Via National Journal:
November 3, 2014 Two months ago, Meet the Press host Chuck Todd asked President Obama why it mattered who controls the Senate. Obama stammered, “Well—I’ll tell you what …”—and then struggled to answer.
“First of all, there’s a sharp difference between the Democratic agenda and the Republican agenda. And the American people need to know that,” Obama told Todd. “If you’ve got a Democratic Senate, that means bills are being introduced to raise the minimum wage. That’s something Democrats support. We think America needs a raise.”
But, of course, Democrats couldn’t get a minimum-wage increase to Obama’s desk when they controlled the Senate. So what difference does it make? Same problem for his other issues: Equal pay for women, family-leave benefits, affordable college tuition, and infrastructure spending. By the time Obama finished, he was grasping desperately at clichés: “Here’s the issue. I think elections matter.”
There’s a reason why Todd’s question was so hard for Obama to answer. It doesn’t really matter who wins the Senate.
Of course, the midterms are not without consequences. Gaining control of the Senate calendar and committees through 2016 would give the GOP a stronger hand in the shaping of the federal judiciary (particularly if a vacancy occurs on the Supreme Court), investigating the White House, and curbing Obama’s agenda.