Longtime Republicans Can’t Have Their Constitutional Cake And Eat It. Georgia Run-offs Offer Conservatives An Escape Door From Trumpism

The lopsided vote resulting in a Biden presidency and Democratic losses in House, Senate and Gubernatorial races hints at a confused and reluctant electorate. It appears longtime Republicans voters want a drama-free new leader at the top to set things straight, but simultaneously want to keep heightened partisanship in the other branches of government in order to slow regulatory and tax-related changes. This is easier said than done.

Curiously, this goes back to the loss aversion theory that was referenced in an earlier post in the context of ridding society of systemic racism. Republican voters were fine with losing the presidency, but couldn’t bring themselves to lose much else. This reluctance to sacrifice Trumpism and all its trappings unfortunately will come at a heavy price—mainly, in further erosion of trust and confidence in the democratic process and the Constitution that underpins it all—the two very elements Republicans are presumably supposed to value the most. The newly elected and reelected down-ballot Republicans have essentially created a base to help justify Donald Trump’s voter fraud allegations and recount efforts across the country.

What will happen next is anyone’s guess, but Republican voters will get a second chance with Georgia’s upcoming run-off elections on January 5, 2021. To say these elections are critical for the future of our democracy as we know it is a painful understatement.

Furthermore, the partisan divide that cripples the various branches of government from accomplishing anything will result in more years of paralysis if the Senate falls into Republican control. President-elect Joe Biden’s government needs to have the ability to call the shots by passing meaningful legislation for at least a couple years to undo some of the generational-level damage that has been inflicted upon the nation. As Georgia hand-recounts their ballots in the weeks ahead to re-confirm Joe Biden’s victory, the nation looks to the upcoming run-off elections with tremendous amounts of anxiety.