Democrats taking control of Senate give president-elect Biden freedom to implement pro-people programme

The victory of both the Democratic Party candidates in the Georgia run offs for the two Senate seats in the January 5 elections is a landmark in the present battle in the United States of America to opt for a forward looking programme for correcting the wrongs that were done during the four year of Trump presidency. Democrats have taken control of the US Senate after six years of racist and obstructive rule over that institution by Trump protégés.

Raphael Warnock, the Democrat who defeated Republican Kelly Loeffler, made history by becoming an African American to be sent to the US Senate from Georgia, part of the former Confederacy. He declared victory in the very early hours of the morning when major networks were about to declare him the victor.

Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff declared victory on Wednesday morning over Republican US Sen. David Perdue in their runoff election—one of two Georgia elections held Tuesday that will end GOP control of the Senate, depose Mitch McConnell from the position of Majority Leader and replace him with Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and bring the disastrous Trump presidency to a crashing end.

Activists across the country are celebrating with the knowledge that the American people, in a period of two months, have ended the Trump presidency by voting for the Biden-Harris ticket, retained control of the House, and ended years of right-wing, racist, and obstructive Republican rule in the Senate.

The victories in Georgia and the subsequent takeover of the US Senate by Democrats come because of a powerful mass movement of African Americans, Latinos, progressive whites, and labor and its many allies who have spent years battling voter suppression and Jim Crow racism in the Deep South state. Paramount among the leaders who have spearheaded that campaign has been former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who spent years preparing the ground for this victory against voter suppression.

The victories boost the chances of enactment of Joe Biden’s progressive agenda and increase the chances of Americans being able to dig themselves out of the deep hole into which they have been thrown by Republican and Trump policies. The results give Georgians hope that they will be able to save their own lives in the coronavirus pandemic and that they will get the help from government they so sorely need. The victories give hope to all Americans that they too have a better space in which to fight for their needs.

Presently in the Democratic Party, the centrists dominate the leadership though the left led by Bernie Sanders have considerable influence in the programme committee. Due to the consistent pressure of the left during the campaign for Presidential elections, the Democratic leadership accepted the demands for $15 per hour as minimum wage and free medicare for all in the 2020 manifesto. Both Biden and Kamala Harris spoke in favour of the demands in election meetings. But the Biden regime can only implement the programmes if these got approval in the 100 member senate.

Till January 5, the Republicans through their majority of 50 against 48 were in a position to defeat any progressive legislation but now once the new government takes forward the measures as per programme, it will be easier for Democrats to get those passed in the Senate.

The ground reality in Democratic Party politics is that many of the centrist leaders have ties with Wall Street and they represent different lobbies in the US industry. That is common in US politics. If the Senate majority were with the Republicans, the centrists would have taken the position that it would be of no use to take up radical programmes since this will not be passed in the Senate, but with the election of the two democrats, the situation is completely favourable for passing pro people legislations. Biden administration will have no excuse for not taking up such measures. That way the results have given a big boost to the Left group in Democratic Party led by Bernie Sanders and other young newly elected Democrats.

President elect Joe Biden in his cabinet formation has included mostly the centrists most of whom belonged to the Obama administration. Some of them are not liked by the left Congressmen. But they have been waiting for the Biden presidency to start functioning after January 20 so that they can assess how the programmes approved in the Democratic manifesto are being taken up. That will be the test of the Biden presidency and that will determine also the future pattern of relationship between the Democratic establishment and the progressives.

(IPA Service)