People wait on long lines to vote Oct. 2020. Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News If Democrats have a blowout victory and take the Presidency, House, and the Senate, they should defer their inclination to improve people's lives as hard as that may be. Instead, Democrats should immediately take steps to try and ensure future electoral success. Despite our almost total concentration on Trump, we must remember he is just one link in a chain that has spanned at least 40 years. Democrats must make structural adjustments to break that chain and make sure that the changes Democrats make will not be stripped away by electoral fortunes or a hostile Supreme Court. Those changes must be made immediately because Democrats cannot be assured of controlling Congress for more than two years. And two years to make legislative changes is a short period.
Barak Obama, understandably, focused on improving the lives of people and not on structural adjustments. Obama, for example, faced a financial disaster (the worst recession in 50 years) that he had to address. He championed the banking industry's bailout that contributed to the economic recovery, although he could not completely repair the home mortgage market. Obama devoted himself to passing healthcare legislation, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but could not wholly implement the ACA because of electoral changes. Rulings by Supreme Court further undermined the ACA's implementation and now threaten its very existence.
Improving Lives and Ensuring Future Electoral Success
Of course, some initiatives to improve people's lives will overlap with ensuring future electoral success. One initiative Democrats must address is providing COVID-19 relief to avoid a looming health and economic crisis. The twenty-nine million households that need some form of aid is expected to multiply in the coming weeks. This growth will be fueled, in part, by the increase in unemployed state and city employees as local government budgets are depleted.
As a part of that effort, Democrats must also begin to repair the damage that may be done by the Supreme Court's decision on the constitutionality of the ACA. The addition to the Court of ultra-conservative Amy Coney Barrett likely ensures the overthrow of some parts of the ACA. To allow some parts of the ACA to be terminated in the middle of a pandemic would make COVID-19 relief efforts even more difficult. But for now, reversing the Court's decision on the ACA should be the extent of the Democrats' effort to reform the ACA. Making other needed reforms to the ACA should be delayed until the Democrats have made the changes necessary to ensure future electoral success. While providing COVID-19 and health care relief will not directly lead to future electoral success, it is essential to differentiate Democrats from Republicans for voters.
As a part of that effort, Democrats must also begin to repair the damage that may be done by the Supreme Court's decision on the constitutionality of the ACA. The addition to the Court of ultra-conservative Amy Coney Barrett likely ensures the overthrow of some parts of the ACA. To allow some parts of the ACA to be terminated in the middle of a pandemic would make COVID-19 relief efforts even more difficult. But for now, reversing the Court's decision on the ACA should be the extent of the Democrats' effort to reform the ACA. Making other needed reforms to the ACA should be delayed until the Democrats have made the changes necessary to ensure future electoral success. While providing COVID-19 and health care relief will not directly lead to future electoral success, it is essential to differentiate Democrats from Republicans for voters.
Protesters at Supreme Court Harvard Law Review Blog
