It isn’t news that Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is changing horses in midstream – he historically flip-flops whenever he finds it politically convenient. What renders it interesting this go-round is the subject of the unexpected reversal and the speculative reasons behind it.
The tale is well known. Back in October, McConnell was on the verge of telling the American economy, not to mention the international system, to drop dead. Once again, like a tumor that keeps popping up, the nation was approaching its debt limit, necessitating a vote to keep the federal government, and the rest of the world, afloat.
Senate Democrats, working with the slimmest of majorities – so slim it can’t really be called a majority – were willing to proceed but didn’t have the 60 votes necessary to suspend the debt limit, which, at the time, stood at about $28.8 trillion. Failing to make the necessary adjustment that would allow the federal government to borrow the money to pay its bills and continue operating likely would spark a worldwide recession and knock the faith anyone still has in the American system on its ear.
Mitch, for a protracted period, told Senate Democrats and their leader, Chuck Schumer, to pound sand, that the GOP would not pitch in, even though much of the mustered debt occurred during a Republican administration and while the party also held the majority in the upper chamber. He insisted that the Democrats employ a Senate rule that would permit passage by a simple majority, a proposal that was problematic at best and couldn’t be accomplished in the available timeframe.
Anyway, facing a potential economic collapse, McConnell, to his credit, finally conceded and swooped in with the necessary Republican votes to keep things humming – but only temporarily. The new deadline is quickly approaching — the Treasury Department anticipates the government can stave off default only until about Dec. 15 – potentially setting the stage for another manufactured crisis since McConnell implied he was dropping the Superman cape and refusing to come to the rescue again.
But it appears there will be no sweating it out this time. McConnell engaged in talks with Schumer and the two magically resolved whatever differences existed. The chamber voted on Thursday to exempt debt limit votes from filibusters, thus clearing the way for Senate Democrats – plus Vice President Kamala Harris – to get the job done without GOP support.
The move was not particularly popular within the Senate GOP caucus, where a clear majority obviously wanted to see the economy go up in flames. Only 14 of the 50 Republicans in the chamber endorsed the McConnell-Schumer proposal, with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, for instance, complaining the maneuver was a “shot in the back” and sure to draw the ire of Mr. Republican himself, former President Donald J. Trump, the Orange Menace.
“He (McConnell) has all the cards to win, but not the ‘guts’ to play them,” Trump said in a statement. “Instead, he gives our country away, just like he did with the two Senate seats in Georgia, and the Presidency itself. The Old Crow is a disaster!”
So why, you may ask, is Mr. Obstruction, Addison Mitchell McConnell, all of a sudden playing nicey-nicey, which certainly goes against his grain?
The answer is quite simple. For all his faults, Mitch is not stupid. Far from it. He’s looking to the future, specifically Nov. 8, 2022, when he hopes Republicans regain control of the upper chamber and, as a side benefit, he once again gets to lead the majority.
Sitting by and permitting the federal government to default 11 months before the congressional election would have been a risky gambit – too risky when control is already within reach. Perhaps Democrats would accrue the blame for the resulting recession and economic collapse. But how would Republicans explain their inaction in face of disaster? Would you care to tell voters you sat on your hands when the government collapsed? That’s not exactly a winning strategy.
Better to play it safe, the path chosen by McConnell. Just move the issue out of the way – nobody wins, nobody loses, and you avert potential disaster.
And getting Trump all hot and bothered? That’s the beauty of it. The former president has made it known, persistently, that he can’t stomach Mitch, hates him with a red passion, and will do anything possible to undermine him. So what, exactly, is McConnell gambling away by ignoring a moron who already is coming for him with guns ablazing?
The Broken Old Crow has nothing to lose.
What’s more, McConnell taking the heat provides cover for other members of the caucus. The 36 GOP lawmakers who opposed the McConnell-Schumer bargain, folks like Graham, remain in Trump’s good graces. The others hide behind a shield provided by McConnell, who absorbs the incoming flak. Besides, three of the 14 who supported the deal – Sen. Rob Portman, R-OH, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-MO., and Sen. Richard Burr, R-NC – are retiring and, therefore, outside Trump’s reign of terror. Others, like Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, just won re-election last year and have no concerns until 2026 when they might or might not run for re-election.
Well played.
It comes together when you consider what McConnell is truly up to – he’s clearing the decks.
According to Axios, a political website, McConnell is telling colleagues and donors that Republicans won’t be releasing a legislative agenda for the 2022 midterms.
The parties frequently issue such agendas in front of an election to establish with the voters the sort of priorities they intend to pursue, providing the public with an outline candidates can endorse and supporters can rally around.
But there’s an old saying in poker – let the other guy make the mistake. McConnell thinks that the strategy involved in revealing legislative plans is hogwash. He’s probably right. Democrats are reeling at this moment and are subject to a heavy negative campaign, something that always provides Mitch with great pleasure. It makes no sense for Republicans to release an agenda at this stage that opposition Democrats can then target.
The idea, McConnell has told supporters, is to simply focus like a laser on Democrats and keep a steady stream of venom on the “terrible” things they’re doing to the country.
Clearing up the debt limit mess and refusing to issue a legislative agenda go hand-in-hand. It’s all about clearing a path to the November election.
Two quick notes:
The House, in a 428-1 vote, agreed on a measure to prohibit the importation of goods produced through the use of forced labor, conditions being imposed upon the Uyghurs and other minority Muslim populations in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China.
The lone vote against slave labor: Rep. Thomas Massie, R-SomewhereorotherLewisCounty.
According to the New York Times:
Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, cast the sole “no” vote. He has said he opposes the bill because he believes the United States should not interfere in the internal affairs of foreign countries.
No matter how you cut it, this is a vote that turns a blind eye to slave labor. Couple that with the infamous guns Christmas message and it must be asked – What’s it going to take, Northern Kentucky?
And on a better note, the House unanimously passed the CAROL Act, in honor of the late Carol Barr, the wife of Rep. Andy Barr, R-Lexington, who died unexpectedly last year.
According to McClatchy: The CAROL Act — Cardiovascular Advances in Research and Opportunities Legacy — authorizes a $20 million National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute grant program to support research on valvular heart disease. It also directs the program to convene experts to identify research needs and develop prescriptive treatments for patients who suffer from mitral valve prolapse, Eleanor Carol Leavell Barr’s official cause of death, according to the Fayette County coroner’s office.
A worthy endeavor and further condolences to Rep. Barr.
