# The New 2027 Congress **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 4, 2026, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394 "2026-11-04T06:07:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/42 "2026-11-05T17:22:08Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > > [@Monty](#): > > > > Are you asking about the Senate Majority Leader or the President Pro Tempore or both? > > All of those and everything else. I wasn’t terribly lucid last night when I started this thread. In living memory, Senate President Pro Tempore (AND #3 behind VP and Speaker in the order of succession) has gone to whoever is the seniormost-serving majority Senator. So if the practice holds, it would be Patty Murray, D-WA (outgoing: Chuck Grassley, Undead-IA) Recent tradition is that a Minority Leader who led to retaking the chamber becomes Senate Majority Leader or Speaker of the House, if necessary cutting deals with factions behind the scenes. The GOP hardliners’ decision to make Kevin McCarthy’s accession a public and ugly fight is likely in Dems’ minds as What Not To Do. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/43 "2026-11-05T17:28:14Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > “The moral arc of Trump’s approval rating is long, but it bends toward zero” 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/44 "2026-11-05T17:37:14Z")
Love the line, but the first paragraph is wishful thinking. In 2028 people will vote their experiences in 2028. Nobody can predict what those will be or who will be blamed for them. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/45 "2026-11-05T17:46:58Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > That’s why I think priority number one needs to be resolving the situation with Iran and getting the Strait of Hormuz returned to how it was operating before the war. Opening that strait is not up to the U.S. Congress. It is primarily up to the Iranian government. As for political credit in the U.S., it would mostly flow to Trump – and Vance. If the U.S. Congress passes a resolution to defund war against Iran, it is liable to get bipartisan support. And if sufficiently popular, Trump may well sign it and claim it as his own. I know it is more complicated than this. That’s enough for now. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/46 "2026-11-05T17:55:40Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Love the line, but the first paragraph is wishful thinking. In 2028 people will vote their experiences in 2028. Nobody can predict what those will be or who will be blamed for them. Sure, but we need at least the outlines of a strategy now, and to do that we need some theory of how the election is _likely_ to go. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/47 "2026-11-05T18:16:30Z")
That’s always true. So is “everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face”. Very few people foresaw the 2026 election in January 2025. Some hopeful types did predict that Trump would be so loathsome that the public would turn on him. He fulfilled and exceeded all those expectations but nobody saw the Iran War, which is what really did him in. I think we both want the Democrats to create a positive vision for the future and back it up with legislation. They may have that. I started a thread [To everyone who thinks Hakeem Jeffries doesn't plan ahead](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-everyone-who-thinks-hakeem-jeffries-doesnt-plan-ahead/1034503) about the reports coming out from Working Groups set up earlier this year. Getting ahead of the issues is the best they can do. And I’ve noticed that for the past few days everybody stopped talking about AI destroying humanity even before climate change does it. Both threats still loom. 2028 will turn more on those issues than on Congress. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/48 "2026-11-05T18:36:41Z")
I mean, I think Jeffries’ agenda is fine, but none of it is really about a _positive_ vision for the future. Literally everything on that list is a promise to undo something _negative_ that Trump did and restore the previous status quo. It doesn’t answer the question, “OK, so you hate Trump, but what are you actually _for_?” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/49 "2026-11-05T20:16:52Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Which is why it’s so annoying that the Republicans successfully defended 13 seats. And I blame everyone who did not pound hard enough the fact that it’s a sin to vote for a Republican. 10 of those were complete wash outs for the Dems, But yeah, 3 were within possible reach- FL, LA and NE, > [@PhillyGuy](#): > > If the U.S. Congress passes a resolution to defund war against Iran, it is liable to get bipartisan support. And if sufficiently popular, Trump may well sign it and claim it as his own. I am not sure if the President can veto a refusal to extend the deadline of the War Powers act. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/50 "2026-11-05T21:07:34Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I am not sure if the President can veto a refusal to extend the deadline of the War Powers act. No, but he can just ignore it. What are they going to do, impeach him? Better Presidents than him have resisted Congressional oversight of wars. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/51 "2026-11-06T03:32:02Z")
> # _ **Katherine Clark Could Be the House Majority Leader. Who Is She?** _ > > _A Massachusetts liberal who has never sought the No. 1 leadership spot, Ms. Clark is known as an adept member manager._ > > [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/05/us/politics/katherine-clark-house-majority-leader.html?unlocked\_article\_code=1.OVE.VijO.D\_H0nAfCvuwd&smid=url-share](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/05/us/politics/katherine-clark-house-majority-leader.html?unlocked_article_code=1.OVE.VijO.D_H0nAfCvuwd&smid=url-share) > … > Unlike Representative Hakeem Jeffries, [the New York Democrat who is poised to be speaker](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/04/us/politics/hakeem-jeffries-what-to-know.html) and who has been viewed as a rising star since he entered state politics, Ms. Clark’s path was not always obvious. > > A lawyer by training, Ms. Clark first became involved in politics when she joined her school committee to advocate all-day kindergarten for her children. She served in the State Legislature before she was elected to Congress in 2013. > > In Washington, she quietly built a base of support, starting with the female lawmakers who lived in her apartment building near the Capitol. > > “One of the first roles in leadership was recruitment,” recalled Representative Grace Meng, Democrat of New York, a close friend who lives in the building. “I’d see her spend countless hours counseling candidates, especially women candidates, and slowly people realized what a leader she was.” > … “Leadership” — something Democrats really need! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/52 "2026-11-06T04:06:34Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > “Leadership” — something Democrats really need! And they have- in Jeffries. The Dems aint dropping Jeffries. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/53 "2026-11-06T04:17:00Z")
This could be interesting. There are no current Democratic Senators who have explicitly called for Chuck Schumer to be replaced as party leader, though Slotkin has skated right up to the edge of doing so. But 6 of the 7 newly elected Democrats have done so; Andrews, El-Sayeb, Hamilton, Flanagan, Jackson, and Stratton. Talarico has only gone as far as to say he thinks the party needs “new blood and a fresh perspective” in leadership, so call it 6 going on 7. Sanders and Warren haven’t commented but would certainly be on board. EDIT: 6-7 out of 8. I forgot about Turek! So many new Democratic Senators it’s hard to keep track of them all! 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/54 "2026-11-06T04:24:56Z")
Kind of telling IMO that the Dems opposing Schumer are the ones who have most recently won Democratic primaries… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/55 "2026-11-06T04:27:06Z")
Right. The party is going to deny the Speakership to what would be the first black Speaker? The one who slogged through the muck of the last two years? The one who just announced he’s running for Speaker ahead of everybody else? Progressives had the best election of this century. But how could they not have noticed that almost all the flipped seats were the product of centrists and liberals? Do they understand politics at all? Whenever I’m think I’m a liberal, they seem spineless when action should be taken. Whenever I think I’m a progressive, they scream inanities into the wind. Today, all I can say to them is **Don’t blow this opportunity**! Jeffries will be the next speaker and he will remember anybody running against him and anybody who takes the dipshit petitions seriously. Progessives will get some nice committee chairs, have a say in bill-making, and a chance to take their pound of flesh. Want everything? Get nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/56 "2026-11-06T04:33:26Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Progressives had the best election of this century. But how could they not have noticed that almost all the flipped seats were the product of centrists and liberals? Do they understand politics at all? [![](https://i.ibb.co/ff7kbDg/HWUdj-b-XIAAViq-K.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/ff7kbDg/HWUdj-b-XIAAViq-K.jpg) Yeah, precisely. This election was good for progressives, but it was GREAT for libs. But I noticed that the attacks on Schumer started before they’ve even finished counting votes. I don’t think it will happen. Schumer’s strategizing is in large part responsible for these victories. Most Democrats are behind him. And the people who want to come in and flip the table will learn that the Democratic Party is not the Republican party of Kevin McCathy. Actually, there are quite a few paralls to Gaetz’ little internal insurrection. But the difference is that the Republican Party was already fully captured by the populist right in 2023, while the old guard Democrats are still strong. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Progessives will get some nice committee chairs, have a say in bill-making, and a chance to take their pound of flesh. Want everything? Get nothing. AOC is probably the model for this. She’s still very progressive, but since her days of protesting in the lobby of Pelosi’s office (holy shit, was that really NINE years ago?), she learned to play ball and as a result the party has given her quite a bit of influence. We will see if the new batch of progressives learn from her or try to set things on fire. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/57 "2026-11-06T04:42:22Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Yeah, precisely. This election was good for progressives, but it was GREAT for libs. But I noticed that the attacks on Schumer started before they’ve even finished counting votes. > > I don’t think it will happen. Schumer’s strategizing is in large part responsible for these victories. Most Democrats are behind him. And the people who want to come in and flip the table will learn that the Democratic Party is not the Republican party of Kevin McCathy. Great cartoon, and good points. > [@Babale](#): > > AOC is probably the model for this. She’s still very progressive, but since her days of protesting in the lobby of Pelosi’s office (holy shit, was that really NINE years ago?), she learned to play ball and as a result the party has given her quite a bit of influence. And she stopped shooting her mouth off. “Everyone has two jobs”. 🙄 She is a fast learner. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/58 "2026-11-06T04:53:46Z")
1. Ooh, cool racist cartoon. Look at how stupid that Muslim is, ha ha! Let’s all laugh at this to reaffirm that we don’t accept him as a REAL American. How dare that brown man express happiness about winning an election? Why isn’t he reaching out to build bridges with the people who accused him of doing 9/11? Why is he wearing a tan suit? Fuck that shit. 2. Seriously, this is why I’m thinking we may just need to fast track Talarico as a Presidential or VP candidate. It’s totally unfair and racist, but because he’s a baby-faced white dude who talks about Jesus a lot, people have decided he’s a “moderate” and therefore “electable”. But if you actually listen to the guy, he’s basically Bernie Sanders with Bible stories. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/59 "2026-11-06T04:59:08Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > 1. Ooh, cool racist cartoon. Look at how stupid that Muslim is, ha ha! Let’s all laugh at this to reaffirm that we don’t accept him as a REAL American. Huh? What? It’s a common meme format about people who got third place (or quite a bit lower than that in this one) and are acting like they got first. It has nothing to do with race. > **[Bronze Medal | Know Your Meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bronze-medal)** > > Bronze Medal, also known as Third Place, is an exploitable image macro series depicting a man receiving a bronze medal during a sports event while overly c In fact, whoever made this variant removed the bit of the cartoon where the bronze medalist grabs the lady presenting the award, probably because that _would_ have racist implications. > [@Thing.Fish](#): > > 1. Why isn’t he reaching out to build bridges with the people who accused him of doing 9/11? Chuck Schumer or any other Democrat accused him of doing 9/11? Huh? > [@Thing.Fish](#): > > 1. Seriously, this is why I’m thinking we may just need to fast track Talarico as a Presidential or VP candidate. It’s totally unfair and racist, but because he’s a baby-faced white dude who talks about Jesus a lot, people have decided he’s a “moderate” and therefore “electable”. But if you actually listen to the guy, he’s basically Bernie Sanders with Bible stories. What does any of this have to do with anyone’s race? The point of the meme is that El Sayed and his supporters are acting like they’re running the Democratic Party now, making plans to oust Chuck Schumer, because they _barely_ squeaked by a victory by much worse margins than nearly anyone else who benefited from this Blue Wave, in a seat that Democrats haven’t lost in 32 years. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/60 "2026-11-06T05:02:06Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > The point of the meme is that El Sayed and his supporters are acting like they’re running the Democratic Party now, making plans to oust Chuck Schumer, Yeah, he has not ever worked with Schumer or even been sworn in. Give it a minute before you start changing things, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394/61 "2026-11-06T05:04:25Z")
He DID get first. He was competing against Mike Rogers, not against other Democrats. You’re giving him shit because he was happy about winning an election? And why are you even bringing up El-Sayed in this context? We’re talking about Schumer, and most of the candidates who did relatively better than AES are ALSO calling for Schumer to be replaced! Funny how nobody is insulting the white people who are saying that, or telling them to “give it a minute”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-2027-congress/1034394.md?page=4)