Why the Fight to Control Congress Is Crippling Our Democracy

If you thought 2016 was a dismal political year, just wait until next year. The polls have tightened since last week, with the news of more e-mail troubles for Hillary Clinton, but the likeliest outcome remains a Clinton victory over Donald Trump, a reduced Republican majority in the House of Representatives, and—the most uncertain element—a narrow Democratic majority in the Senate, perhaps a fifty-fifty split with Tim Kaine, as Vice-President, able to cast tie-breaking votes. And, if the recent statements from Republican senators about blocking any Clinton nominee are borne out, the Supreme Court will remain split, with four liberals and four conservatives, for some time.