New Congress, Old Politics

When you win the presidency, you get control of the entire executive branch. You can run the foreign policy of the most powerful country on earth. You can issue executive orders without asking anyone. You can appoint judges and justices who serve for life. When you win control of Congress, you can schedule hearings. You can run the House post office and the page program. You get better offices, and more staff people.

You also get attacked for not having a plan. ...As for a mandate, the Democrats didn't exactly run on a plan for America. ... So what they're likely to do is hold hearings. Lots of them. Hearings are sort of like Congress' version of reality television. ...

But laws are a different matter. Whatever Congressional Democrats want to do on that score requires the president's signature. Democrats obviously don't have the votes to override a presidential veto, so there you are, stuck working with the president. That's what all the mumblings about bipartisanship are about. Read full story by Susan Estrich, Fox News