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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMitch McConnell may be making the most important mistake of his career
by E. J. Dionne at the Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mitch-mcconnell-may-be-making-the-most-important-mistake-of-his-career/2017/05/10/7ea476f6-35ba-11e7-b4ee-434b6d506b37_story.html?utm_term=.315a785011e0
"SNIP................
Is McConnell really sure he wants to stand with a man who will spew out attacks on anyone and everyone who gets in his way?
By contrast, many of McConnells Republican colleagues have begun disentangling their party from a presidency that is likely to end in a train wreck. Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) said he spent several hours trying to find an acceptable rationale for the timing of Comeys firing. I just cant do it. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (N.C.) said he was troubled by the timing and reasoning of Director Comeys termination. Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.) joined in calling the timing very troubling.
Someday, McConnell will wish that he sounded more like Flake, Burr, Sasse and similarly minded Republicans. All of them are aware of how absurd it is for Trump to pretend that a concern over Comeys behavior in the Hillary Clinton investigation the very behavior the president once praised as demonstrating Comeys guts is the actual reason for the firing.
McConnell repeated White House talking points justifying Comeys firing by noting that Democrats had eviscerated Comeys handling of the Clinton matter. What this misses is that many who thought Comey was wrong in the Clinton case were also strongly opposed to his being fired. Since readers have every right to question whether columnists are being consistent, this is what I said on a radio show in January:
However angry liberals and Democrats might be at Comey for what he did, I think the worst outcome might be for Donald Trump to name a director of the FBI and that, at least in Comeys case and Im very critical of him on what he did here we know he has a history of independence. And I would really not be comfortable with Donald Trump having even more influence on the FBI.
.................SNIP"
Eliot Rosewater
(31,097 posts)scandal as the rest, he and his wife.
Amaryllis
(9,523 posts)Barack_America
(28,876 posts)They know this is all eventually coming out.
There is no way to keep something of this size and significance hidden forever.
NewRedDawn
(790 posts)is in this real deep.
Txbluedog
(1,128 posts)He'll retire rather than face the voters in 2020
BumRushDaShow
(127,312 posts)He'll stay in unless he thinks they're toast in 2020 and will decide not to run again, taking his ill-begotten money and enjoying his life. Dems have more seats to defend in 2018 but I expect by 2020, that will be reversed.
mcar
(42,210 posts)nikibatts
(2,198 posts)do to destroy the nation, the press, the social safety net, civil liberties, and voting rights and give more to the wealthy they will do until they drop!
maxsolomon
(32,992 posts)Right now, there is no mechanism that will make him regret that statement.
Only the Deputy AG can appoint a special prosecutor now, IIRC. Why would he?
Docreed2003
(16,817 posts)wildeyed
(11,240 posts)A smart beta would see that this is a career-making moment, even the presidency someday. All they have to do is bind corrupt McConnell to lying Trump and then let them both sink beneath the waves of this controversy.
Amazing narrative: A new direction for the GOP with a young, ethical leader who was willing to take on his own party to fight corruption! A GOP Kennedy or Obama figure. lol. But seriously, a career is waiting to be made is any of these guys is bold enough to take it. Let's see if any of them have the balls to go for it.
McConnell is an ossified, souless fuck and an absolutely brutal partisan fighter. He is exactly what is wrong with politics. He is the disease that is killing democracy. He is more to blame for this mess than Trump. Trump is a fool and a tool. McConnell is the mastermind. I blame him.
Va Lefty
(6,252 posts)NewRedDawn
(790 posts)SoCalDem
(103,856 posts)He's got a lock on that job, as long as he wants it.. His "base" always sends him back to DC..
Stupid people elect stupid leaders..
I don't see him leaving the senate as long as he remains in charge..
Unless he gets hit by a bus or gets a terrible disease, we are stuck with that reprehensible turtle...
Duppers
(28,094 posts)BigmanPigman
(51,432 posts)Years ago I spoke with my therapist and asked him how someone I knew could intentionally hurt someone else and he said, "It's called a sociopath. Half of the government consists of them". He was very matter of fact. I left his office feeling older, wiser and more depressed since he was correct. I carry his words with me to this day.
Tatiana
(14,167 posts)He took dirty Russian money. McConnell is trying to protect himself; he could care less about anyone else, especially Trump.
hibbing
(10,076 posts)But nope, the American people have a very short memory it seems. I don't think anything any of these people do will matter when the next elections come around. Sorry to be a downer, but with gerrymandering, voter suppression and the corporate media, it will be a very very steep hill.
Peace
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)Flake, Burr, and Sasse's comments as condemnation, to me, it just sounds like they haven't swallowed the Kool-Aid yet. The comments are defensible either way that the polls of Trump supporters go, they're just safe remarks that can be explained away or rationalized no matter how Trump's backers perceive this thing.
Simple chickenshit remarks, weasel words that can be reinterpreted to fit whatever political reality emerges from the polls in a few weeks, are nothing to base a prediction on. Nice try, E. J. but I see epic fail in the future for you.