Lately, we’ve seen a lot of events that have us wondering if Mitch McConnell really is interested in keeping the job he spent the better part of a decade trying to get–that of Senate majority leader. After all, he has let it be known that Merrick Garland won’t even get the courtesy of a hearing in part because the faceless men behind the NRA don’t want him on the Supreme Court. He has kept up this tacky and disgraceful line even though poll after poll shows that if he and his friends keep this up, they will be severely punished at the ballot box.
Well, we now have even more reason to wonder whether McConnell is even trying anymore. On Friday, as part of his much-touted effort to mend fences with elected GOP officials, Donald Trump had a chat with McConnell. Trump tweeted that the meeting went well, but didn’t offer many details.
Great meeting with @SenateMajLdr Mitch McConnell and Republican leaders in D.C. #Trump2016 pic.twitter.com/R0NuOrZISX
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2016
Well, now we know how well that meeting must have gone. When I opened my email on Saturday night, I discovered a message from Elizabeth Warren. Apparently her team managed to get its hands on a fundraising email McConnell sent to the National Republican Senate Committee’s email list about the meeting with Trump. This passage literally jumped off my phone at me:
“We both agree upon something incredibly important: the need to unite the Republican Party and work together to defend our Republican Senate majority and defeat Hillary Clinton.
“We face some major challenges this year. But with the full strength of an energized and united Republican Party, I know we can win.”
But wait a minute. Just two months earlier, McConnell told his fellow Republicans that if Trump got the nomination, “we’ll drop him like a hot rock.” But now, it looks like McConnell and his Senate buddies are willing to pick up that hot rock and run with it.
McConnell already indicated he was willing to back Trump two weeks ago. He told WLKY in Louisville that he has to respect the will of the Republican primary voters. Watch here.
However, with this email, it looks like the Senate Republicans have taken it to another level.
So riddle me this, Addison Mitchell. Are you willing to throw your weight behind a guy who mocks the disabled? Are you willing to throw your weight behind a guy who has made it clear he condones violence from his supporters? Are you willing to throw your weight behind a guy who finds it acceptable to plaster a private cell phone number on social media? Are you willing to throw your weight behind a guy who is either unable or unwilling to have respect for women? Are you willing to throw your weight behind a guy who has proven, time and again, that he is manifestly unfit for office?
I would pay to see the reaction of an incumbent Republican in a competitive race when his Democratic opponent asks something like this:
“Senator ____, your leader, Mitch McConnell, says that he is committed to working with Donald Trump to keep the Republicans in the majority–even in the face of Trump’s hateful behavior on the campaign trail. Are you willing to tell the people of _____ whether you stand with Trump?”
If the Senate Republicans aren’t careful, this hot rock will not only burn away their majority. It will burn away any chance of getting the Senate back for a long, long time.
