Second Terms III: When the White House Holds All the Cards

The Trifecta President.

ON A PRESIDENTIAL HIGH NOTE¹

Inhale to the Chief: This smooth-talking strain from Arkansas hits harder than a Kenneth Starr investigation—and lasts as long, too. Everything does. There’s near-certainty that a two-minute answer on the nature of "is” will turn into a two-hour filibuster.

Warning: Side effects include selective amnesia and catastrophic judgment. This may be exacerbated in individuals with a history of feeling everyone's pain but their own collateral damage.

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Second Terms III: When the White House Holds All the Cards

For the next four weeks, I'll be looking at presidential history’s ultimate "I told you so": the second term. This is the third installment. ICYMI:

The Second Term I: Comparing Apples to Orange Hair

Second Terms II: No Hex Required

In January, Donald Trump will once again enter the White House as a “trifecta president,” controlling the executive branch, the House and the Senate.

Trifecta presidents, while rare in recent decades, aren't unicorns in the political landscape. They've galloped through history, particularly during the Democrats' post-Depression reign. These triple-threat commanders-in-chief often leave indelible marks on policy.

Bill Clinton leveraged his unified government to push through the Family and Medical Leave Act and overhaul the budget. Barack Obama's trifecta enabled the passage of the Affordable Care Act and major economic stimulus. Trump's alignment paved the way for sweeping tax reform.

With a Greek chorus of yes-men on Capitol Hill, the usual checks and balances can seem like mere suggestions. But this power surge comes with its own blackouts: sky-high expectations and a bullseye for public discontent. The ruling party often finds itself paying the piper in subsequent elections.

Trump's 2018 midterms serve as a cautionary tale. Democrats stormed the House, flipping 41 seats in a political earthquake. While pundits paint it as a Trump referendum, it's also a time-honored tradition of midterm backlash.

This upheaval kneecapped Trump's legislative ambitions and cranked up the oversight machine. It's a nice reminder that in the grand American experiment, absolute power has been as stable as a house of cards in a windstorm.

See you soonish! In the meantime, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram and my books on Bookshop, Amazon, and your local bookstore or library. If you’d like me to sign or personalize my books, purchase copies from Oblong.

1. Look, I get my kicks where I can. Is this a series? I don’t know! Do you want it to be?