The worst election outcome for our democratic republic is same-party control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.No president can wander too far from the centrist path of consensus under those circumstances. Theoretically, the smaller the respective majorities, the less likelihood extremism can prevail legislatively. “Under the hood,” so to speak, the respective party whips are expected to ‘horse-trade’ to achieve unanimity on particular bills presented. That’s where federal budgets start to explode as the “bring home the bacon” mentality stimulates costly pork production.It’s also where meaningful opportunity exists to make progress toward balancing the budget to stem inflation and maintain the dollar as a standard for global trade. Competition between party loyalty and national interest has been severely tested, with less than exemplary results.The tense world situation makes this an undesirable time for political experimentation and risk-taking, particularly when our own house in not in good order. Circumstances call for practical political coordination, not perpetual ideological conflict. Phil Osifer