Donald Trump Will Get Things Done. Hillary Clinton Would Have Faced a Hostile Congress
Democrats have almost no chance to regain power in the House. But they could regain the Senate. That’s important: it means Donald Trump will actually be able to move things in Washington.
Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, would have faced enormous obstacles. Trump now enjoys both Houses; he has the Senate and Representatives. Indeed, Clinton would not have had the same influence. A president having to face one or both Houses of Congress dominated by the opposing party he/she represents will have difficulties unveiling new programs.
Advertisement
Although Trump’s victory is unexpected—especially given his lack of political experience—Clinton would have had a much harder time getting things done in government. Clinton would have faced the same obstacles that stunted President Barack Obama. This sharing of power is what prevented Obama from going to the full extent of his electoral promises with any reforms over the last six years—since Congress went to the Republicans in the 2010 mid-terms.
Even if Clinton had been elected, the stalemate in Washington would not have changed, says John Sides, professor of politics at George Washington University. (Source: “A comprehensive average of election forecasts points to a decisive Clinton victory,” The Washington Post, November 7, 2016.) Moreover, Republicans could be more eager to renew their party in a post-Trump world. Trump is not a traditional Republican candidate, so the chances of Republicans continuing to dominate Congress are high.
This means it will be tougher for the Democrats to win back the House of Representatives. This explains why Clinton, despite being the true Wall Street candidate, easily ‘accepted’ the progressive agenda and co-opted Bernie Sanders voters. She didn’t have to worry about much of it getting through; she could always have deflected the blame on Congress.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama will leave a possibly richer but a much more divided country since his first term as president in 2009-2013. It’s up to Trump to put it back together. Judging by his acceptance speech, he has already started this process.
Republicans would have made a mess with a Hillary Clinton White House. They would have played on that division and Hillary Clinton would have failed to fulfill her campaign promises, from controlling drug prices to infrastructure spending or even boosting the minimum wage.
Moreover, a Republican Senate would also have blocked her appointees, from judges to potential members of the Cabinet. Where there might be some bipartisan support is for potential foreign military interventions. Donald Trump is unusual among Republicans—except for Dr. Ron Paul—in being less interested in pursuing foreign military campaigns. Now that he has been elected president, we will see how Trump gets things done.
