Gridlock Is Good

Now that the election is over, it’s time to ask if all the hyperventilating for the past year was worth it. Was this “the most important election in our history,” as so many have declared?

We are entirely unconvinced. If all it does is produce gridlock in Washington, we will be happy, because the biggest threat to the country is when lawmakers are productive.

To be clear, it would have been better if the GOP had kept their majorities, and we are deeply disturbed by the choices voters made in several races. The fact that a Casper Milquetoast leftist like James Talarico or a Hamas-loving extremist like Abdul Al-Sayed could get more than 2% of the vote does not bode well for our nation’s future.

But let’s go through the reasons not to be too overly concerned about the results.

First, it’s in the interest of Democrats to hype the importance of this election because they want to claim a mandate. But the norm is for the party out of power in the White House to gain seats in congressional races.