General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhat is Mitch McConnell really after?
American political life knows few politicians as cynical as Senator Mitch McConnell, and none more devious in his malice towards any attempt to drag the United States into the 21st century.
This is aptly demonstrated by his current posturing regarding Trumps absurd and anti-democratic charges of voter fraud and fixed elections.
McConnell surely knows these charges have no basis in reality. No less a figure than the Republican Secretary of State for the state of Georgia has said so, as well as GOP insiders and experts and a multitude of legal scholars.
So what does McConnell hope to gain by backing such an effort? Simply thisto de-legitimize a Biden/Harris presidency from before day one. To justify, in the minds of the Trump base and perhaps even beyond that base, what is sure to be a continuation of the obstructionist tactics he used to such effect to stymie President Obamas judicial appointments, and then in consigning to a legislative black hole all of the much needed reforms passed by the Democratic House under Speaker Pelosi. McConnell has already said he will not confirm ANY judicial nomination made by the incoming administration. There has even been discussion that this scorched earth policy will be extended to President Bidens attempts to form a cabinet.
While this may seem an escalation of GOP obstructionism, it is in fact merely the latest chapter in the long saga of Republican refusal to accept as legitimate any election that isnt a win for their party. President Clinton, you may recall, was deemed illegitimate because he won only a plurality, and never a majority, of the popular vote. Never mind that G.W. Bush was first inaugurated having lost the popular vote to Al Gore, and that Trump has been outvoted in both of the elections in which he was a candidate. Clinton was illegitimate because the popular vote was split three ways and so he never polled more than 50%. President Obama was deemed illegitimate in turn by Trump and the birtherswhose racism McConnell has never disavowed.
And now President-Elect Biden is to be subjected to this same strain of political sabotage and sour grapes.
That these stratagems undermine the very foundation of our democracythe belief by the public that American elections are fair and relatively free of corruptionbothers the GOP not a whit. That this diminishes our standing in the world is of no consequence to McConnell and his ilk. That these corrosive narratives will help to paralyze the incoming administration in its efforts to protect the nation, and to respond to the worst public health crisis since the AIDS epidemic or even the flu pandemic of 1918-1920 is likewise not a concern to McConnell, Gingrich, Cruz, Giuliani, and the talking heads at Fox News.
We have all come to know the depth of Trumps narcissism and grandiosity which not even a resounding defeat at the polls has been able to dent. What has become more apparent with each passing day after November 3rd is the willingness of McConnell and the GOP leadership to co-opt that narcissism in the pursuit of their own obstructionist agenda, even at the expense of the health and safety of the public they were elected to serve, and the Constitution they swore to protect.
dchill
(38,442 posts)thucythucy
(8,038 posts)dchill
(38,442 posts)TwilightZone
(25,428 posts)McConnell is 100% results-driven. This is about nothing other than consistent messaging and keeping the Senate.
Once the special elections are over, so is Trump's usefulness to McConnell.
thucythucy
(8,038 posts)Once the Georgia run-offs are over McConnell and the GOP will continue the farce that Biden isn't the "legitimate" president. He and the rest of the GOP will use this "stab in the back" myth to oppose any and every measure proposed by Democrats.
Furthermore, the next time a Democrat wins the White House we'll see the same strategy--only the details will differ.
For President Clinton--"illegitimate" because he never won a majority of the popular vote.
For President Obama--"illegitimate" because "he was born in Kenya."
For President Biden--"illegitimate" because the election was "rigged."
The supposed reasons change, but the intended impact is always the same.
LeftInTX
(25,126 posts)That was his rationale for ushering in Barrett.
I am very worried that he will not certify the electoral college on Jan 6th.
This is about firing up the base for the Senate run-offs for him.
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,392 posts)who most people have begun to recognize as the loser of this last election.
LeftInTX
(25,126 posts)This is right out of the Newt Gingrich playbook.
lame54
(35,262 posts)Lucinda
(31,170 posts)Not going to end well for him...
Laelth
(32,017 posts)-Laelth
thucythucy
(8,038 posts)And best wishes
OhNo-Really
(3,985 posts)So people lose all hope & dont vote so he and Elaine can ride high on power.
They are an evil version of House of Cards
His constituency are theocrats, zealots, racists, bigots, greed fueled, self-righteous, gun worshipping fascists, to name but a few.
In short, he wakes up each day to joyfully be The Leader of The Demolition Democracy Derby
2naSalit
(86,323 posts)Including those who aren't racist in the group of those who do not count as eligible humans so that means he despises Biden as much as anyone of color since Biden was not only VP for a black president, he has a black/SE Asian/female VP. It's just too much for the racist in him, he has to retain power to keep them from making any gains, no matter who it hurts.
thucythucy
(8,038 posts)Amaryllis
(9,524 posts)thucythucy
(8,038 posts)maxsolomon
(33,244 posts)That's all he has ever wanted and all he will ever want.
When he doesn't have it, he puts his knee on the neck of Progress.
When he has it, he uses it ruthlessly while presenting a bland, unreadable face to the public.
He has reshaped the Judiciary by doing so, and his legacy will live for decades after his passing.
Mocking him is fruitless. He is extremely effective. His caucus is completely in line. He brushed off Impeachment with only token concessions to Romney's ego.
He's won the last 10 years in the Senate while never having to provide a shred of substance in defense of his actions.
thucythucy
(8,038 posts)He is the worst Senator, and most malevolently consequential, since Strom Thurmond, or even Joseph McCarthy.
maxsolomon
(33,244 posts)She hates him (and most every GOP Senator) with the heat of a 1000 Suns. She saw them in operation every day.
I regularly requested that she kick him in the nuts for me.
LeftInTX
(25,126 posts)I don't think most Texas voters know this.
He also has excellent constituent services. (I wonder if that's why Collins won her re-election)
Cruz is just plain old repugnant, and that is why Beto came within striking distance.
Yet, Cornyn and Cruz vote the same, but Cornyn actually passes stuff. He also passes "feel good stuff", like Jennas Law. He used the Jenna's Law, over and over in his commercials. He then touts himself as "bipartisan"...Yet, he is not bipartisan when it comes to the real stuff.
Jenna's Law was the first child sexual abuse prevention education law in the United States named after a survivor and requires that each school district adopt and implement a prevention policy that educates students, teachers, and parents on the likely warning signs of sexual abuse.
https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/senate-passes-cornyn-hassan%E2%80%99s-jenna-quinn-law-prevent-child-abuse
moondust
(19,958 posts)He may have read the demographic writing on the wall years ago and understood that judges serving for life without having to be elected were his confederate party's best hope for holding on to maximum power.
maxsolomon
(33,244 posts)Poison the well.
NEOBuckeye
(2,781 posts)He has no soul, no integrity, and represents nothing other than material and political control pursued to the most extreme ends, because he can do it.
To call him selfish would imply that he actually cares about himself and those around him. He clearly doesn't.
In a healthy society, we would lock away such a person recognizing them for the pathological danger they pose to the world.
LeftInTX
(25,126 posts)And when he's gone, we're stuck with Cornyn.
I don't know if Cornyn is more dangerous or not. He's a nice version of McConnell. Nice as in cordial, sorta milquetoast, superficially treats people with respect etc. Cornyn really, really believes in this conservative stuff. He partners with a lot of private ventures to provide healthcare to areas in need, so that government doesn't have to do it. He also helped my son get SSI. He's a "nice" pitbull in the senate.
Roisin Ni Fiachra
(2,574 posts)gratuitous
(82,849 posts)Any Democratic governance is illegitimate by definition. Only Republicans can govern, whether in the majority or the minority. When Republicans hold a majority no matter how slim, it's the will of the people. When Republicans are in the minority, the majority is illegitimate. When Republicans win, they get to run the table, heedless of anything else. When Republicans lose, they tell the majority to go fuck themselves and refuse to do anything.
thucythucy
(8,038 posts)Spazito
(50,151 posts)power. His power.
dreamland
(964 posts)With enough people to illegitimize this presidency, he can hold control of Senate and Congress with sway and public protests.
MAGATs are going to protest every move thus affecting the vote of the elected officials on every agenda that will be brought up the next few years. He is a complete danger to the democratic system. He wants to be the man who pulls the strings from behind the curtains.
redstatebluegirl
(12,265 posts)58Sunliner
(4,372 posts)I'm sure he has personal goals as well as political ones. But they all seem to center on power.
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,254 posts)McConnell thinks the only role of the federal government is national defense and protecting his donors' power.
Brainfodder
(6,423 posts)Retrograde
(10,129 posts)AFAIK, he's estranged from his children so he has no one to build a legacy for. Maybe he thinks Kentucky will change its name to McConnelland after he's gone. He's made himself the most powerful person in the country right now (who do you think is feeding Trump his nominees?), and that's about as far as he can go. I want to know what hold he has over the rest of the GOP senators that they continue to prop him up.
GoCubsGo
(32,074 posts)As Randi Rhodes just pointed out, he and Bill Barr are boot-licking in order to avoid pissing off The Big. Orange Manbaby. They don't want Trump to punish McConnell by making him Minority Leader.
Buckeyeblue
(5,499 posts)His actions show disdain for the country. He, like Trump, do not love their country. They love themselves.