McConnell's goal is to try and separate and save the Republican Party from Donald Trump.

[kentuck]

Also, he doesn't like the name-calling from the former disgraced president.

Fearing that his Party may have crossed the Rubicon, he is making a desperate attempt to force Republicans to make a decision.

Instead, he may have put a price on his head. Trump will begin his campaign today to get rid of the "Old Crow". He will not be subtle about his intent, in my opinion.

But, is McConnell too late? He has made his bed and he is not going to sleep very well in the next few weeks and months.

Because, if Mitch McConnell cannot make the cult see the truth, then no one can.

[redstatebluegirl]

1. Their internal polling must be telling them to back off.

They only respond to polling which makes me think that people are telling them they are tired of Trumpy. The more that comes out about the insurrection the more tired they will be is my guess.

[blm]

2. Yep.

[smb]

18. They Know "Legitimate Political Discourse" Is Going To Stick Worse Than "Defund The Police" nt

[uponit7771]

27. +1

[BeyondGeography]

3. Trump has illuminated the redeeming features of Liz Cheney and McTurtle

You can’t take that away from him.

[jcgoldie]

4. He thinks Trump cost him the senate in Georgia

...and fears a repeat in '22 if Trump don't stfu.

[smb]

21. They're Big-Red-Capital-Superman-"S" Screwed

Every attempt to make Trumpelthinskin pipe down will have the opposite effect, winding him up and making him worse than ever.

[jcgoldie]

25. yeah

Frankenstein lost control of the monster right from the start.

[lagomorph777]

5. Too late, Turtle. You handed your party to Turd.

And now you have to struggle to save yourself from him.

[uponit7771]

28. THIS !!!! ☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾

[calimary]

6. Well, I frankly wouldn't mind seeing the GOP split.

It’d mean that there’d be two factions on that side, fighting each other and sowing deeper divisions.

It’s the divide-and-conquer strategy, but they’re doing it to themselves.

Makes them far easier to beat.

[CrispyQ]

7. I hope his remaining time on Earth is filled with regret that he didn't vote to convict

on the second impeachment.

[FelineOverlord]

8. I think he despises Trump

If I remember correctly, after the election he said that Trump lost and that the Republican Party needs to get rid of "Trumpism."

I think he knew before the election that Trump was going to lose, especially the way he botched the COVID response.

That's why he shoved ACB into the Supreme Court so quickly.

I do think he was genuinely shocked by January 6th.

I also believe one of the reasons Paul Ryan fled the House is that he just didn't want to deal with Trump.

Both McConnell and Ryan know that Trump is literally an insane unhinged narcissistic sociopath. Also totally incompetent.

[PatSeg]

22. Oh yes

McConnell never liked Trump and probably was hopeful that he would lose. Those four Trump years were a nightmare for most republicans in congress. They never knew what he would do or say at any given moment and making excuses for him must have been exhausting.

I agree about Ryan as well.

[tanyev]

9. He should have done that in the 2016 primaries.

[Blue Owl]

10. The Tortoise and the Hair Helmet

[kentuck]

11. I do think his comments yesterday were historically significant and important.

He called it a "violent insurrection"... an attempt to stop a peaceful transfer of power and to overturn a legitimate election.

There is no walking back those words.

[Irish_Dem]

12. McConnell is fine with Trump ruining the country. He just doesn't want Trump ruining him.

[CentralMass]

13. He had two impeachment opportunities thst he thwarted.

Also he also went completely silent after January 6th. So f' him.

[PatSeg]

23. I agree

He was already reelected to the senate in 2020 and this might be his last term. What did he have to lose by voting to impeach Trump at least the second time?

[Midnight Writer]

14. McConnell's goal is power. He'll do absolutely anything to anybody to reach that goal.

[smb]

15. "Old Crow"?

He's lucky that cognitive test didn't require him to distinguish between a crow and a turtle.

[FakeNoose]

16. Big Whoop - McConnell should have done this 6 years ago

He gets no points for doing it now.

Mitch McConnell is a lame duck, because he won't run for another term in the Senate. He's on his last go-round and he probably wants the Senate GOP to erect a statue for him when he retires.

Our job as Democrats is to make sure Mitch McConnell never becomes Senate Majority Leader again!

[smb]

20. I'd Chip In To Erect A Statue Of McTurdle -- In A Pigeon Sanctuary nt

[Mary in S. Carolina]

17. Trump claimed to be a Democrat at one time,

but the Democrats rejected him, so he found a home among Republicans who are easily manipulated and conned. He does not care about the Democrats or the Republicans, he is interested in only those he can easily manipulate and con. If the Republicans don't stop him, he will ruin them.

[Mr. Ected]

19. Well, as Malaise wrote this morning

He had his chance with the 2nd impeachment and opted to look the other way.

Screw Mitch McConnell and the tortoise shell he rode in on. We could have excised this cancer cell from the body politic and not had to endure a year of Stop the Steal bullshit.

[Johnny2X2X]

24. He already failed

The Republican Party is Donald Trump's, he owns it lock stock and barrel.

[kentuck]

26. D-I-V-O-R-C-E

I think this may have been the official separation notice.

[PortTack]

29. Turtle has been making some well placed comments for a while now. It serves a purpose as you

Mentioned.

My money is squarely on the turtle. Tfg picked the wrong political enemy...turtle will survive tfg won’t

[peggysue2]

30. McConnell should have thought about this 5 years ago

Instead, it was all about winning at any cost.

McConnell and the rest of Republican leadership knew who the Former Guy was but did nothing when he jammed the 2016 primaries and played footsies with Putin. Then, they apparently thought they could control him when the election was called. Then, they averted their eyes and closed their ears when he behaved like the ignorant, amoral thug he was/is. Then, they defended his insanity and made excuses for him. Then they refused to vote him out during two impeachments. Then, they supported him when he attempted a coup and their lives were threatened.

Crossing the Rubicon? They crossed it multiple times. Only now are they afraid of drowning.

McConnell and McCarthy are playing off the same script, afraid they'll miss their chance of regaining the majority.

It's still all about winning at any cost.

They've learned nothing.

Ride the snarling tiger, be eaten by the snarling tiger.

Bon Appetit!

[kentuck]

31. Here is a letter I wrote to McConnell before the first impeachment...

Honorable Senator McConnell:

I am a native of Kentucky and I feel compelled to offer my opinion. From my perspective, the weight of history is upon your shoulders. Your country calls for you to act.

The role of Party or Politics should take a back seat to the larger historical necessity. One can be content with believing that he will go down in history as the Majority Leader that had more judicial appointments than any other and that is enough? But history has crossed your path.

We can disagree about who to blame, but we cannot disagree that our country is in peril at this time. Nobody wants to be an alarmist. But, when will the people know the truth about where this virus originated and how it was spread throughout our society?

But that is part and parcel of a bigger picture.

In my opinion, the country can never be united when the person at the top is dividing “his” people against the rest of “them”. It cannot be tolerated at this time. The country is threatened. It is a time for leadership.

That is the weight of the decision that only you have the power to make. All historic decisions are not made without confrontation and condemnation. That is the weight that you have been called to carry.

We must work to compromise and to come together as a nation.

The President of the United States is a sick person. He is unstable. He is a threat to us all. We hope to make it to November and make changes, but history does not wait for a day in November.

This is your challenge, Honorable Senator.

Sincerely,

[peggysue2]

32. Good letter, Ken

Did you receive a response?

I wrote a similar letter to Lamar Alexander after the Helsinki debacle. Received a boiler-plate answer.

Republicans had many, many opportunities to cut Trump off at the knees. Instead, they took a knee for the Man Who Would Be King/Despot.

Never forget, never forgive.

[Mary in S. Carolina]

33. Great Letter!