Wow... that is a scary/true picture.
Posted on 06/22/2009 6:21:13 AM PDT by MaestroLC
He Wants Us to Believe Mediocrity is a Sign of Success
One must wonder what Mitch McConnell paid or did to have the Washington Post’s Perry Bacon, Jr. write this total fluff piece on Mitch McConnell.
When he was fighting campaign finance reform a decade ago, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was dubbed Darth Vader by his critics. He embraced the nickname, even announcing “Darth Vader has arrived” at a news conference.
Well, when the article starts out with a gross distortion of the facts, we can only conclude that McConnell is desperate to hang on to power and distract from his failures as the Senate Republican Leader.
What gross distortion?
“Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was dubbed Darth Vader by his critics,” writes Perry Bacon, Jr. today.
“The Kentucky curmudgeon who dubbed himself the Darth Vader of campaign-finance reform is whipped, and he knows it,” wrote Jonathan Alter in Newsweek on April 9, 2001.
“Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who aptly describes himself as the “Darth Vader” of the campaign finance debate,” wrote the Kansas City Star on April 8, 2001.
“The antipathy is well known between Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the self-described Darth Vader of campaign finance reform, and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who recently likened his presidential campaign to the adventures of Luke Skywalker,” wrote Mary Lynn Jones in the Hill on February 16, 2000.
Yes, Common Cause gave Mitch McConnell the designation once, but it says more about McConnell that he had to embrace and recycle the nickname for anyone to pick it up and use it “against” him.
Now Perry Bacon, Jr. in his fluff piece, recycles it to make McConnell seem more than the limp wristed leader he has been lately.
McConnell has persuaded his Senate colleagues to pick targeted, potentially winnable fights against the Democrats, such as the party’s current push to make sure health-care reform does not include a government-run insurance option.
In other words, McConnell does not want the GOP to make much of a show on Sotomayor. You don’t have to read the rest of the article to understand why this article is even showing up.
If you will remember from a few weeks ago, Manny Miranda, who heads an organization of conservatives who are organized to help defeat the Sotomayor nomination, sent Mitch McConnell a letter demanding the GOP not kowtow to Obama on the nomination.
A staffer for McConnell attended the Grover Norquist Wednesday meeting, an off the record meeting, and took that information back to McConnell’s leadership office where it makes it into the Politico. In the process, McConnell felt the need to bash Miranda — a loyal conservative activist.
McConnell helped orchestrate one of the Republicans’ most convincing victories of the year: a 90 to 6 vote rejecting Obama’s plan to start closing the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and to move some of the detainees to U.S. soil. McConnell delivered the same speech on the Senate floor day after day during April and May, attacking the proposal and saying Obama had no idea how to implement it.
In other words, a majority of Democrats supported the same proposal — some Republican victory.
The longtime senator, elected in 1984, has actively recruited moderate candidates, such as Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, even though McConnell himself is one of the Senate’s most conservative members. He has repeatedly warned that the party must be tolerant of those who might hold more liberal views on some issues.
Here’s the catch — McConnell votes on all the socially conservative issues if they make it to the floor. But if you ask the conservative Senators, they will tell you that McConnell’s staff works overtime making sure conservative issues never make it to the floor. Likewise, McConnel, at every opportunity, works to undermine fiscal conservatives. With the exception of tax cuts, McConnell does not just not care, he actively works to undermine the issues.
McConnell portrays himself as an ally of the president when he agrees with him, such as Obama’s strategy for the war in Afghanistan, but he doesn’t mind being cast as an obstructionist, as he was a decade ago.
And there you have it — if you like Mitch McConnell, it is because you like his support of the war. And you probably, like me, remember him fondly from the campaign finance reform battle. But he lost that one.
And while McConnell has been leader of the Senate GOP, we’ve gone from 55 seats to 40 seats.
But that’s okay, McConnell is, in his mind, Darth Vader — the man who oversaw the loss of two Death Stars and in the end betrayed his own side.
Here’s my opinion.
The party out of power has to pick its fights carefully.
They can expose Sotomayor, but really can’t stop her—unless Democrats help. So being loud and angry about SS may be a losing strategy.
They can defeat the commie health care plan, because even some Dems are nervous about it.
Where Mitch and his buddies are REALLY blowing it is in their embrace of RINO candidates for the upcoming cycle. Most obvious to me: Charlie Crist of Florida.
Let’s not bash every single thing these guys do...they have to save some powder for battles they think they can win. Of course they ought to engage each issue as much as possible, but you cannot fight to die on every hill all the time.
I know, and agree, it is very frustrating to see what we think of as “giving up” on some issues. I am just saying I understand Mitch’s perspective somewhat.
As we in KY say..>DITCH MITCH!!!!
did this clown quit La Raza yet?
The ballgame is over.
If we the people do not create a new party to battle against the Republicrat party,
The Republic is lost.
The problem is, as I see it and as George Washington warned of in his farewell address a couple hundred years ago, "we the people" have fallen into the pit of placing allegiance with political parties.
Our political system has become fatally flawed simply because of our "party system". While I am very uncertain on how "we" take back our system, I do believe it is time we quit supporting it.
If we ever are going to take back our political process a beginning must be made and we, all of us, must make a beginning by not returning elected officials who continually pervert the system as it was set up by our fore fathers.
In short "we" must stop being Republicans/Democrats and start being American citizens governed by our Constitution as written!
Used to be I argued against this but it's hard to make a compelling case anymore.
>In short “we” must stop being Republicans/Democrats and start being American citizens governed by our Constitution as written!
Indeed!
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dv698tm_25c7b35cc9
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dv698tm_22dr6x3nfb
>>If we the people do not create a new party to battle against the Republicrat party, The Republic is lost.
>
>Used to be I argued against this but it’s hard to make a compelling case anymore.
What do you think the record ammunition and gun sales? It’s the votes of the citizens for the American Ammo Party!
I take the weapons and ammunition stockpiles as votes of no-confidence in the Government.
Me, too. I just wonder where the money would come from to build the infrastructure needed for a viable third party. Good intentions are not enough and I'd like to forestall a shooting civil war if at all humanly possible.
There's time to do it the political way but there are pretty formidable logistical obstacles to overcome.
When the Democrats were the stark minority, they fought like wildcats, they filibustered, they held strikes, shut the government down and raised utter hell. The public noticed this and gradually started voting them in until they became the majority again.
Republicans have allowed this government to triple in size and hopelessly spend itself into generational bankruptcy. They have not said more than a few words against it, but for the most part, followed along and helped make it happen.
They are cowards and are just as guilty as the Democrats for taking part in ruining this country. But MOST OF ALL, they sit quietly back and let Obama (Our new Emperor) ransack the White House, illegally take over Private Corporations, fire IG’s that are on to his corruption and install 20+ unconstitutional Czars, (Thugs) and do things that, if it were a Republican President, the Democrats would probably have Impeachment proceedings not only started, but completed by now.
And all you can say is, “I understand Mitch's perspective somewhat.” Well, moderates like you don't stand for much, but you will fall for anything.
LOL! Come on, where’s your pragmatism? The republican chattering monkeys will be by shortly to beat it out of you.
McConnell = Quisling
>Good intentions are not enough and I’d like to forestall a shooting civil war if at all humanly possible.
The only way that I see that happening, IMO, is if We the People get off our arses and try and hang the corrupt, lying, and traitorous people convicted [known as “Congress”] along with the bureaucrats of the Executive branch.
Also, the USSC ought to be tried for treason as well. Failure to hear the claims of eligibility only precipitates a constitutional crisis, just as the failure to hear the claims of automotive bondholders who were, quite frankly, stolen from. These people are, by their inaction, providing aid and support for the enemies of the states. Much like that court which ruled that Murtha’s slander and condemnation of the Haditha marines was covered under a law which prevented civil suits against “a federal employee in execution of the responsibilities of office”.
That’s my opinion, and given how there are many who do not embrace the death penalty “under any circumstances” such justice would be denied. The loss of life will only be greater in number and foisted on those more innocent of crimes.
Good post.
No surprises here. The whole Senate stinks.
Well, a bit harshly stated but it might be true in principle. Still I think there’s ample time to “grasp everything by the smooth handle” as Thomas Jefferson said. And he, of course, wasn’t afraid to take up arms when necessary. Timing is everything.
I'm still a registered Republican, but I wish to God there was a viable alternative.
I don't have any more in common with the elitist globalist Republicans who run the party
than I do with the pro-abortion ACLU acorn democrats.
I swear to God above, McCain was the last liberal Republican I will ever vote for.
No conservative? No vote. No support.
Cut off my nose to spite my face?
What the hell's the difference anymore?
Most of the Republicans are just the right foot of the machine, most of the Dems are the left foot. Sadly, they both are taking us in the same direction.
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