Staff Writer
Republicans
won control of the United States Senate on Nov. 4, giving the GOP control of
both the House of Representatives and the Senate. In the House, Republicans held
onto their majority with a projected 244 seats out of 435. Now with 52 seats in the Senate compared to
44 for the Democrats, they have the majority in Congress.
This
could be a problem for President Barack Obama, as conservatives are now in a
better position to oppose him during the last two years of his term. Many had predicted that the election would result
in the Republican Party gaining majority control of the Senate, but the
Republican victories were even more significant than political experts had predicted. Still, many of the races were very
close. One of the closer Senate races,
between Republican Thom Tillis and Democrat Kay Hagan, took place in North
Carolina. Republicans also had wins in Senate
seats that had previously been under Democratic control, such as Arkansas, West
Virginia, and South Dakota.
President
Obama’s 42% approval rating came into play in many of the races. His unpopularity caused problems for many
Democratic candidates. Democratic
incumbents who voted with Obama too much faced a disadvantage during their
campaign. In Colorado, a state that
typically votes left, Democratic candidate Mark Udall lost and was attacked for
being a “yes man” to the president and voting with him 99% of the time. Hagan was also repeatedly attacked for her
voting record.
With
control of Congress, many Republicans are pushing to repeal the Affordable
Health Care Act, or Obamacare. Senator Mitch
McConnell, who is anticipated to become the majority leader of the Senate, and House
Speaker John Boehner have said that they want to completely repeal Obamacare,
and Republican senators Joni Ernst and Ted Cruz are pushing heavily to revoke the
act. However, Republicans will have to
compromise in order to make any progress. Obama said in a press conference that while he
is willing to make some changes to the law, he will not stand for repeal.
Republicans
are not being shy about their plans to oppose Obama, but both parties are
promising to work together and leave behind partisan politics. Vice President Joe Biden said that he has
been contacted by Republican senators who are willing to compromise and stop
the gridlock in Congress. “Everybody out
there is sick and tired -- Democrats and Republicans -- of this absolute do-nothing
Congress,” said Biden. “I think there's
an overwhelming message that's been sent: 'Get something done, guys.' And we're
ready to get something done."
The
new Republican majority may mean that Obama will be forced to start vetoing
more bills, which he has only done twice since he came into office. At a news conference Wednesday, Obama said, "Congress
will pass some bills I cannot sign. I'm pretty sure I'll take some actions that
some in Congress will not like. That's natural. That's how our democracy works."
