The entity charged with calling the election day results is, in general, the press, but in particular it is the AP. I was not aware that the AP had been doing this for 175 years, which in and of itself is a staggering piece of information. The processes as described in a recent article are meticulous, painstaking, tried and true for 175 years, although obviously, they have been changed, modified, improved, and impacted by technology. It is interesting that Mr. Trump and Republicans, in particular, have prior to the election questioned this process. This was immediately forgotten by the Trump campaign and other Republicans this year on election night.
It is difficult to see how we move forward with so much polarization and that polarization, in fact, is reaching higher levels of intensity than before the election. The impact of a unified Republican government with the only stumbling block being the Senate filibuster rule, at least according to Mitch McConnell, and the House’s right leaning group will also pose difficulties for Republicans, particularly if we settle into final numbers that are in the low 220 range for Republicans and the mid-200’s to 210’s for Democrats. There is little room for defections.
There are drought conditions covering 87% of the US, constituting either extreme dry or actual drought conditions. This is certainly a surprise when you look at what we saw over the past several months in terms of storms delivering record amounts of rain. Unfortunately, it is not dispersed equally throughout the country, nor necessarily in AG regions. In recent history we’ve seen drought conditions up to 85% in November of 2022 and 80% in July of 2022. The rainfall in the last several weeks in Texas and Wisconsin have been significant, however, there are many patches of the country where no precipitation fell or only moderate to light precipitation leading to the current conditions. This is obviously a serious issue, and one could reasonably assume that this is also related to climate change. If these conditions persist long term, the impact will be significant on the AG industry, and therefore, our economy, as we could well see higher food prices, and then, of course, Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene would blame the Democrats control of the weather.
The disappointment over the election of Mr. Trump is palpable in many parts of our community, and there is elation in many other parts of our community. Having said that, it is incumbent upon patriotic Americans to accept the will of the people. This is not to say that we have to be supportive of the actions of Mr. Trump and the Republicans, but at the same time a dose of common sense about our approach is very important. Republicans have not been supportive of Democratic governments in the last 25 years. Nonetheless, we need to step away from impeachments, court actions and focus on the proposal Mr. Trump is making, whatever our role is for the next 4 years. Democrats need to be focused on advancing policies even if they cannot be enacted, which reach out to the disaffected groups from this past election. Of note, of course, is the fact that the issues that were raised in exit interviews and in subsequent polling point to three issues; the economy, immigration, and a lack of focus on the majority of Americans. The one action I would take is to reintroduce the Senate Compromise Bill on immigration that was squelched by Mr. Trump and Republicans during the past year even if it has little or no likelihood of being moved to a vote by the Republican House, if it is Republican. If it is not, then it can be moved quickly to pass it and put pressure on the Senate and Mr. Trump, with the worst outcome being a demonstration that Democrats are focused on issues Americans want solved.
Donald Trump, Jr. recently announced that cabinet picks must not be smarter than his father. Not too high a bar. Nonetheless, those who are concerned about Ukraine, NATO, Taiwan and the Israeli-Palestinian crisis should be nervous under Mr. Trump. It is also interesting to note two of his initial selections, Ms. Stefanik and Mr. Rubio, appear to be clearly more intelligent than Mr. Trump so they have already violated that rule.
Americans should think carefully about deporting 11 million immigrants, many who work in agriculture and placing heavy tariffs on China, Mexico and others. Our prices will go up and likely lead to inflation caused by both of those actions. If Democrats do get leverage in either or both of the Houses of Congress, then that may allow us to put forward with some authority, rational plans, again, to solve the issues Americans are concerned about.
Bill Owens is a former member of Congress representing the New York 21st, a partner in Stafford, Owens, Piller, Murnane, Kelleher and Trombley in Plattsburgh, NY and a Strategic Advisor at Dentons to Washington, DC.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.