President Joe Biden has ramped up his campaigning in the final weeks before the midterm elections, taking aim at Republicans on everything from Social Security to student loans.
The aggressive campaigning reflects the dire situation Biden may find himself in after the midterm elections — a conservative court and a conservative House and Senate. Biden wouldn’t be able to follow through on any of his plans with a conservative Congress.
Pointing out how limited Biden’s reach would be, history, journalism, and media studies professor at Rutgers University, David Greenberg, explained that Democrats’ agenda would be “stymied” if they lose their Congressional majorities.
Greenberg noted that if Biden is faced with a Republican Congressional majority, he could either wait to campaign in 2024 on the premise that Republicans blocked all of his pursuits or attempt to find common ground with the GOP — a far more successful strategy.
Greenberg listed Presidents that found themselves in the situation Biden may find himself in, highlighting that Clinton, Eisenhower, Nixon, and Reagan chose compromise with the opposition party.
The professor noted that when “the opposing party controls Congress,” rather than saying, “We can’t pass anything,” the President would have to “genuinely compromise,” adding it would be interesting to see which strategy Biden embraces.
Republicans are poised to take over the House, according to data tracking conducted by FiveThirtyEight. FiveThirtyEight also gives the GOP a slight edge in the Senate.
Biden seems especially focused on growing the Senate, touting the difference winning two more seats in the Senate would do for Democrats, while warning that if Republicans win the Senate, they’ll “drive up inflation and add to the deficit by cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans.”
