The Radical Right GOP States It's Position: Four More Years Of More GOP Gridlock

The hyper-partisan speaks: Four more years of gridlock, get over it

Washington warned us

All obstructions to the execution of the laws, all combinations and associations, under whatever plausible character, with the real design to direct, control, counteract, or awe the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities, are destructive of this fundamental principle, and of fatal tendency. They serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community ....

However combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.

I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the State, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally.

This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy.

The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.  

Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it. -- George Washington, Farewell address to the American people, 1796 (underline added)

In the last hour or two Senate majority leader McConnell (R-KY) made it clear that there will not be bipartisanship going forward. Biden does not get one day or one second of respect for his election. McConnell invokes the American people in this matter based on the November 2020 election. That the majority will of most people has been irrelevant before this is still irrelevant. McConnell's 2 minute statement is in the video below.

McConnell mentions that what the president was a bad boy, maybe signalling it is OK for republican senators to impeach the corrupt, treasonous scumbag. But that is a purely political calculation having nothing whatever to do with what is best for the public interest. McConnell decides most or all matters only on the basis of what is best for him and his authoritarian, corrupt, incompetent, and mostly treasonous party. GOP senators will decide to protect the president or impeach him on the basis of what servers their personal interests first. The public interest is beside the point.

McConnell's comments include this: 

"Certainly November's elections did not hand any side a mandate for sweeping ideological change. Americans elected a closely divided Senate, a closely divided House and a presidential candidate who said he'd represent everyone. So our marching orders from the American people are clear. We're to have a robust discussion and seek common ground. We are to pursue bipartisan agreement everywhere we can, and check and balance one another, respectfully, where we must."

What McConnell did not mention, for obvious reasons, is that millions of Americans voted as they did on the basis of blatant, provable lies and deceit. Lies and deceit heavily favored the GOP. If the GOP leadership, specifically including McConnell, had been honest with the American people about the election and the president, and much of what happened over the last four years, the election would not have been close.

As I've pointed out here before, seeking common ground means not compromising on anything unless it is absolutely necessary for the GOP to stay in power. The will of the American people is irrelevant. Checking and balancing one another where we must means everywhere there is political advantage to do so. The public interest is mostly irrelevant most of the time. That clearly signalled obstructionism ("balancing") will come with or without one shred of respect for majority public opinion. 

My guess is that most of the balancing will be accompanied by a torrent of disrespectful lies and hyper-partisan radical right GOP deceit, i.e., business as usual.