Hillary Clinton Needs Democrats To Win The Senate

With the election now less than two weeks away, two things are becoming increasingly clear: The Democrats will win the presidency again, and Hillary Clinton needs a supportive Congress more than maybe any president ever has. Clinton is leading the race by one of the largest margins in recent years, and is so set for campaign funding that she already attended her last fundraiser of the cycle. But what's waiting for her at the White House on Jan. 20 might not look so rosy. For months, GOP congressional representatives have been threatening special legal actions against Clinton if she wins the election, and since that now seems slated to come true, Clinton needs to hit the ground running with a Congress which supports her as much as possible.

Hope of Democrats winning back the House has largely faded, but there's still a strong chance for the Senate. Paul Ryan and his friends in the House don't seem to be joking around when it comes to these investigations, so she needs at least one of the two houses of Congress to support her vision and agenda. In order to push through any of her campaign promises during her time in the Oval Office, Clinton needs to at least have the support of the Senate, or she won't be able to accomplish anything as president.

Political views aside, it's ridiculously frustrating to see a deadlocked government that can't agree on or accomplish anything. Helping the Democrats win the Senate and make up for lost time in the House will streamline the work that Clinton is trying to do, so at least something will happen.

While Republicans waste time in the House with an email scandal that still has yet to produce any significant findings, the Senate can at least get things done. As Paul Ryan pointed out last week, Bernie Sanders will likely be the new chair of the Senate Budget Committee if the Senate changes hands.

As a recent presidential candidate, Sanders has a lot of incentive to show what he can do with more influence, and he and the committee could align the budget with Clinton's goals for her presidency. Instead of an overwhelmingly disapproving view of Congress, Americans might start to actually believe the legislature has the power to achieve things and contribute to public policy (shocking, I know).

Feel whatever you want about Clinton, but she is more than likely going to be the next president. It's self-defeating to lock her into two years with an uncooperative Congress. Plus, pundits are already forecasting that Republicans will win back a huge margin in the Senate during the 2018 midterm election. Giving Clinton the chance to do something real with her first two years in office is the best support the American people can give her to be a good president, and will help the country avoid further political gridlock.