The election is over. Putting aside the recount in Georgia and the undecided status of North Carolina, and for some media outlets, Arizona, Biden clearly has won the election. Even if Trump ended up winning all the remaining states, which he won't, Biden still wins. And the margin of victory in the swing states is such that whatever Trump tries to do in the courts will not change the result. Come December 14 when the electoral college votes, Biden will officially be President-Elect and that will be that.
So how to account for the vast majority of congressional Republicans refusing to acknowledge Biden's victory? By historical standards, this was not a particularly close election. This defiant posture is unheard of.
There is only one answer. Despite the fact that Trump lost, he didn't lose big. He still obviously has the devotion of almost half the U.S. electorate, and so he still has a lot of power. Power to decide future political races if he so chooses, and it looks like he wants to remain a force. And every Republican in Congress wants to be reelected.
And so just as during the past four years, Republican officials bow to Trump and do nothing to cross him And this could well be the scenario for the next four years.
What does this mean for Biden's presidency? It means that he can't count on his personal relationship with Republican senators making any difference to their actions. It means he cannot figure on even a modest level of bi-partisan support for his programs.
It means that if the two run-offs in Georgia do not result in two Democratic senators and a tied Senate with the Vice President breaking the tie, Biden will not be able to get his programs through Congress. So the importance of these run-offs cannot be overstated.
Even defeated, out of office, Trump will continue to wreak havoc on our country. It is beyond depressing.
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