A House (and Senate) divided: Would Romney be more likely to get legislative ball rolling?

"If Romney loses, are Republicans in the House gonna hit themselves on the forehead with the palm of their hands and say, 'We've been doing it all wrong'? No," Lofgren said. "They'll say, 'Well Romney lost because he wasn't a true conservative, so we have to stick to our principles.'" Like Sen. Dick Lugar in Indiana and former Sen. Bob Bennett in Utah, both ousted in their primaries by far-right opponents, Lofgren said, "if that very determined base of the Republican Party doesn't think you're holding to your principles, they'll primary you right out of there."

Added Sabato: "Anything Republicans do to help Obama get his agenda done will help the Democratic nominee in 2016, and you can expect them to be very mindful of that."

A Romney win doesn't guarantee a suddenly functioning legislative assembly line, of course. Two things could happen, Lofgren said, that would land Romney in the same intransigent environment muddying Washington now: "If he's elected due to this base - this Tea Party-inspired base that's very fired up - and he's been pandering to that base, he'll still be looking at a lot of constraint if he doesn't completely follow through," he said. And even if Republicans take the Senate, the tables will be turned and "Democrats could prove to be just as disciplined a minority as Republicans were this time around" at blocking legislation.

Still, if a Democratic minority capable of blocking with a filibuster "pulls that trigger as many times as Republicans have," Lofgren said, a budget - debate over which brought the government minutes away from a shutdown last year - could go through under the Senate's reconciliation process. And with Rep. Paul Ryan - Romney's running mate and current chair of the House Budget Committee - as president of the Senate, "he would be that 51st vote," Lofgren said.

While new polls show Romney gaining ground among likely voters in key swing states, though, national polls of registered voters indicate at this point that an Obama reelection is more likely. The good news, Lofgren said, is even without cooperation from Congress, the president has accomplished "a fair amount, considering. Health care and the stimulus - those were big deals."

Whatever the outcome on Election Day, don't expect much from Congress - currently out of session until after the election - in the lame duck period, Lofgren warned. The Bush-era tax cuts, set to expire Jan. 1, and the already-expired farm bill are among legislation that demand attention before the Jan. 21 Inauguration.

"If Romney wins and brings some more with him in the House and Senate, Republicans would probably insist on a temporary extension so they get their own people seated later, and concoct something more to their liking," Lofgren said. "If it's the other way around, I don't think Republicans in the minority not holding the White House would be in any mood to pass some sort of grand bargain."

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[ssnbbr]

Romney's election means the right wing social agenda would become law. Women have surpassed men in earning bachelors and advanced college degrees. More than 55% of college enrollments are now women. Women comprise 46% of the workforce, and the labor-market participation rate for women 25 to 44 years of age is more than 75 percent.

Here's a question:

Does anyone really think any of this would be possible without women's access to the full range of family planning options that have been available since anti-contraception laws were overturned in the 1960s and Roe v. Wade was decided in the 1970s?

Many, many women and men have fought long and hard to acquire & improve these economic opportunities for women...our daughters, granddaughters, wives, sisters and nieces. When Romney says women are mainly interested in economic issues he ignores this fact: for women, family planning/reproductive health is at the core of their economic opportunities and decisions. All that is on the line now, so to both women and men -- think carefully before you pull the lever.

[drmirabilis]

So, what you're saying is, "Unless you elect Romney, the Tea Party Republicans will continue to obstruct Obama, threatening to paralyze and destroy the country unless they get exactly what they want, regardless of whether what they demand reflects the overall will of the electorate." Perhaps, instead, if the public votes in Obama and votes out as many Republicans, of all stripes, as possible, some of those Republicans who are left will get a clue.

[Romneyobamalite]

What we all need to do is face reality. Both the Republicans and Democrats have got us into this huge mess we now face. Who gets the office makes no difference. We are going over the cliff period and when we go it will be devastating if we have Obama or Romney in office. The fuse has been lit and there is no way to put it out. After we go through a period of living in rags then we the American people will wake up and finally fix this mess. But first we have to suffer. Takes a lot to get our attention. People in this country have become stupid. A growling gut and rags will cure stupid every time.

[vet97]

I need to know which Romney you are referring to so I know which Romney I should be casting my ballot.

[Deedragirl]

We know Obama can't so Give Romney a try.

[vet97]

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that once Senator McConnell (KY) stated that it was his number one priority to make Obama "a one term president" that obstuctionism would be "the order of the day". The republican tea baggers in Congress pushed that agenda. To blame Obama for the grid lock Draggirl is absurb...question: which Romney are you referring to?

[A_Moderate]

Would Romney be more likely to get legislative ball rolling? YES - in the wrong direction - backwards!! With the help of the religious right, Romney will be able to pass all kinds of Family Values laws and take America back to he 1950s. I hope everyone likes only G rated films, believes in creationism. Don't believe me look at what Tennessee Republicans passed this year. Tennessee bill defines holding hands, kissing as "gateway sexual activity" and the anti-evolution law called the Monkey Bill.

[chocolatehaze]

Romney, and indeed almost anyone, could do a better job of getting the ball rolling than Obama, who is too much of a narcissist to accept anything less than exactly what he wants. Besides, he has no idea how to relate to people in a way that makes them desire to work with him. It is his way or the highway, and he becomes nasty and snarky and derisive when he doesn't get what he wants when he wants it. Romney, having had to actually work in the business world where compromise is needed and where relating to people in a pleasant way is also necessary, is much more likely to get the ball rolling.

[vet97]

you are in a haze...no doubt about that...let us know when you come out of it!

[mitchellvii77]

WHY LIBERALS SHOULD VOTE FOR ROMNEY:

Liberals will never believe that their message was wrong, only that they had the wrong messenger.

Think about this. If Obama wins he is inheriting an economy about to go over the fiscal cliff. The Middle East is on fire. World War III could easily start on his watch. The credit card is maxed out. He has a hostile Congress. There is every indication that his next 4 years will be difficult if not a complete disaster.

And if Obama goes down, he will take Liberalism and Keynesian Economics with him. Hillary will have NO CHANCE in 2016.

So Liberals, if you truly believe Romney will fail, VOTE FOR HIM! Leave him with this mess. After 4 years of complete disaster Hillary will easily win in 2016 and you will take the House and Senate too.

Liberals, sacrifice the Obama Presidency to save you message!

[A_Moderate]

Your argument is not even plausible. You forget the public has a very short attention span. People have already forgotten where America was in 2008 when Obama took over from Bush. Then people expected Obama to completely fix the train wreck left by the Republicans in only four (4) years????

I am a moderate and I don't want ANYONE to fail. If Romney is elected, I hope he can continue to grow the economy back from where it was in 2008. The problem with modern politics is some sore losers will want the other party to fail even if it takes the country down. That's not right.

[vet97]

Mitch....go take a seat somewhere and leave us alone so we can get some work done!

[paul_1149]

Romney is a born uniter. If you can't see that you have been listening to "mainstream" media, the PR arm of the Democrat Party, too much. Our divisions are deep, but our problems are great. Someone like Romney can come in and unite us in practical solutions to those problems, as we put rigid ideology aside.

Obama's pretensions to unity were always false, right from his 2004 convention speech. Axelrod very adeptly sold the American people a mirage, again with the help of the media, but mirages cannot govern, as we have seen. Why else does obama hide his college records and the truth about his past associations so completely? He is the greatest fraud perpetrated on this nation in all its history.

[vet97]

Paul...ask your doctor to change your meds...they're out of wack!

[Duh_humbug]

Romney should be very successful working with Democrats and Republicans. He's not out to fundamentally change the United States and hope the Americans in it don't mind.
CBS and other mainstream media gauge success of the government in how much legislation is passed. Romney understands that the best antidote for our economy right now is for the government to get smaller and get out of the way.

[vet97]

Duh_Humbug...the government did get out the way when stupid was in the whitehouse...that's how we got in to this major mess to begin with...we're finally seeing some day light and you want to go back to December of 2008....I think you might need a new "hard drive" buddy!