Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday pushed back on the Republican National Committee’s characterization of the deadly Capitol insurrection as “legitimate political discourse” in its vote to censure Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) last week.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1404355
Subtext - “Please stop talking about J6. It makes my constituents uncomfortable and I don’t want them to have to reconcile anything.”
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I wonder what pushed him out of his shell? Maybe the internal polling is making him itchy?
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Gotta be it. He’s all image and no soul.
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“It was a violent insurrection with the purpose of trying to prevent a peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election from one administration to the next,” McConnell said…
BREAKING: Republican Grudgingly Admits The Obvious; Political Press Venerates ‘Bold Truth Teller’.
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Actually, I’m impressed! For the first time I can remember, the Turtle made a true statement. Wonder how long before the Orange Asshole is all over his case?
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J6, what else?
…and he’s not in Control like the 2 Trump Impeachment Trials
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Well, this is pretty convincing evidence that there is a battle underway for the soul of the Republican party. McConnell and the other people who are openly saying that Jan 6th was not “legitimate political discourse” have apparently decided either that it just goes too far for them, or that they have enough support to take Trump and his minions down (or down enough to shut them up). Or, it could be they realize how damaging that is going to be and are trying to get in front of it, which isn’t nearly as brave as the first option (and therefore more likely). I don’t see McConnell being this openly defiant of Trump unless he thinks it’s a necessary stance to take, whether to save the party or their position…he may hate Trump but he hasn’t really defied him in any substantive way when it appeared politically difficult.
Going into 2022, the worst thing that Republicans can do for themselves is engage in a civil war. They are not in as strong of a position due to gerrymandering, and it’s very likely that Democratic supporters are going to get at least one boost (from the committee report, the overturning of Roe, SC decisions on voting rights, Republican racism…) that will push them to the polls more than currently expected. If Republican candidates go to war with each other, they are very likely to be damaged goods in the general election, and more likely to lose close races.
And that’s good, I say…having them lose is better for the nation and the Republican party. We won’t survive as a nation of 30% of the people want to destroy it, so we need Republicans to reject the haters that have made that number so high…it’s probably at most 5% that are ardent MAGAnuts.
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Completely agree that the fight over the future of the GOP is shifting to open warfare.
Not so sure that I can describe what they’re fighting over as a “soul” any more. Not in the shape it’s in.
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Smacks of poisoning someone’s well. And it isn’t ours.
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Guess they left someone’s name off that list of people to censure.
McConnell next!
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Somehow this will be turned back on Dems.
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To reference Mitch McConnell and anything he is involved in having a “soul” is wrong on its face. Rather, what McConnell is all about is POWER.
The real question is, how much does Trump need McConnell and other Republicans and vice versa?
McConnell has already gotten everything he wanted from Trump in three words, the Supreme Court. Having gotten everything he wanted from Trump, Trump is of little use to McConnell. Furthermore, the last thing McConnell wants is for Trump to be a dictator as that would make McConnell not relevant or without power. This is also why many big corporate executives opposed the insurrection, in Russia everyone, Government and business, serves at the pleasure of Putin. American business executives do not want their fortunes subject to the whim and greed of Donald Trump any more then does Mitch McConnell.
So with the above in mind, McConnell will be talking out of all sides of his mouth, both supporting Trump to get base votes so they vote for all Republicans and opposing making Trump a dictator as that would make McConnell, like everyone else except the dictator, if not powerless subject to the whims of the dictator.
As to Republicans engaging in a “civil war”, that really is more about the unpredictability of Donald Trump. McConnell was loyal to Trump when Trump was president because Trump gave McConnell’s wife a job and power and also gave McConnell the Supreme Court. Trump did this because he needed McConnell more then McConnell needed Trump and that is still true.
Considering the 1/6 commission and all the other issues Trump is facing, he needs McConnell more then McConnell needs Trump. That is McConnell needs Trump to get base voters to the polls and give McConnell power whereas Trump needs for Republicans to win in 2022 and stop the investigations. Or to put another way, for Trump this is literally about staying out of jail. Therefore in the end, Trump has little choice but to fall in line behind McConnell. The other choice is for Trump to tank the GOP in November and leave the Democrats in charge of investigating Trump.
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This is obviously Bad News for Biden.
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First Mike Pence, the wholly owned subsidiary of Koch Industries goes against the bilious orangutan, then Chris Christy run by a variety of financial biggies comes out against him, now McConnell.
The worms snakes are turning.
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Perhaps he and his colleagues know or have some inkling of what evidence the Jan 6 committee has and Mitch is organizing a tactical withdrawal.
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Ding, ding, ding! McConnell knows that what’s about to come out is bad. Really bad. It was always the smart play to get on the right side of this thing, to be able to say, “We were victims too! Republicans support getting to the bottom of what happened that day.” That’s what he wanted originally until he let fear of Trump get inside his head.
It’s not just about the bad facts we’re all gonna hear. It’s the optics of these hearings. You’ve got a whole damn Cheney on the committee. Not to mention Kinzinger. This is a bipartisan committee with a former GOP VP’s daughter damn near leading the charge. They can spin it all day long, but they’re never gonna be able to sell Cheney as some kind of secret Democrat.
Add to that the fact that candidate recruitment this year has apparently been abysmal. He’s not getting the Senate back. It’s best to burn it all down this year and hope like hell they can field a seemingly sane candidate in 2024.
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