The turtle is not loved on FR. But he is exactly the right man for this job. He is the smoothest political operator to run the Senate since Lyndon Johnson back in the 1950s. Most people go to sleep counting sheep. Mitch nods off counting votes and reciting arcane rules of parliamentary procedure. He is not a miracle worker. But if something is actually doable in the Senate, and he is on your side, he will get it done. He knows the levers of power and whose back needs scratching and who he needs to lean on.
Mitch is one of the very few people Mr. Trump will listen to and moderate his behavior for. Once in a while, Mitch has to remind the president of how the majority GOP are thinking or how they can be motivated to work with the proposals of this administration. That’s what a Party Elder is for.