Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Why this political scientist thinks Congress will be even more broken in 2017

The Freedom Caucus, the most conservative faction within the GOP, is set to gain influence this January.


Updated by Jeff Stein  @JStein_Vox Oct 15, 2016, 8:00a

Liberals are feeling better than they have in months about the congressional elections. Donald Trump’s recent implosion risks bringing down the rest of his party with him, opening up the possibility that Democrats can win back not only the Senate but also the House of Representatives this November.

But while the news may look good for congressional Democrats right now, there’s also reason to believe they’ll be dealing with an even more ferocious opposition party in 2017.

And that’s because the House Republicans set to lose this fall are among the most moderate members of their caucus. In turn, that will only increase the relative influence of the 15 or so “Freedom Caucus” hard-liners making up the Republicans’ most conservative faction, according to Georgetown political scientist Michele Swers.

“Right now, the GOP has the biggest House majority since the Hoover administration, and they still can’t get their appropriations bills passed. Let’s say the GOP loses 10 seats or 15 seats — that’s just 10 or 15 more Freedom Caucus votes Ryan is going to need to get his bills passed,” says Swers, a congressional expert. “And the Freedom Caucus members are in safe seats, so they won’t be the Republicans who lose.”

I called Swers on Thursday to learn more about what the House may look like after November. We discussed the state of the House race, the forces helping Democrats in 2016, and why Congress will be somehow even more gridlocked come January.

Read more
http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/10/15/13273658/congress-2017

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