A post-election national survey last month by Global Strategy Group that utilized online interviews with confirmed registered voters and additional interviews with voters in battleground states provides some answers.
The survey’s conclusions differ to a marked degree from received wisdom from the pundit class. This “wisdom” holds that care should be taken to emphasize legislative action (even if passed only in the House) over investigation of the Trump administration because shining a light on Trump’s excesses is just settling scores and irritates voters.
The research shows that this conclusion is a vast oversimplification.
In fact a majority of Democratic and independent voters want “check and balance,” that high school-civics phrase, to be the role in government of the House. A majority (51%) pick this option over “accountability (23%), “oversight” (20%) or “standing up to the Trump administration” (19%).
Significantly, “check and balance” is the top choice among Democrats (58%), independents (57%) and Republicans (40%).
In choosing “check and balance” and rejecting settling scores, those surveyed want Democrats to be “respectful of their political opponents, even when they strongly disagree.” Republicans support this statement more than all others tested.
Surely these findings suggest a broad rejection of the Trump Certox approach (certain toxicity). Voters do not want the new House majority to mimic Trump.
The survey also supports the conclusion that substantive Democratic issues in the midterms win the day: protecting health care coverage for people with pre-existing conditions; protecting Medicare and Social Security; addressing gun violence; making prescription drugs more affordable; and reducing government corruption.
The survey confirms that voters do want investigation but they favor learning the facts thereby adduced and reject emphasis on process or fact-finding.
Thus, the respective Chairs of the relevant House committees should stay away from press releases trumpeting subpoenas and the immunization of the armies of bad guys who will be immunized. Substantial majorities of those surveyed agree that, “Democrats should follow the facts when they see evidence of wrongdoing by the Trump administration, and go wherever the facts take them.” Independents agree 70%-7% and battleground district voters 69% to 13%!!
Of course the new House will be working in an atmosphere of mutual recrimination among the Trump administration ghosts of Trump past, Trump present and of Trump yet to come. They hardly need Democrats to pile on; they’re doing quite well spewing poison on each other and need no help from Democrats in doing so.
And the 116th Congress will also be working in an atmosphere of dozens of Democrats trying to run for President and slamming each other in the process. The reality of Trump baddies and the presidential ambition of a platoon of would-be White House residents complicates both effective check and balance and the promotion of legislation that the people want.
But we can hope that the new Congress will both find facts exposing Trump without publicizing the ugly sausage-making process and espouse enlightened legislative aims that the American people need and want.