Opinions
Morning Bits: The majestic transfer of power
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks to reporters in the Capitol on Wednesday. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News)
By Jennifer Rubin
Opinion writer
January 3 at 7:45 AM
The transfer to a new generation would have to wait. “A day after focusing on national themes in an inauguration speech, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said former Vice President Joe Biden would be the Democratic Party’s most credible candidate in the 2020 race for the White House.”
The theme of transferring power back to the people will be popular. “Progressive lawmakers such as [Sen. Elizabeth] Warren (D) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have long been critical of the relationship between members of Congress and the business interests who lobby them. Last year, a study published in the American Political Science Review painted a stark picture of how corporations have skewed Congress’s perception of what the American public wants.”
A critic transfers to Team Pelosi. “House Democrats are ‘absolutely’ united behind presumptive incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Tim Ryan said Wednesday, putting the caucus in line behind the longtime Democratic leader as she prepares to face off against President Donald Trump over ending an ongoing government shutdown.”
Amid a major transfer in personnel, Trump will operate with little adult supervision. “Beyond the changeover at the Pentagon, Trump is going without a United Nations ambassador — Nikki Haley’s tenure ended last month and the president has yet to formally nominate State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, his choice to replace her."
Here’s where the transfer of power to Democrats matters most. “President Donald Trump will face an intensified level of scrutiny in the new year, with Democratic House committee chairs poised to comb through every corner of his administration, subpoena his Cabinet and investigate his personal finances, associates and business interests.”
The transformation of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) into a Trump lackey is painful to watch. “Like others in the GOP, Rubio is trying to find a policy agenda and a public voice for the age of President Donald Trump. In doing so, he shows too much flexibility on policy and vision, and too much willingness to accept as new and enduring political constraints things which are likely to be passing fashions.”
It is hard but not impossible to transfer power back to Congress on foreign affairs. “Congress can’t match the president’s bully pulpit. But hearings and investigations draw attention to neglected issues and can force administrations to rethink decisions. They can divert the executive branch from its priorities and focus the attention of the press, particularly when they stick to a limited set of issues and sustain the pressure." Read the whole thing.