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.
Then, climb into bed, pull the covers over your head and curl up in the fetal position with a shotgun and wait for the next civil war.
With the loser's attitude you have, there is no hope.
That is what YOU'RE HOPING happens. Just admit it.
- Obamacare stays "the law of the land."
- Illegal alien amnesty is just a matter of time.
- More restrictions on every civil right, most especially the right to keep and bear arms, are a virtual certainty.
- Of course, the size and scope of government will grow grow grow. As always. Never gets rolled back. Never.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing will happen over the next two years.
“Hope” in politicians is BOUND to be disappointing.
It makes a huge difference to have a Republican controlled Senate if a conservative President is elected in 2016.
The President sets the agenda and those in his party in Congress will fall in line. But, it can't happen if Democrats control the Senate.
Republicans lose the close races because of voter fraud.
Are you going to give up and slit your wrists? Or try to fight to make the best of what remain?
“New Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell brings to the floor all 300+ House bills that Harry Reid has been ignoring”
?
This senate victory, IF there is one, and that would be the case if there was a failure of voter fraud, is not hard won by the republicans.
What has any of them done? Cornyn? He came out TODAY with his liberal platform of dream act, Graham? so many competitors in the primary that they had to give it to him by a slim margin; McCain?
Any of them? Thad Cochran?
They don’t even want this. They want to continue working for the Chamber of Commerce in the minority party, pushing the liveral agenda, pretending theya can’t fix it because they are not in power , and they’ll put down republicans who take their job description at face value, see Ted (wackobird) Cruz, sept 2013.
It is the republicans who are Lucy and voters who are Charlie
No it won't. Remember we had Republican controlled EVERYTHING under Booosh. What did we get?
- The Patriot Acts
- Medicare Part D, the largest increase in entitlements until ObamaCare
-Two attempts at amnesty
-Two wars that utterly failed to bring about the desired ends, but cost thousands of lives. (I can't believe I typed that; maybe the antiwar guys were somewhat right all along.)
Then, why even bother posting? Hunker down and wait for the civil war to begin.
You sound like someone on welfare that has given hope because of white racism.
There is no hope with defeatist attitude.
You got any intel on that? Because that's the only thing that will matter at this point. And that's doubtful; the last one didn't end well at all.
We will have the Senate RINOs holding the balance of power. It will be another Gang of whatever holding the conservative GOP agenda hostage. We will see a coalition of RINOs and Dems pushing the liberal agenda forward.
No, I`m voting this election, THIRD PARTY!
The failure of Iraq and Afghanistan fall directly on Obama’s shoulders. And the same with the Patriot Act abuses (although I’m willing to concede now that the Patriot act along with the DHS were poor ideas to start off with as they gave the Federal government way too much power to be abused under an administration such as this.)
The Medicare part D was a monstrosity. I believe it’s another unfunded liability too but could be wrong there.
And yes the two amnesties. Complete (attempted) betrayal of conservatism.
I guess I just recoil at the idea of the failures of Iraq and Affhanistan being Bush’s fault. They weren’t. They were both necessary after 9/11. Obama dropped the ball in both countries.
Don’t buy into the constant leftist bashing at the time and even today. Granted it was and is intense but it’s still wrong. There’s no way Saddam could’ve been left in power given his uncooperative behavior and of course Al-Qaeda was in Afghanistan at the time (probably still is).
If the Republicans take the Senate the “were all doomed crowd” on FR will really start caterwailing and it will b hilarious to see.
The crying baby seal will be the new third party seal.
This will essentially make President Obama a lame duck for the remainder of his time in office. So how does that play out...
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I believe it’s called “Executive Orders”.
What will happen is nothing even slightly interesting.
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