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Even before he enters the White House, the elections in Georgia will shape the Biden administration
On Tuesday, the two close races between incumbent Republican senators and their Democratic rivals will be decided.
If the Republicans retain their majority, Biden, the first Democratic candidate to win in Georgia since 1992, will have a hard time advancing his agenda.
"We have too much good work to do"
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United States
Joe Biden
Donald Trump
Georgia
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Saturday, 02 January 2021, 18:14
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Will arrive in Georgia himself on Monday.
Biden at a rally in the country last month (Photo: AP)
Typically, the first midterm elections are the ones that define White House policy.
For President-elect Joe Biden, his most crucial moment in Congress happens even before he is sworn in.
Two crucial rounds in Georgia will determine on Tuesday which party will rule the Senate, and how far Biden can go on legislation on issues such as the corona plague, public health, taxes, energy and the environment.
For a politician who sold himself to the Americans as a unifying factor that could pass congressional laws through compromise, the election in Georgia would help determine if he could keep his promise.
"It's not that you can do nothing as a minority or you can do anything with the majority, but holding the hammer and controlling the leadership can make the difference between the success or failure of the administration," said Jim Menley, former senior adviser to Senate Democrat Harry Reid, who was Formerly the leader of the majority in the Senate, a position now held by Republican Mitch McConnell.
The two Democratic candidates in Georgia, John Usoff and Rafael Warnock, must win Tuesday for the Senate to be divided equally between the parties.
In such a scenario, Vice President-elect Kamla Harris would be breaking the tie as she would also be the next Senate President.
Will decide the face of the next administration.
Usof Warnock and Harris at a rally in the country (Photo: AP)
Even in the optimistic scenario in the Senate, Biden will not win everything he wants.
Most of the central legislation in the Senate still requires the support of at least 60 senators, and there are currently not enough Democrats willing to change that.
So regardless of the results in Georgia, Biden will still have to get Republican support in the Senate, where the power of a group of senators from both parties supporting key positions is about to be strengthened.
A Democrat-controlled Senate will pave the way for Biden to approve his candidates for key positions, especially in the federal justice system, and give Democrats control of committees and much of the debate.
In contrast, McConnell-led Senate is almost certain to deny Biden significant legislative achievements, as happened at the end of President Barack Obama's tenure, by even preventing voting on parts of the administration's agenda.
Biden's men are well aware of what is at stake.
The president-elect will arrive in Atlanta on Monday, the eve of the election, and will take part in a rally with Usof Warnock for the second time in three weeks.
Biden's campaigners helped raise millions of dollars to strengthen the party infrastructure that helped Biden become the first Democratic candidate to win in Georgia since the 1992 election.
Harris will arrive tomorrow for an election event in the city of Savannah.
On his most recent visit, Biden called Georgia's incumbent Republican senators, David Pardo and Kelly Loffler, "roadblocks."
He urged Georgia residents to vote for two senators who "know how to say the word 'yes' and not just 'no'."
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The composition of Congress shapes any administration, but its impact may be greater than usual on Biden, who served 36 years in the Senate, in addition to eight years as Obama's deputy and his congressional liaison.
Biden relies on this resume to present himself as someone who will act on a consensus basis.
He also criticized the growing use made by recent presidents of presidential decrees to bypass Congress.
He insists that for him it will be different.
Even some Republicans yearn for it.
Michael Steele, a former senior adviser to Republican House Speaker John Bainer, who along with McConnell narrowed Obama's steps, said Obama's difficulties in the Capitol Cup stemmed from his attitude toward his fellow politicians. "In his profession, in his denial, in his senses and in his experience, unlike former President Obama."
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In video: Biden criticizes the rate of vaccines against Corona in the Trump administration (Photo: Reuters)
Steele estimated that Biden and McConnell, who were former colleagues, could find a "common denominator" on infrastructure and immigration - issues that have stuck with many governments.
He noted that some Republican senators, including Marco Rubio of Florida and Rob Portman of Ohio, may face tough races in 2022, so it may spur them to reach congressional agreements that they can present in their campaigns.
However, there are no signs that McConnell will consider other burning issues for Biden, particularly regarding the expansion of the Affordable Health Insurance Act, which passed in 2010 without the support of a single Republican, with Democrats ruling both houses of Congress.
Biden's proposal to increase the tax on corporations and the richest is likely to die out in the Republican-controlled Senate.
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Biden will also need his negotiation skills to navigate the left wing of his party.
While the Progressives admit they have lowered their expectations - even under a democratically controlled Senate - they still intend to put pressure on Biden.
Larry Cohen, chairman of "Our Revolution," an affiliate of Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 election campaign, said the Progressive wing would pressure Democrats in Congress to use a "budget adjustment" procedure to bypass the 60-vote Senate threshold. Cohen argued it could be used In this tactic to achieve their goals waited a long time, such as ending the subsidy to the fuel companies and allowing the federal health insurance services to negotiate as a single customer with the pharmaceutical companies.
Republicans warn against "socialist rubber stamp".
Ivana Trump alongside Georgia's Republican senators (Photo: AP)
Democrats' limited expectations about their power in Congress, even if they hold a majority, refute the exaggerated claims made by Republicans about the Georgia race.
According to Fredo and Loopler, incumbent Republican senators, a Democratic Senate will be a "rubber stamp" for a "socialist agenda," from "ending private insurance" and "expanding the Supreme Court" to passing a "new green deal" that will cost trillions of dollars and raise taxes. Thousands of dollars a year for all United States citizens.
Aside from the policy distortion of Biden and most Democratic senators, their description ignores Senate positions.
At one of the campaign rallies this week, Usoff said Fredo's "ridiculous" attacks "drive me crazy."
He mocks the claim that his platform, largely similar to Biden's, is a sharp left turn.
However, he agreed with his opponent on the importance of the election in Georgia.
"We have too much good work to do," Usoff said, "than to be stuck and blocked for years to come."
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