Elections have consequences. That’s what we heard after the 2016 election and of course it was true. President Trump went on a deregulatory orgy aimed at dismantling the Obama legacy and a compliant Congress put forward one conservative bill after another. We now have a tax law that’s going to increase the deficit exponentially and it’s only thanks to the late John McCain that the health care bill is still the law.
The recent midterm election is also going to have consequences. Democrats now control the House of Representatives and in the weeks since the election, it’s clear they did considerably better than first thought. Now we will see the House initiate investigations of the President and now there will be a break on the Republicans’ legislative momentum.
What made so many people turn out in record-breaking numbers to vote against the Republicans?
Maybe it was the wrenching sight of children taken from their parents at the border. Or the constant lying. Or the spectacle of the Kavanaugh hearing. Or calling the press the enemy of the people. Or denying climate change.
And people did more than vote - they marched, knocked on doors, handed out literature, sent postcards, registered voters, posted yard signs, and wrote letters. It was impressive, and those who helped should feel good. But it’s not over. The effort to inform people and encourage voting in 2020 must continue. Because as we know, elections have consequences.
I’m Deborah Booth and that’s my perspective.
