The ideological and policy implications of this month’s massive Democratic midterm victory remain far from clear. The public roundly rejected Republicans but still has a very low opinion of Democrats. And since congressional Democrats won’t have the numbers to routinely override presidential vetoes and did not even run on any shared agenda, they aren’t likely to chart any aggressive new direction in governing over the next two years.
But in the long run, it may be the sheer scale and breadth of the Democrats’ win that matters most, and that may signal the dawning of a new phase of American political life.
Either party could plausibly dominate that next phase, or power could continue to swing back and forth. But simply by making large majorities imaginable again, and so focusing political competition on the median voter and the challenge of building broad coalitions, this election could allow for some renewal in our constitutional system.
Read more
