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One year into Democratic control of Washington, the GOP can hardly contain its glee about the party’s prospects for the midterms in 292 days. It’s almost as if Republicans are not only measuring the drapes but also scheduling a contractor to come in and install a bay window next year. And they do have cause for optimism given historical trends, President Joe Biden’s sagging approval numbers and congressional Democrats’ failures, so far, to enact their biggest-ticket proposals. Republicans blocked a sweeping elections and voting rights overhaul, as expected, last night in the Senate. Biden acknowledged in his news conference Wednesday that congressional leaders may have to slim down his stalled social spending, climate change and tax package, if any of it is to pass the Senate.
But all of this is not necessarily such bad news for vulnerable incumbent Democrats, who may actually prefer a slimmed down package to a mega-scope, multitrillion-dollar measure.
