WhatFinger


No, not that one. This time it means a bigger Republican majority

The U.S. Senate gets another Kennedy . . .



Not a big surprise, but the weekend's Louisiana Senate runoff confirmed that David Vitter's seat will stay in Republican hands as John Kennedy defeated Democrat Foster Campbell. Best of all, this might be the first time any Republican candidate actually wanted Donald Trump to come in and campaign for him. And it appears to have done some good:
Mr. Trump made a last-minute appearance in Louisiana on Friday to help bolster Mr. Kennedy, noting the thin margin in the Senate and the need for more friends and allies in Washington.
“If he doesn’t win, I’ve got myself a problem in Washington, because it’s pretty close. We need John in Washington, not only for a vote but for his leadership,” Mr. Trump told supporters.
But it's the vote that Trump really needs. The repeal of ObamaCare is probably inevitable, but it won't be easy. Even with Kennedy giving the GOP 52 seats, that still means the measure could be defeated by three defecting Republicans. Don't think for a second that the likes of Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham or John McCain wouldn't use their leverage to make any number of demands. At least with Kennedy seated, it will take three rogue Republicans to defeat a Trump initiative instead of just two (and keep in mind that in the event of a 50-50 tie, Mike Pence gets to break the tie). Having 52 seats in the Senate means that it's possible to pass conservative bills. It doesn't mean it's easy, and that's before you consider the possibility that Mitch McConnell might leave the filibuster in existence in some form. Moderate/liberal Republicans will be able to make serious demands that may water down legislation, and with such a tiny margin for error, Trump and GOP leaders may have little choice but to give them what they want. That has a very serious chance of changing in 2018, when 25 of the 33 senators up for re-election are Democrats - although that would fly in the face of history that says the president's party usually loses seats in mid-term elections. If the nation wants Trump's agenda passed, but obstinate moderates are standing in the way, Trump may indeed be able to take advantage of the 2018 dynamics to boost the Republican majority in the Senate. For now, though, getting anything at all done will require all hands on deck - so it's a good thing Kennedy didn't blow his chance in Louisiana. Trump is right. He's badly needed.

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Dan Calabrese -- Bio and Archives

Dan Calabrese’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain

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