[Alberta's Child]

In some ways holding the Senate is more important than holding the White House. There are two key reasons for this:

1. A GOP Senate can block every presidential appointments -- notably Supreme Court justices but also cabinet appointments -- indefinitely.

2. A GOP Senate is a very effective firewall to prevent Congress from bailing out all these dysfunctional, mismanaged states. This is where these states do themselves no favors by continually sending two Democrats to represent them in the U.S. Senate. A Republican-controlled Senate owes absolutely nothing to California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Washington, Oregon, and almost all of New England.

[carton253]

I hear what you are saying...but we have these feckless senators who don’t know how to fight.

[cp124]

You are delusional if you think the constitution or any law will stop these tyrants.

[Soul of the South]

“1. A GOP Senate can block every presidential appointments — notably Supreme Court justices but also cabinet appointments — indefinitely.”

Only if the GOP senators vote as a block. Unfortunately several GOP senators are notorious for being “independent”. Murkowski, Collins, Romney are prime examples. Sasse was just reelected and could defect from time to time. Burr in NC is a lame duck and is best buds with Mark Warner. He loses nothing if he breaks ranks.

If the GOP has only a majority of 1, don’t rule out a party change. Consider the example of GOP Senator Jim Jeffords in 2001. He left the party to become an independent who caucused with the Democrats thereby shifted the Senate to Democrat. This defection deprived the G.W. Bush administration of majorities in both Senate and House during its first 2 years. The Bush years also saw the defection of GOP Senator Arlan Specter who switched parties but did not change the balance of power in the Senate.

[Scott from the Left Coast]

They can do those things. But they won’t.

This is a victory of the government and political class over those who believe the government’s power comes from the people.

D.C. will be back on steroids and there will be no check on government power or on the corruption of the political class. You’d be lucky to find 15 people in the entire government who would actually fight in the manner you suggest.