Jim Bratten
The anger felt across the Republican Party voter base at failures of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is serious and growing. Although there are many Republican adherents to the “slow Trump down” scheme, including Never Trumpers in Senate ranks, McConnell IS the Majority Leader and is expected to act that way. When three Republican senators kill an initiative by acting like Democrats, there are things the Leader can do; possibly painful for the turncoats, but effective. Mitch didn’t.
In a recent press session, Mitch described his take on the situation: “Our president has never been in this line of work before…” (No, he was in a line of work that actually accomplished things.) He called President Trump’s concerns at the lack of speed in moving legislation through Congress, “excessive expectations.” He used this description in response to questions concerning Trump’s desire to repeal Obamacare “as soon as possible.” McConnell seemed to infer that he does not recognize “as soon as possible” on the scale of the U.S. Senate speedometer.
McConnell added that the president set unreasonable timelines considering “legislative procedures,” emphasizing how long the Senate takes to “deliberate.” But the president didn’t set the timelines – Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan did. McConnell and Ryan told the president what they could do and when they could get it done. On December 16, 2016 the Senate Majority Leader promised the incoming president that “We’ll start legislation to repeal Obamacare on Day One.” Mitch created the president-elect’s expectations of “Day One.”
Mitch already had the legislation; the repeal bill that passed both houses of Congress in 2015, the last of several iterations that Obama refused to sign, was sitting there collecting dust. So what happened? Mitch had to confer with Democrat leaders and dozens of K Street lobbyists in the insurance industry first. It seems like he was waiting for their input on the Obamacare replacement, or whether to repeal it at all, for the entire seven years.
How can you lead your team to victory when you’re not playing to win?
And it appears that McConnell has had difficulties keeping promises before…
Mitch has promised to defund Planned Parenthood, prominently and publicly, but the taxpayer gift of $500,000 per year stays.
Stating repeatedly since 2015 that he would defund/defeat the Barack Obama illegal executive amnesty for 5,000+ illegal aliens (never once calling out Obama for giving 100,000 “green cards” to illegals, illegally, printed by former Kentucky Congressman Ed Whitfield’s lobbyist wife’s company), Mitch backed off.
Speaking out against Barack Obama’s illegal DACA program (amnesty for “Dreamers”), he refused to kill it.
Despite ranting over the years against out-of-control spending, he lifts no fingers to cut federal programs, opposing every conservative measure to cut spending. He’s definitely not familiar with scissors.
For years, Mitch has proclaimed he would repeal Obamacare, ripping it out “root and branch.” Apparently, he does not know what that shrub looks like, or how to uproot it if he does. His efforts in this matter have been weak indeed.
This 30+-year denizen of the U.S. Senate has picked up the moniker, “King of the Swamp.” That’s very apropos, concerning his dedication to survival of that swamp.
Mitch may covet the title of King of the K State (Kentucky). In reality, he has long been the King of K Street. There, apparently, is where his loyalties lie. It seems he’s more interested in what he delivers to his donors than his constituents.
It seems that “excessive expectations” has been the experience of the Kentucky voters who have kept McConnell in office. How great the dismay of those duped souls who actually believed the words and promises of Senator Mitch McConnell.
Hoosier Patriots, Inc. is an educational and organizational non-profit for restoration, preservation and defense of the Constitution. We provide conservative commentary on public policy and government action across a variety of issues concerning the well-being of the republic. For more information go to www.vc-tpp.org or subscribe to the newsletter at hpnw.jimb@gmail.com.
