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| The Hindu Newspaper Editorial Vocabulary : 8 November 2018 -For Various Competitive Exams: Quantamity |
Back in DC
By taking the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrats can try to frame
national agenda
The
Democratic Party made a comeback in Tuesday’s midterm elections after spending
two years in the political darkness, when it seized
control of the House of Representatives. Yet, predictions of a “blue
wave”, as a backlash to the racially
charged, polarising campaign led by
President Donald Trump, failed to materialise.
The Democrats secured control of the 435-member lower chamber of Congress, flipping at least 26 seats from their
Republican incumbents. This outcome,
which will likely give the Trump administration pause
for thought on the policy agenda for the remainder of its tenure,
ends one-party rule in Washington. Yet, Mr. Trump hailed
the results as a “tremendous success”, alluding
to the fact that Republicans gained at least two seats in the
Senate, giving them a clear majority in the 100-seat upper chamber. Results
among the 36 gubernatorial races
favoured Democrats: although Mr. Trump’s support paid
off in some swing States crucial to his 2020 re-election campaign,
including Florida, Iowa and Ohio, his party failed to hold on to power in Wisconsin and Michigan.
Democrats flipped seven States out of Republican control. While the 2018
midterm election results tracked the typical historical pattern of the party
controlling the White House facing setbacks on Capitol Hill, the voter split
appeared to reflect the legacy of Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign. Republicans polled
well in small towns and rural areas, while Democrats fared well in urban and suburban districts across the
country. The Grand Old Party scored
well in Senate races in Texas, Indiana, North Dakota and Missouri.
Does
this mean that the bitter polarisation, racial hatred and culture wars that buoyed Mr. Trump’s prospects in 2016 have
become entrenched in American
society? Perhaps, but what the Democratic sweep of the House implies is that
the constitutionally mandated system of checks
and balances will be actively in force from January 2019. This could
come in the form of House subpoena to
the White House, impediments to the
progress of the additional tax cut proposals of the White House, or even putting the brakes on hardline stances impacting trade policies.
Democrats under the likely leadership of Representative Nancy Pelosi may be
tempted to lead the charge on inquiries into some of the Trump Organization’s murkier business dealings, or the Robert
Mueller-led investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. But
for now the Democrats are unlikely to go as far
as attempting to impeach
Mr. Trump. And rightly so, for a sober
assessment of the midterm election mandate would focus on jobs, healthcare, and
immigration, issues that matter most to the common American. If bipartisanship, and not belligerence, emerges between the two sides,
that might then afford some space to discuss concerns about the functioning of
the U.S. democratic machine,
including campaign finance laws, redistricting and
voter suppression.
Courtesy: The Hindu
01. Seized (verb) – take possession of,
conquer, take over.
02. Backlash (noun) – a strong negative
reaction; adverse response, counteraction.
03. Polarising (verb) – to divide into
two different contrasting
groups/beliefs, etc,.
04. Materialise (verb) – happen, occur,
take place.
05. Fliping (verb) – overturn, turn
over, tip over/upturn.
06. Incumbent (noun) – a person who is
holding an office or position; officer, office-holder, office-bearer.
07. Pause for thought (phrase) – make more serious/careful (before doing
something).
08. Hailed (verb) – acclaim,
praise/applaud, commend.
09. Alluding to (verb) – refer to,
imply, mention.
10. gubernatorial (adjective) –
managerial, executive, governmental.
11.paid off (phrasal verb) – be
successful, be effective, get results.
12. hold on to (phrasal verb) – keep,
retain, keep possession of.
13. fared (verb) – progress, do,
manage.
14. Grand Old Party (GOP) (noun) – it
refers to the Republican Party.
15. buoyed (verb) – cheer up, lift,
encourage.
16. entrench (verb) – establish,
install, embed.
17. checks and balances (plural noun) –
a system in which all departments of a government organization have right to
amend/limit the powers of the other departments in order to avoid dominance of
one department.
18. subpoena (noun) – summon, call
(subpoena means a written order that commands someone to appear in court to
give evidence).
19. impediments (noun) – hindrance,
obstruction, barrier.
20. putting the brakes on (phrase) – to
stop doing something.
21. hardline (adjective) – relating to
a group/a political party with people who support a strict ideas and they are
extreme & uncompromising.
22. murkier comparative adjective of
murky (adjective) – questionable, suspicious, dubious,/mysterious.
23. as far as (phrase) – to the
degree/extent that.
24. impeach (verb) – charge/accuse (a
public official) with a crime done while in office.
25. sober (adjective) –
sensible/thoughtful; logical, realistic.
26. bipartisanship (noun) –
agreement/cooperation between two (opposite & big) political parties.
27. belligerence (noun) –
aggressive/combative behaviour, determination, firmness.
28. Democratic machine (noun) – relating
to, or supporting democracy, egalitarian, organization, system, structure.
29.. redistricting (noun) – the process
of dividing/organizing an area into new political districts.
30.suppression (noun) – restraint,
stifling, repression.
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