It’s a little early to be asking Santa for a Christmas gift, but with having been good boys and girls here at the Sun Gazette editorial desk (our endorsements in local elections are all done!), we’d like to request something similar to what Jolly St. Nick gave us last year.
Divided government.
Yep, in the 2021 statewide election, we didn’t opine on whether Republicans or Democrats should win the governorship or control of the legislature. We just wanted a split to occur, having recognized that when either Republicans or Democrats have full control of the levers of power in Richmond, they career out of control and deviate too far from pragmatic governance.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus: The Old Dominion got Republicans in the three statewide offices plus holding control of the House of Delegates, with Democrats left in charge of the state Senate (not up for grabs until 2023).
Any doubt that it’s worked out well in the broad scheme of things? Not in our minds: Despite the usual barbed rhetoric and flaring tempers, divided government allowed for the canceling out of both far-left and far-right legislation. For the most part, with some exceptions, the parties were able to meet in the middle – because they had to.
Now, dear Santa, please send us the same thing at the national level. We’ve seen over the past two years that one-party rule of the executive and legislative branches leads to too much ideological legislation and the resulting negative consequences, whether intended or unintended.
We’d be fine if one or both houses of Congress went Republican. If that means that the Biden administration has to play it more down the middle for the next two years? Hey, that worked out pretty well for Bill Clinton.