As I read about the new Republican Congress...

...that was sworn in yesterday, I can't help fishing out my crystal ball from the back of the closet. (While it isn't particularly known for accuracy, it's the only one I have.)

So what does it say? Well, now that the GOP is back in control of the House, it will be difficult for the Democrats to regain the majority any time soon. Just ask Chris Cillizza. (What's more, there are so many Senate Democrats up for reelection in 2012 that that body could flip to the Republicans as well.)

So what will the GOP do with all its new-found power? For starters, the House plans on reading the Constitution aloud (I am not kidding) and voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act, both purely symbolic gestures. What will they really do? Not much; mostly bitch and moan about the Democrats and Big Government and blah, blah, blah.

Meanwhile, the economy will continue its slow, but steady, recovery. Jobs and housing will be the last sectors to rebound, but rebound they will. And as things improve, albeit slowly, the tea party movement will cool and its adherents will fade back into the woodwork. I expect that many of the new tea party-backed senators and representatives will serve only one term. And in a few short years people will say to each other, "Remember that whole tea party movement back in 2009-10? Wasn't that something?"

So in 2012, with the economy improving, President Obama will face an establishment Republican opponent (like Mitt Romney) and win in a walk. The country could very likely have a Republican House and Senate and a Democrat in the White House.

So what would that mean? Let's go down the list, issue by issue:

HEALTH CARE: Let's face it, everybody, the Affordable Care Act is here to stay. Oh sure, the House will take its symbolic vote next week to repeal it, and the GOP will do its best to defund it, chip away at it, and generally throw sand in the gears (and the Supreme Court may even find the individual mandate unconstitutional), but as more and more of its provisions become law, it will become more and more popular (and more and more difficult to repeal) and it will become more and more an accepted part of the American social fabric. In fact, chances are, the law will only strengthen over time. And you know what? People will be glad.

Again, people will say to each other, "Remember all that Sturm und Drang over health care? What was that all about?"

THE DEBT, DEFICITS, THE BUDGET, ETC., ETC., ETC.: The United States will solve its "debt crisis" the same way it always has, through a combination of inflation, growth, and some sort of Grand Compromise on spending and taxes based on the Simpson-Bowles commission recommendations. It will probably take place in the first year or so of Obama's second term, when he and the Republicans realize that neither one is going anywhere so they might as well fix the darn thing once and for all.

FOREIGN POLICY (remember that?): Iraq and Afghanistan will only get worse, Iran will get somewhat better, and Pakistan will stay pretty much the same (as will the Israeli-Palestinian problem, but that doesn't require a crystal ball).

So what does that mean for the U. S.? After his reelection, Obama will begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, the U. S. will eventually leave Iraq entirely and the two nations will experience some sort of low- (or high) grade civil war that the rest of the planet will watch with only a moderate degree of interest. Eventually, however, things will calm down and Americans will (once again) say to each other, "Remember when we had all those troops in Iraq and Afghanistan? What was that all about?"

Oops! My crystal ball is going dark for now. I hope I didn't overwork the poor thing. Oh well, as regular readers of this blog well know, it will be back. (And with about the same effectiveness as a .240 hitter in the Major Leagues -- enough to stick around for a while, but not enough to make the Hall some day.)