Why is Mitch McConnell Smiling?
As we watch the ballot counting wind its way to completion, there are some tentative lessons to draw. With the growing inevitability of a Biden win for the White House, all is not dark for the GOP — especially for the current Senate Majority Leader.
Mitch McConnell has to be happy. He looks to hold on to a majority or — worst case for him — an evenly split Senate. He will be able to revert to obstructing a Democratic president and stymie a Democratic House. Because he has no real policy proposals on health care and prefers to obstruct efforts to provide coronavirus economic relief, he gets to stand in the policy door and just say no. He already got his tax law that will begin next year to eat into wage earners’ take home pay while the coupon-clipping class maintains their favored status with the IRS — lightly taxed and largely audit-free. You can see it on his face in what passes for a smile.
But Mitch is not alone. While Trumpism will live on, the GOP has a chance to live without Trump in charge. The Donald did mobilize their base, but in this election quite often the local and state republican candidates did better than both Trump and pollsters’ predictions (the latter will get a much-needed political colonoscopy without anesthetic). Trump has been a mixed blessing for Republicans, and not just for the never-Trumpers. He has brought the dog whistles to a level audible to human beings. Making the whistles explicit tore off the veil of deniability for a party currently led by an overt racist.
With Trump dethroned, but not gone — he will never leave — the party might have a chance to evaluate the last few years and take a needed breath. While they have no reason to shift their policy positions — remember they did well in the House and Senate races by beating the odds — they may rediscover their manners.
One of the problems we would have faced if there were a blue wave election, particularly with a blue tsunami, is that the GOP leaders could buy into Trump’s authoritarian rhetoric and embolden the less restrained parts of their coalition. But this time, they won just enough races to brush discussions of voter fraud back toward the fringes. It’s tough to argue that the other side stole the election when lots of your folks still won.
So, we might see some cooling of rhetoric. But not for a while. Grab something anchored for now.
