海角大神

The divided outcome in Tuesday鈥檚 midterms 鈥� Democrats capturing the House and Republicans expanding their Senate majority 鈥� perfectly captured the nation鈥檚 divisions. Urban areas are Democratic, rural states and regions are Republican, suburbs are evenly split.

鈥淭his was a realignment election, not a wave,鈥� says former Rep. Tom Davis (R) of Virginia. 鈥淚 got a little nervous on Election Day sitting outside my polling place in [suburban] Fairfax.鈥� The voters, he says, came in 鈥渞eally angry,鈥� but he realized that wasn鈥檛 the case everywhere.

Indeed, President Trump, Capitol Hill legislators of both parties, and the American people face a choice. They can address the new political reality with an eye toward solving problems, and the politicians can show voters they know how to govern. Crumbling infrastructure is Exhibit A.

Or they can go straight into posturing for the 2020 election. Mr. Trump鈥檚 explosive press conference Wednesday, in which all decorum vanished between the president and certain reporters, showed how prepared he was for combat (as were the reporters) even as he insisted he could deploy a softer tone.

鈥淚 would love to see unity and peace and love, if they would cover me fairly, which they don鈥檛,鈥� Trump said at the press conference in the East Room of the White House. 鈥淚鈥檓 not saying that in a hostile way. I get extremely inaccurate coverage.鈥�

Trump鈥檚 ongoing conflicts with the media aside, it鈥檚 a new day in Washington. By Wednesday afternoon, Attorney General Jeff Sessions had resigned, at the president鈥檚 request, amid Trump鈥檚 longstanding frustration over Mr. Sessions鈥� recusal from the Justice Department investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Sessions鈥� chief of staff, Matt Whitaker, was named acting attorney general, and will assume decision-making authority over the Russia investigation.

Meanwhile, votes were still being counted. At press time, the Democrats had achieved a net gain of 27 seats in the House, above the 23 needed to secure a majority. And in a rare but not-unheard-of outcome, the partisan balance in the other chamber moved in the opposite direction, with Republicans gaining Senate seats (a net gain of two so far, with some races still undecided).

While newly empowered Democratic House leaders promised to work collaboratively with Trump and his administration, deeper questions remain about just how feasible that is. Many in the Democrats鈥� rank and file are revving their engines and ready to check the president once they take control of the House in January. Investigations, subpoenas, and impeachment are on the table.

Trump, at the press conference, struck an initially conciliatory tone toward Democrats, saying both parties should put their differences aside and work together. But then, he warned, that would all end if the Democrats start to investigate him and his administration 鈥� and nothing would get done.

For Trump, still new to governing, the next two-year phase of his presidency brings a test of his ability to adapt. Last Friday, at a campaign rally in West Virginia, he contemplated the possible GOP loss of the House, and said he wasn鈥檛 worried, he鈥檇 鈥渇igure it out.鈥�

Republican analysts agree that Trump has gotten to the pinnacle of political power based on native ability, and are confident he will find his way.

鈥淗e鈥檚 all gut and instinct, which has served him well,鈥� says Ari Fleischer, former press secretary in the second Bush White House.

Trump has also rebranded the Republican Party, in some ways dramatically, says Cal Jillson, a presidential scholar at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

鈥淭he traditional Republican Party is gone, and Trumpism is 鈥楢merica first鈥� nativism and border control amid concern about the 鈥榦ther,鈥� 鈥� says Professor Jillson.

Mr. Fleischer sees the new dynamic as not right vs. left, but of 鈥渙utsider vs. left.鈥�

鈥淭he Republican Party has dramatically shifted to an outsider point of view, and I think that鈥檚 likely going to continue,鈥� he says, noting the retirement and defeat of GOP members oriented toward bipartisanship. 鈥淸Outsiders] don鈥檛 like Washington, they don鈥檛 trust Washington, and they reward politicians who are the most anti-Washington.鈥�

Looking ahead to partisan relations on Capitol Hill come January, Mr. Davis, the former Virginia congressman, sees a 鈥渢hreshold issue鈥� for Democrats: the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into possible collusion between Russia and Trump associates in the 2016 campaign.

鈥淗ow do Democrats deal with the Mueller report?鈥� Davis asks. 鈥淭hat goes right to their base.鈥�

Exit polling showed that three-quarters of Democratic voters Tuesday want Trump impeached, versus 41 percent of voters overall.

Democrats who support impeachment have handed their party control of the House, and so 鈥渢here is some expectation among the party鈥檚 base that something will happen other than just putting a check on Trump,鈥� says Davis.

He also notes that wealthy party activists like Tom Steyer, talk radio, and cable TV will be 鈥渨hipping this thing up,鈥� and saying, 鈥淲e elected you guys, what are you doing?鈥�

鈥淭hey think there鈥檚 enough to impeach him now,鈥� Davis says. 鈥淭his is going to add gasoline on the fire. If they do that, what does it do to relationships?鈥�

For her part, House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, who is likely to reclaim the speakership, has spoken of a reintroduction of checks and balances and not of pursuing impeachment.

But even short of an impeachment effort, Trump can use the inevitable clashes and pushback from House Democrats to his advantage, says Susan MacManus, professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

So it鈥檚 possible that Trump 鈥渨ins for losing鈥� the House, she says, as the majority Democrats give him a foil to run against in 2020.

Fleischer sees another potential path for Trump and the bipartisan leaders in the House and Senate: to find common ground on immigration. Democrats want to protect those who have been in the country illegally for a long time, especially 鈥渄reamers.鈥� Republicans want border security, including a wall along the United States-Mexico border.

鈥淭rump can decide what he wants to do,鈥� says Mr. Fleischer. 鈥淚s he the dealmaker or not?鈥�