As the Republican Party loses both donors and any sort of credibility more and more each day, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has decided it’s time to pull out all the stops when it comes to maintaining control of Congress as best his Party can. Hand in hand with their ongoing tactic of pretending to be “above the fray” when it comes to President Trump’s outlandish and asinine behavior and statements, McConnell is now openly employing a dirty trick that would make his hero, long-dead Kentucky Senator Henry “The Great Compromiser” Clay, ashamed to be from the same Party.
According to Politico, McConnell plans to simply keep Democrats occupied as long as possible in order to keep them from campaigning for the upcoming election:
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is planning to keep the chamber in session for a significant portion of October if not four entire weeks, costing Democrats key campaign trail days and allowing the Senate to continue its work into the fall, according to five Republican officials. The Kentucky Republican wants to keep cranking through as many lifetime judicial nominations and executive nominations as he can with his majority in the balance and the GOP still with the unilateral ability to confirm President Donald Trump’s picks.”
We’d love to say we were surprised at McConnell’s tactics, but unfortunately, this is an election in which Mitch is likely to lose his leadership position, and he is increasingly desperate. Worse yet for the aging Republican, regardless of what happens in the Senate, the House is likely to fall to his political enemies, which means that investigations into the Russian conspiracy to assist Trump and the GOP in 2016 will resume, including possibly into Mitch himself.
The Democratic National Committee shares our sentiment. A spokesperson for the DNC told Salon.com,
Senator McConnell knows his majority is at risk. It’s no surprise he’s resorted to cheap tactics, but that won’t change the fact that Republicans are running on a failed record of tax cuts for the rich and big corporations, health care sabotage and stagnant wages.”
But with the massive popular surge for Texas candidate Beto O’Rourke to unseat Ted Cruz, and odds looking friendly to other Democrats across the US, McConnell knows his time is limited. So he’s doing what Republicans know how to do best: Cheat.
Featured image via screen capture
