Don’t Expect Much to Change After the Midterms

Republicans will probably take a vote on Obamacare repeal in the 116th Congress next year if they get the chance. But I wouldn’t count on it actually passing and getting signed into law. If Republicans do retain control in the midterm elections, I expect the next Congress will look an awful lot like this one.

Jonathan Chait makes a good point: If Republicans do manage to hold on to their majorities in both chambers of Congress, expect them to have learned that they should ignore any polls that show their policy choices are unpopular. After all, all political parties have a tendency to believe that advocating the policies they support is also good electoral politics. And parties that have just won an election — and I agree that Republicans will count it as a win even if they keep their majorities even by the tiniest margin — almost always take it as proof that everything they have done recently was absolutely correct.