The worst case scenario is not the worst case scenario. I fully expect the Democrats to squeak out “unexpected” wins to retain the Senate. Rampant voter fraud is ignored by the media who claim that poor polling data and improving economic conditions undid the Republicans. McConnell and Boehner say that the people have spoken and bend over even more to accommodate Obama. Whatever they don’t give Obama he takes by executive action. Millions of illegals are granted amnesty by mid November. This is the worst case scenario and, sadly, most likely.
What is a "mandate?" It is whatever the victor declares. Didn't Clinton declare a mandate after winning with 43% of the vote?
If the Republicans had any balls, they would declare a mandate (control of the Senate did shift, didn't it?) and begin by voiding every EO Obama put into place.
There is no need to impeach Obama. It will be more fun to turn him into a political piñata.
The Republicans will take an additional 3-4 seats. They won’t take the Senate. They could have, but as has been the case before, they dropped the chance. Again. The Republicans have lost almost every close election and run-off election in the past 20 years. Plus, Obama will now go full psycho and issue scores of executive orders with no rule of law behind them but the gutless Repubs will just wet their pants and wimper.
Here’s What Could Happen Over the Next Two Years
More government
These are “realistic” cases. Under a worst case scenario, the Democrats win the House and the Senate, but that is unrealistic.
I see little difference between worst and likely case scenarios.
I tend to be a little more optomistic than either the likely or worst cases. I think one of the scandals is going to hit pay-dirt, and someone big is going to prison (Lerner, Holder, Jarrett)
I am uncertain it will make a difference.
Ping.
The writer could have saved a lot of pixels by simply publishing this sentence.
Worst case scenario? Two more years, just like the last two.
Anything is better.
NOTHING! Because they`re spineless, progressive traitors.
I expected a full-fledged revolt when obembacare was passed. If that did not do it then nothing will matter and nothing will cause a revolt. The slide to the left will continue no matter who is elected.
End of story. End of the USA as it once was.
I agree, I pity my children and grandchildren. I am leaving them lots of ammo unless I get to use it before I go ;)
First order of business is having obama arrested and tried for treason.
Failing that impeachment.
the Supreme Court can declare an executive order to be unconstitutional.
The best thing a Republican-dominated Congress can do for the next two years is, besides reissuing the 300 bills that Harry Reid has in his trash can under his desk, is to cut the budgets of every government agency that is out of control, including the White House budget/contingency fund.
Obama can sign all the Executive Orders/Actions he wants, but if there is no money to fund them, then he is shit out of luck.
Money is the key to crippling this Marxist bastard.
As for impeachment, Obie would love it to happen. Then he could play the race card big time - see, the white GOP is picking on a poor black man, trying to keep him on the plantation while they have dinner with their 1 % friends (so much hypocrisy here that I could barf).
Old Chinese saying: “No money, no tickee”. “No ticket, no dance”.
Revolts happen either because of some singular, significant impact event, an/or because a tipping point is reached in the public’s ability to tolerate things.
Obamacare was deliberately designed to phase in over years to prevent this sort of reaction. As it has phased in the Obama Administration has, illegally circumventing Congress, made many changes to it to lessen the impact or otherwise channel the public’s attention to it’s “problems” (actually design features, imho).
Iirc it was Kruschev who said that defeating free market Capitalism in the US was the work of generations of effort slowly and steadily chipping away at cultures and institutions until one day everyone wakes up in a Communist nation, without ever having realized they were being led there.
I have no faith in this puff piece and the reality is that the Republican Party has been the Gang that can’t shoot straight for years now and you know the moderate/Karl Rove wing in the Senate will stab us in the back again!
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