Even if Republicans capture the U.S. Senate, the political system's chronic problems won't disappear. Changing which party is in charge won't fix what is wrong with Washington, writes the
National Journal's Ron Fournier.
Republicans will have no more a mandate to govern if they win than did President Barack Obama when he was re-elected in 2012, argues the Journal's senior political columnist and editorial director.
Control of the Senate matters in the sense that Republicans would have leverage in confirming presidential nominees to the judiciary, reining in Obama's agenda, and providing oversight of the executive branch. Beyond that, "It doesn't really matter who wins the Senate," writes Fournier.
That's because "neither party is capable of achieving what most Americans want — a bipartisan, transparent, pragmatic approach to governance that addresses big problems in an era of socioeconomic change."
No matter what happens Tuesday, essential change will remain elusive because neither Obama, beholden to his base, nor Republicans, obliged to theirs, can get beyond political self-preservation.
Having Mitch McConnell in charge of the Senate will make it no less dysfunctional, Fournier maintains.
He believes that in most instances political mandates don't come in the wake of Election Day, but depend on "leaders who spend their political capital wisely, taking advantage of events without overreaching."
There is no reason to think anyone on the Washington scene, no matter who is in charge, will offer this type of leadership.
Moreover, any gains Republicans make can soon enough evaporate. Six first-term Republican senators are up for re-election in 2016 in states that Obama carried in 2008 and 2012, according to Fournier.
Besides, writes Fournier, regardless of who runs Washington, its "politics will still be broken," most people will still think America is on the wrong track, and citizens will remain unhappy with the leadership provided by Obama and with the Republican brand.
An end to gridlock in Washington is what people want — and neither party is providing it.
This may explain why more and more Americans are thinking of themselves as independents, and why independent candidates in Kansas, South Dakota, and Alaska ran stronger than expected, Fournier concludes.
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