A Standoff and 2020 Elections

Until the elections of 2020, it is highly probable that the 116th Congress will feature a standoff between House Democrats and Senate Republicans. It will be noisy and messy, but nothing important will come of it (except maybe and hopefully for top-top priority matters, such as infrastructure spending and immigration reform). It is but a prelude to the 2020 elections, which might usher another legislature and perhaps—a big perhaps—another President.

Democrats who gained control of the House of Representatives are likely to continue issuing subpoenas and convene hearings over a number of matters involving President Trump and his administration. Difficult to predict what the outcome or the final result will be except that it will not cease or stop with the extensive coverage of the liberal media. The extreme partisanship will continue and reach new heights.

Republicans hold a 53-47 edge in the Senate. Republican leader Mitch McConnell now has more leeway and will no longer need to count on support from the two moderate Republican votes of Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. The Republican majority now lines up much more solidly behind Trump due to Senator Jeff Flake’s (R-AZ) and Bob Corker’s (R-TN) resignations and the death of Senator McCain (R-AZ). These three senators were the most outspoken critics of the President. A new critic in Mitt Romney might emerge, but given his age and his résumé presumably he is not hoping to rise far through the Senate’s seniority system. It is also highly doubtful that he will challenge Trump in the primaries.

Now most of the political world has turned its attention to the 2020 campaign. We already have pundits expressing their views and supporting their preferred candidates. Pretty soon, we will be bombarded by numerous polls which, at the end, will not mean much until the votes are cast and counted.

The 2020 presidential campaign has begun in earnest with a variety of candidates either entering the race (so far 12) or naming exploratory committees (so far 2), but big names that might still come are Vice President Joe Biden and billionaire and former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg (though Bloomberg on March 5 announced he is not running). In addition, ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is also considering a run as an Independent to the chagrin of Democrats. A crowded field indeed.

Bill Clinton, who remains one of the Democrats’ most successful politicians of the last half century and one of its strongest messengers on the economy ran his first campaign with the very effective slogan “It’s the economy, stupid.” The economy has been and will continue to be a major factor that influences elections. If the economy continues to perform well and no bombshell revelation comes out about Trump or his administration, chances are at even odds, in view of the continued support of his base, that Trump might be re-elected.

Twenty more months to go. Millions of dollars will be wasted. In the meantime, the standoff will continue, to the detriment of the country.

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Vart Adjemian

Vart K. Adjemian was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1943. He became an ARF member at the age of 16 and was a contributor to the Armenian daily newspaper “Houssaper.” Adjemian worked for a German company in Egypt that was awarded the project of saving the Abu Simbel Temples, as well as for the Australian Embassy in Cairo. In the early 1970’s, he moved first to Montreal, Canada, and then to the United States. Adjemian worked for the Continental Grain Company (New York) for 30 years, holding executive positions in the United States, Italy, Switzerland, and England; the last 8 years of his tenure was as executive vice president and chief operating officer. In 2005, he retired to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He is an avid supporter of the ANCA and a regular reader of the Armenian Weekly.

Latest posts by Vart Adjemian (see all)

• Armenia’s Unhealthy Legal Crisis - July 31, 2019
• The Major Hurdles We Face - March 27, 2019
• A Standoff and 2020 Elections - March 12, 2019