"A Majority, Madam, If We Can Keep It."

     The nation has now had a week to get over its giddiness (and misery) of November 3rd's midterms. We hold the majority of gubernatorial seats for the first time in 16 years (28 or more seats, pending the results from states such as Alaska and Kansas). We've taken control of the US House and Senate, or will when the 120th Congress meets on January 3rd. And in Texas, Democrats came as close as you can get to a clean sweep of all major offices.

     I think we can say the Democrats over-performed well beyond the gloomy and hedging prognostications of the so-called political pundit class in the MSM.

     Now comes the hard part: Keeping that majority.

     No matter how overwhelming waves are in one political election cycle or another, they cannot be sustained or surpassed even just two years later. In 2028, there will be no blue tsunami of the magnitude we'd seen two Tuesdays ago, no matter how well Democrats keep performing between now and then.

     Now Democrats have to show the American people that they deserve to hold onto that majority. The year after next, 34 Senate seats will be in play, one more than this year. The difference is, as opposed to the 13 seats held by Democrats this year (all of which being retained), in 2028, 16 of those 34 seats in play are currently held by Democrats. Assuming that there will be no 100% retention rate in 2028, we have to assume the Democratic majority may likely shrink in the general unless they can poach as many if not more seats from Republicans.

     The mood will simply be different in 2028. Democratic voters will likely not be as motivated as they were last week or in 2020. Trump will not be on the ballot one way or the other and simply saying, "I'm not Trump" will no longer be enough for Democratic and Independent voters. So, what next?

      Democrats have to start establishing the tone and the agenda for the 120th Congress now and not wait until January 3rd and certainly not later. They will likely lose some of their newfound majority in both chambers regardless of what Democrat gets elected to the White House. And, of course, in keeping with the trends over the last half century, Democrats are projected to lose at least one chamber in the 2030 midterms because Americans keep forgetting how blatantly corrupt, stupid and evil Republicans are.

     All they can do at this point is to minimize the inevitable loss of seats.

     True to their character, the Republican-lite Blue Dogs currently running the party are disappointing in their responses. Hakeem Jeffries, in line to be the next Speaker, is already saying he's not interested in accountability (such as impeachment) as much as affordability. But liberals, such as Max Burns at The Hill, are countering by saying the US Congress has vast resources and can concentrate on both. With the majority, Democrats will have all the chairmanships, votes and subpoena powers. And besides, what are House Democrats going to do about affordability when, along with the Republicans, they're the assholes who allowed corporate greed to run roughshod over this country for decades? What's the sense of passing laws if Democrats aren't going to enforce them?

     And then you have Chuck Schumer, who's up for reelection in 2028 and keeps clinging to power like a barnacle on an old oil tanker. Schumer said the day after Election Night that Trump will see the error of his ways and see the light. Susan Collins said that after his second impeachment vote and she got voted out on the 3rd. (An interesting development: Some incoming Democratic senators-elect are saying they will oppose Schumer's authority unless he wises up and they're even saying they don't want him as Majority Leader.).

     Some House members have already promised to introduce articles of impeachment on Day One (That is, if Speaker Jeffries allows it to be put on the House floor). Conviction in the Senate is a bit iffy, as Democrats will have no more than 56 seats and will need four Republican votes to convict (And they won't have Collins, Cassidy, Tillis or Cornyn to count on). It's still doable and they have to at least try.

     Again, I don't see how Democrats in Congress can combat corporate greed that keeps driving up fuel and food prices with impunity. It's largely going to hinge on ending the needless and extra-legal war against Iraq. Oil cartels love Middle East wars because it gives them a bullet-proof excuse to jack up oil prices just so they can gleefully post record profits in the succeeding quarters.

     So Democrats need to start telling us why we should keep them in power in 2028. It reminds me again of that famous anecdote of the lady who'd met Dr. Ben Franklin after the Constitution was ratified and asked him, "Do we have a republic or a monarchy?" and Franklin replied, "A republic, madam, if you can keep it."

     I'd say the same warning applies to today regarding Democratic dominance in our bicameral Congress.