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Mitch McConnell (78) has been in the Senate since 1985. Joe Biden (77) since 1973. When Joe Biden takes office as the 46th President of the United States on January 20, the two become the most powerful men in the country. .
McConnell is the Republican leader in the Senate, where the party has a majority. There is a majority party that seems difficult for the Democrats to take on for two years.
That means a cat and mouse game and a tough political fight between the White House and the main house of Congress. It can be a nightmare for Biden, with many considerations to make.
Trump: – We will win
Good relationship
The Kentucky senator and the newly elected president have a long history in common and have worked together on several different giant political projects over the years. As Vice President of Barack Obama, Biden worked more closely with the Senate.
– I have the impression that they have a good personal and chemical relationship. Joe Biden is known for initiating cross-party initiatives and was, among other things, a very good friend of John McCain and other senators. At the same time, there was much less polarization before. The task facing Biden now is much greater. Although the two disagree politically, they have a certain kind of confidence, Civita adviser and American expert Eirik Løkke tells Dagbladet.
Biden was the man sent to the fore by Republicans in Congress on behalf of the Obama administration. According to the Washington Post, many of them have despised Obama and viewed him as a “kind of professor.”
Biden will be much more loved among Republican leaders in Congress.
– They love each other very well. They have a common understanding, and although Biden was a vice president, his language, demeanor and appearance were very senatorial, says Rohit Kumar, a former McConnell adviser, of the newspaper.
Trump-press
Neither Biden nor McConnell are seen as strong ideological politicians. They are results oriented and concerned about political impact. With a Republican majority in the Senate and a Democrat in the White House, that cooperation is absolutely necessary.
The entire world has now set its eyes on the transitional period and whether Trump will finally acknowledge electoral defeat. Many fear that McConnell may be pressured from the party’s extreme right, nor will he accept the result of the presidential election.
McConnell said Monday that “Trump has 100 percent of his right to correct possible errors and weigh his legal options.” It was interpreted by many as supporting Trump’s unfounded allegations of widespread voter fraud and that it could damage the relationship with Biden.
– You must gather the party
Eirik Løkke in Civita doesn’t believe that.
– He should have asked Trump to acknowledge defeat, but he doesn’t repeat conspiracy theories. It only says that the president has the right to challenge in court. At the same time, he was very proud of his efforts in the Congressional House and Senate elections. In this sense, it smells of hypocrisy and lack of firmness of principle, says Løkke.
She now has these opportunities
He says that it is a very exciting transition that is taking place now in the United States. There is a time after Trump, both for the party and for the country.
– McConnell must unite the party and therefore cannot repel Trump at this time. There is a large proportion of followers who would not like it, he says.
Throughout the election campaign, Joe Biden vowed to be a “President of the entire United States.” He has made promises about a unifying policy and that he can cooperate with all of them. He won much of that message when he received the most votes of any presidential candidate of all time, and he has nearly more than five million more votes than Trump.
Fight on several fronts
However, Løkke believes that the newly elected president will end in a multi-front struggle.
– Biden will be pushed from two sides. It will come from “The Squad,” radical progressives like Alexandra Ocasia-Cortez and Bernie Sanders. Then there are the moderate Democrats who he also has to balance. It’s not easy and McConnell knows it. It can be a big challenge for Biden.
Løkke says that Biden can, at the same time, depend on the participation of moderate Republican senators in important political issues.
Hidden mockery of Trump
– It is not a dream situation, he affirms,
– In which cases can there be additional problems?
– Green New Deal: what it will be and what it will contain. Health insurance is a controversial political area, but Obamacare is stuck there: The Green New Deal will be a battle. It has an impact on the economy, the environment and the industry. The question is whether the moderate or radical parts of the party can rule here.
External relationships
A president lacking a majority in the Senate often turns his attention abroad. Løkke isn’t sure how much profit Biden will make.
Kicked: – God help us
Biden has extensive experience on the Senate foreign affairs committee and is concerned about foreign policy, but can be so pressured at home that he lacks political capital. The biggest danger then is that you are not allowed to do anything about trade or the weather. You get the most room for maneuver if there is peace within the United States. At the same time, you have a corona pandemic that needs to be resolved as soon as possible, says Løkke.