Moving forward from the results of yesterday’s election, we discuss what unique challenges our new president will face come January. We also get a recap of the U.S. Senate and House races in Wisconsin, and hear from you.
Featured in this Show
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Getting Things Done: The New President And Congress
In the aftermath of the election…what are the opportunities for getting things done in the federal government? A political expert weighs in on the prospects for cooperation with a new president and Congress.
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Can President Trump Get Things Done With A Conservative Majority?
Now that Donald Trump is the president-elect with a majority Republican Congress, there are questions about his policy priorities as he moves into the White House early next year.
But even though Republicans will control the House of Representatives, U.S. Senate and potentially the U.S. Supreme Court, it shouldn’t be assumed Trump and a conservative Congress will always work in lockstep to pass legislation, said Barbara Perry, a political science professor at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center.
“All I have to do is point to government gridlock to indicate that it’s hard for government to govern us,” Perry said.
During his victory speech in the early morning hours Wednesday, Trump told his supporters he’s ready to bring the country together and get things done.
“Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division, (we) have to get together,” Trump said. “To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people. It is time. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all of Americans, and this is so important to me.”
One of Trump’s first orders of business, said Perry, will be nominating a new justice to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I think it’s pretty safe to say it will not be Merrick Garland, and that’s a shame because he was touted by both Democrats and Republicans,” Perry said.
Trump has put forward a list of about 20 names that he would contemplate appointing to the nation’s highest bench, all of whom Perry described as conservative judges in various federal and state courts.
The question, however, is how Democrats will respond. Will they, like the Republicans, interfere with the nomination process?
“Now the only thing is will the Democrats say, ‘Hey, we wanted to have Merrick Garland, and you Republicans wouldn’t even give him a hearing, so we’re going to filibuster,’ And the Republicans have a majority, but they don’t have a filibuster-proof majority, so it’s possible that Democrats, if they are not in a conciliatory mood, could go down that road,” Perry said.
Also high on Trump’s list is repealing the Affordable Care Act. The president-elect has promised to do so often during the campaign.
“The question again, will it be able to get through the Senate and not be filibustered to death?” Perry said. “We’re just going to have to wait and see what kind of mood the Democrats are in. And this would presume unanimity on the part of the Republican Party, which is not necessarily a safe assumption. But I presume this would be an issue, along with the Supreme Court justice, around which most Republicans on the Hill and the others on Pennsylvania Avenue could come together.”
Trump’s also expected to tackle trade agreements, which has put him in opposition to the stance long held by the Republican Party.
“This is one that there is not consensus right now in the Republican Party,” Perry said. “So I presume that Trump, if he follows the promises that he made on the campaign trail, will try to go down this road on the (Trans-Pacific Partnership) for example and maybe even try to roll back things like (the North American Free Trade Agreement). Whether he can get a majority of his own party to approve of that remains to be seen.”
What also remains to be seen, said Perry, is whether a man who prides himself on the art of the deal can find success as a public servant, a position in which he will experience a lot of on-the-job training.
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Recap Of U.S. Senate And House Races In Wisconsin
We talk to a political scientist about the results in the U.S. Senate and House races in Wisconsin.
Episode Credits
- Rob Ferrett Host
- Veronica Rueckert Host
- Rob Ferrett Producer
- Amanda Magnus Producer
- Barbara Perry Guest
- Tim Dale Guest
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