Good Bye Mitch … Hello WHO???

Posted on by under Economic issues, Election 2020, Environmental Issues, History, Political commentary

Yesterday Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that he will be stepping down from his leadership position at the end of this year.  Note that he is not retiring from the Senate, only from his leadership role.  It is tempting, at first glance, to feel empathy for Mitch who has some obvious health problems as well as problems with his own cohorts in the Senate who seem to feel that Mitchie isn’t quite radical enough, not quite committed enough to Trump and the far-right agenda.  But a reminder of all the damage Mitch has done throughout the years quickly erases much of that empathy, as Robert Reich reminds us in his newsletter today.  BUT … let the buyer beware … there is a nightmare in the last sentence.

Goodbye, Mitch: You were the worst

But the Republicans might find someone even worse to replace you

By Robert Reich

29 February 2024

He will be remembered as one of the most dangerous politicians in living memory. He helped transform the Republican Party into a cult, worshiping at the altar of authoritarianism. He’s damaged our country in ways that may take a generation to undo.

No, I’m not talking about Donald Trump. The politician I’m referring to is Mitch McConnell, who yesterday announced he will step down as Republican leader in November. Who’s worse — Trump or McConnell?

Like Trump, McConnell hasn’t been just a garden-variety bad public official. He’s been a truly awful public official. McConnell has always put party above America. Remember when he said his most important goal as Senate leader was to make Barack Obama a one-term president? The fact that he hasn’t always kissed Trump’s backside has infuriated the former furor-in-chief.

Despite his opposition to Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election — admitting publicly that Trump “provoked” the attack on the U.S. Capitol — McConnell voted to acquit Trump on the charge of inciting an insurrection on January 6, 2021.

So who’s worse? It’s a tough call. Trump defaced and defiled the presidency, but no person has done more in recent years to undermine the functioning of the U.S. government than McConnell.

Remember, this is the man who refused for almost a year to allow the Senate to consider President Obama’s moderate Supreme Court pick, Merrick Garland.

Then, when Trump became president, this is the man who got rid of the age-old Senate rule requiring 60 senators to agree on a Supreme Court nomination so he could ram through not one but two Supreme Court justices, including one with a likely history of sexual assault.

This is the man who rushed through the Senate, without a single hearing, a $2 trillion tax cut for big corporations and wealthy Americans — a tax cut that raised the government debt by almost the same amount, generated no new investment, and failed to raise wages, but gave the stock market a temporary sugar high because most corporations used the tax savings to buy back their own shares of stock.

McConnell earned the nickname “Moscow Mitch” because he has done almost everything Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump wanted him to do, except abandon Ukraine. McConnell has refused to support what’s needed for comprehensive election security, although the U.S. intelligence community says Moscow is continuing to weaponize disinformation through social media on behalf of Trump.

McConnell has also blocked bipartisan background-check legislation for gun sales, even after repeated mass shootings have scarred and scared the nation. He secured a right-wing takeover of the U.S. federal court system — giving conservatives power to shape the law on the climate, reproductive rights, voting rights, and other issues affecting millions of people across the country.

McConnell has consistently received low approval ratings from voters in Kentucky because he has repeatedly sacrificed Kentucky to the Republican agenda — for example, agreeing to Trump’s so-called emergency funding for a border wall, which took $63 million away from projects like a new middle school on the border between Kentucky and Tennessee.

McConnell even cut funding for black lung disease suffered by Kentucky coal miners. I know from my years as labor secretary that coal mining is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country, and the number of cases of incurable black lung disease has been on the rise. But when a group of miners took a 10-hour bus ride to Washington to ask McConnell to restore the funding, McConnell met with them for one minute and then refused to help them.

Am I being too harsh on Mitch? I felt bad for him when he froze before the cameras because of some kind of seizure. I’m sure he loves his children. I met his current wife, Elaine Chao, when she was secretary of labor, and she seemed like a nice person. He’s a human being.

But history will not be kind to him.

Who will replace him?

I’m hearing that Senators John Thune of South Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas, and John Barrasso of Wyoming will vie for the party leadership role. All three will do Trump’s bidding. All have endorsed Trump in the 2024 election in recent weeks.

But Trump is more likely to want a Senate leader who’ll serve him as a fierce MAGA lapdog — someone who will further tighten Trump’s grip on the party, who’s sufficiently young and telegenic to help Trump sell his authoritarianism to the public, and so unprincipled and ambitious that he’ll flush democracy down the toilet to promote Trump and himself.

Who fits the bill? Ohio’s Senator J.D. Vance.

NOOOOOOO!!!!  I can think of nobody worse to fill that role than the ignominious, unqualified, bigoted J.D. Vance!!!  NOBODY!

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35 thoughts on “Good Bye Mitch … Hello WHO???”

  1. Mitch is still alive. Now is the time to investigate whether he can be charged with anything. I’m thinking he must have done something in his long career that violated the Constitution, or the laws of the land.
    A former Prime Minister of Canada just died, one Brian Mulroney. After he left office he was charged with taking kickbacks from at least one businessman who paid him $225,000 for allowing him to do business in Canada. He was charged, and committed perjury, which allowed him to sue the Canadian people for a $2.1 million libel suit. When the lie was brought to light the government tried to get their money back, but a judge prevented the suit from being adjudicated on a technicality. Mulroney not only kept the kickback, but also the money from the judgement.
    And now people are only talking about how wonderful he was. He wasn’t wonderful, he was a freaking con man. But what else is new in politics!

    Liked by 1 person

    • He’ll never be charged with anything, so you might as well put that idea to bed. Mitch will go down in history … I think as the one who helped destroy the Constitution, destroy democracy in America. Like others who have found their conscience too late, he will not occupy the pages of history books as a great leader.

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  2. A great patriot, a devoted servant to Mother Russia. Dante’s ninth ring of hell is a frozen lake. It is the abode of traitors Mitch is exhibiting signs.🤔

    Liked by 1 person

  3. A few “minor” details to add here. Mitch was once elected governor of Kentucky, running as a Democrat and promising he would serve out his full term if elected. After the first year the Senate position was open and Governor McConnell quickly appointed himself to fill it. The first big public lie I remember. Then he switched parties, going for the money rather than the service. And in an after midnight meeting several years ago he led the raid on our Social Security money by using that to fund a nice raise for Congress. Poor things were not going to get a raise because there was no money available until Twitchy Mitchy discovered our Social Security funds would have lasted much longer than they have. I personally am glad to see him go, but sure afraid of who will take his place.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Thank you, Angie, for filling in some gaps in information! I was reading earlier today that he doesn’t have much support within his home state, and now I see why! But … why do they keep re-electing him??? I don’t get it! Yes, I am very concerned with who might replace him, but as another reader said, we have to make sure that the Republicans don’t get a majority in the Senate next year! It’s still up to us.

      Liked by 2 people

      • Most of the time he ran unopposed. I have no idea why, but all he needed was 1 vote to win. I usually wrote in “Mickey Mouse” those years but of course, Mickey wasn’t a human so he couldn’t take the office even if he won. Not certain Mitch is human either, but at least he won’t run again when this term is up.

        Liked by 2 people

        • Ha ha … ordinarily I’m against people writing in votes for fictional characters, but in this case I applaud you! I’m not sure Mitch is quite human either, though of late he seems a bit more so, but I still cannot forgive the damage he has done.

          Liked by 2 people

          • Ordinarily I wouldn’t write a name in, but this was just too much to take. His second time running unopposed! And yes, he has caused too much damage, but I think life and illness are closing in on him now.

            Liked by 1 person

            • I can’t help but wonder WHY he was unopposed? Were other candidates paid off not to run, or threatened & bullied? Surely there were others interested in the senate seat?

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  4. F the Republicans, and whoever they choose. We can just concentrate on keeping them the minority, and reducing their numbers further so they aren’t able to play the rules games anymore.

    I will only add that I’m very glad I don’t have to see what Sen. McConnell no doubt sees when he closes his eyes to sleep at night.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Yes, that’s all we CAN do is vote more Democrats into the Senate in November, make the Republican minority shrink even further. Sigh. I wish I had more confidence in the voters of this nation, though.

      Liked by 2 people

      • What do I have to do to get thru to you people! I’m telling you the beatings will continue until morale improves around here.🤣

        Liked by 2 people

        • Indeed! It takes little energy to talk up Dem policies without even mentioning Dems until the other people chime in that they’ve actually noticed the same improvements. From there, we just check to make sure they’re registered and have a ride to go vote. We can do that at gas pumps, at the store, anywhere. Those who support Trump and Republicans are both the floor and the ceiling of that support. There are some undecideds, or maybe they’re decided but do not indicate because they’re afraid of trouble from Republicans, but all they need is a little smile and a positive comment, then they chime right in. And that’s more votes for our side. We can do it!

          Plus, I was curious to know what others think shows up in McConnell’s head when he closes his eyes at night. It can be a fun game! 🤣👾🤣

          Liked by 2 people

          • Our star s rising. If we don’t sound our own horn and grab the credit others will claim the glory for the coming dawn. 😉 Judas(scapegoat) up to his neck in ice.🤔

            Liked by 2 people

  10. Jill, McConnell had a chance to save America from being furthered haunted by Donald Trump. He just needed ten more Senate votes to convict Trump and fully impeach him. He could have told the MAGA crowd his oath to the constitution was too important to overlook Trump’s role in the insurrection. As with Nixon, Trump had to go. Plus his crimes are worse than Nixon’s. Keith

    Liked by 3 people

    • Yes, one of McConnell’s many bad decisions … he has made so many I’ve lost count, the very worst being his refusal to even consider Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, for the Supreme Court for over a year. Oh yes, my friend, Trump’s crimes far outweigh Nixon’s … I’ve said a few times that Trump makes Nixon look like an angel!

      Liked by 1 person

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