{"id":2189807,"date":"2024-02-29T21:57:07","date_gmt":"2024-03-01T02:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mitch-mcconnell-passes-the-torch\/"},"modified":"2024-02-29T22:02:43","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T03:02:43","slug":"mitch-mcconnell-passes-the-torch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mitch-mcconnell-passes-the-torch\/","title":{"rendered":"Mitch McConnell hands over the torch"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmitch-mcconnell-passes-the-torch%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2189807&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>McConnell Steps Down as Senate Minority Leader, Making Way for a New Generation<\/h2>\n<p>Perhaps this town was no \u200clonger big enough for the both of them.<\/p>\n<p>With former President Donald Trump on the cusp of clinching the 2024 Republican nomination, \u200bSenate Minority Leader Mitch \u200bMcConnell (R-KY) announced he was stepping down from his post before the end of the year.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cOne of life\u2019s most underappreciated talents is to know when it\u2019s time to move on\u200b to life\u2019s next\u2062 chapter,\u201d McConnell\u2062 said after indicating\u200b this will be his\u200d \u201clast term as\u2062 Republican leader in the Senate.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>No one has ever held the leadership position longer. \u200dMcConnell was\u200b first\u2064 elected to the Senate when Ronald Reagan was \u200cpresident and plans to serve out his current term, which expires\u2062 in January 2027. He became Republican leader after \u2063the 2006 elections and won nine consecutive elections for the\u2064 job,\u200b most recently beating out Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) in November\u2064 2022.<\/p>\n<p>A skilled legislative tactician and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/delingpole-princess-nut-nut-does-a-princess-pushy\/\" title=\"Delingpole: Princess Nut Nut Does a Princess Pushy\">canny political operator<\/a>, McConnell has\u200d non-Trump-related reasons to call \u200cit quits in November \u2062after leading the Senate\u2064 GOP for 18 years. The Kentucky Republican had\u200b a health scare last year, freezing\u2064 multiple times while talking to reporters and \u200cinjuring himself in\u2064 a fall.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell\u200b returned to \u200dthe Capitol with a clean bill of health, but as he recovered from his concussion and\u200b rib\u200b injury, there \u2063were reports of other similar incidents over the past year. He had fractured a shoulder after falling in \u200b2019. \u201cI\u2019m very happy\u200b to be back,\u201d McConnell\u200c said. \u201cThere\u2019s important business for Congress to tackle.\u201d He then deadpanned, \u201cSuffice it to say, \u2064this wasn\u2019t \u200cthe first\u200b time \u2064that being hardheaded has served me very well.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>A New Generation of Leadership<\/h3>\n<p>The seven-term senator also recently turned 82. There\u2064 have\u200b been bipartisan calls for a new generation of political leaders.\u2063 House Democrats\u200c replaced most of their octogenarian leadership team during this Congress, \u200cwith the\u200d last of them, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), set to step down next year.\u2064 Like former \u2064House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), \u2062he\u200c will remain in Congress.<\/p>\n<p>President Joe Biden is seeking reelection amid widespread concerns\u2063 about his age and mental acuity. He will turn 82 shortly after the election. Former U.S. Ambassador\u200c to the \u200bUnited Nations Nikki Haley, who has \u2062called for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/first-lady-labels-nikki-haleys-call-for-mental-competency-test-for-politicians-over-75-ridiculous\/\" title=\"First Lady Labels Nikki Haley\u2019s Call for Mental Competency Test for Politicians Over 75 \u2018Ridiculous\u2019\">mental competency testing<\/a> \u2064for politicians aged 75 and up, has\u200c made an issue of Trump\u2019s age during her GOP \u2063primary campaign. The former president will turn 78 in June.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell heeded this sentiment when explaining his decision to surrender the leadership position in a Senate \u200bfloor speech. \u201cFather Time remains undefeated. \u200dI am no longer the young\u2064 man sitting in\u2062 the back, hoping colleagues \u2062would remember my name,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is time \u2062for the next generation of leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But a generational and\u200b ideological\u200d shift inside the Republican Party, long evident in the House and increasingly on display in the Senate,\u200c may have also\u200c prompted the change. Sens. Mike Lee \u200d(R-UT), \u2062Rand Paul (R-KY), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Ted Cruz (R-TX), J.D. Vance (R-OH), and, in\u200c recent years, Marco Rubio (R-FL) \u2064are\u2064 among those who favor a more \u200badversarial approach in dealing with Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>Some of them \u200dalso have adopted a more populist stance on\u2062 trade, immigration, foreign \u200dpolicy, and the role of free markets than prevailed in McConnell\u2019s Reagan-era GOP. Others are more libertarian or \u200cincorporate \u2064elements \u2062of both strains.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s absolutely a change in the Republican conference,\u201d Cruz told the Washington Examiner\u2062 last year. \u201cIt is getting younger. It\u2063 is getting, I hope, more conservative. It is getting more responsive to the voters.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The Texas Republican\u2063 added, \u201cFor a long time, Washington has been out of\u2063 touch with the voters. I think that was\u2064 one of the major causes \u200bof Donald Trump being elected \u2026 the voters were furious with career politicians in Washington and both parties who weren\u2019t listening to \u2064them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2063 has accelerated\u2063 many \u200bof these trends. In addition to their \u2063political and strategic disagreements \u2014 Trump has called for junking the filibuster when Republicans control the Senate, McConnell has \u200bfought for its preservation \u2014 the two \u200cmen had a personal falling out in the aftermath of the 2020 election and the Jan. \u200c6 Capitol riot.<\/p>\n<p>The former president\u2062 has made incendiary comments on social media about McConnell\u2019s wife, \u2062Elaine\u2062 Chao, who served in his Cabinet. Trump \u200bhas accused the McConnell family of \u2062business ties to China. Chao was born in Taiwan\u2063 and has lived in the United States since she was \u20628\u2063 years old.<\/p>\n<p>Some of Trump\u2019s biggest accomplishments came when he and McConnell worked together. This includes the Trump tax cuts and\u2064 a transformation of the federal judiciary, including the current 6-3 Republican-appointed majority \u200bon the \u200dSupreme Court.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe \u200bwouldn\u2019t have had the Dobbs decision [overturning Roe v. Wade] \u200b without those three justices he \u2063managed to get\u200b through \u200dwith Mitch McConnell as the\u2063 majority leader in the Senate\u2062 he continues to demean,\u201d veteran conservative columnist Cal\u2064 Thomas, \u2062author of \u2064A Watchman in the Night, told the Washington \u200bExaminer last year.<\/p>\n<p>Those efforts predated Trump. After his\u2062 Democratic\u200b counterpart Harry Reid detonated the \u201cnuclear option\u201d to\u200d facilitate\u200b the confirmation of then-President Barack Obama\u2019s \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-vacancy-could-actually-shrink-bidens-judicial-footprint\/\" title=\"Supreme Court Vacancy Could Actually Shrink Biden\u2019s Judicial Footprint\">lower court nominees<\/a> in 2013, McConnell \u2063not too subtly warned him Democrats \u2063would regret it.<\/p>\n<p>After\u200b the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, \u200da conservative icon, McConnell \u200bheld\u200b up Obama\u2019s nomination of Merrick Garland\u2064 for nearly a year. \u2063McConnell then \u2062went nuclear\u200c for Supreme Court nominees to allow Trump to fill the seat \u2064with Justice Neil Gorsuch.\u200d None of \u2062Trump\u2019s three \u2063high court picks would have cleared a Senate filibuster. This includes Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who replaced the late Justice Ruth \u2062Bader Ginsburg. Ginsburg enjoyed a \u2063similar status to Scalia but on the \u200dLeft.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell \u200cguided Trump through his first Senate impeachment trial. \u201cAnd Mitch, he stayed there right \u2064from the beginning, he never changed,\u201d Trump said at a post-acquittal White House\u200b celebration. \u201cAnd Mitch McConnell, I want to tell you, you did a fantastic job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McConnell\u2019s decision not to hold\u200c a Senate trial during\u2064 Trump\u2019s second \u2064impeachment while he was in office made that acquittal more likely, easing the former president\u2019s path to another \u2062campaign in\u200b 2024.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no question former President Trump bears \u2062moral responsibility\u201d\u200d for Jan. 6, McConnell wrote in a Wall Street Journal \u2062op-ed explaining his reasoning. \u201cHis supporters stormed the Capitol because of the unhinged falsehoods\u2062 he shouted into the world\u2019s largest megaphone.\u201d But he added that \u200dthere was no \u2062reason\u2063 to follow \u201ca rushed House process with a light-speed Senate sham\u201d in what he \u2062described as a \u201cfootrace to outrun our loss of\u200c jurisdiction\u201d once Trump left office.<\/p>\n<p>Trump could return\u2063 to the White House in January, which would have made\u200b it difficult for McConnell to continue as Senate Republican leader. If Trump wins in \u200cNovember, this might pave the way \u200dfor McConnell to play\u2062 a\u2063 role more similar to that of retiring Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT).<\/p>\n<p>McConnell\u2019s relationship with the sitting \u200bDemocratic president has already led \u2064to frequent clashes with House and Senate Republicans. \u200cMcConnell voted with Biden \u2064on infrastructure and \u2063his semiconductors bill. Some Republicans on Capitol Hill \u2062felt McConnell\u2062 got outmaneuvered\u2064 by Senate Majority Leader\u200d Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on the Inflation Reduction Act, the second Democrats-only reconciliation bill of Biden\u2019s presidency.<\/p>\n<p>The Kentucky Republican recently left House Speaker \u200cMike Johnson\u2062 (R-LA) alone to defend his conference\u2019s position on Ukraine aid at a White House meeting. McConnell is a leading\u2062 supporter of the Ukraine \u200cfunds.<\/p>\n<p>But the biggest split may have been over immigration, \u200dthe matter that most often sets the\u200c GOP governing class\u200b against its base and led most directly to\u2063 the rise of Trump. House\u200d Republicans raged at McConnell\u200b as the Senate floated a bipartisan border deal \u2063Republicans pronounced dead on arrival.<\/p>\n<p>Immigration has emerged in exit\u2062 polls as the top issue in this year\u2019s GOP primaries, and the border has been one\u2064 of the biggest drags on Biden throughout his term. Trump urged congressional Republicans to \u200creject a border deal.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell is arguably the most conservative Senate Republican leader since Robert Taft. \u2062Yet he frequently clashed with \u2064the grassroots conservatives over initiatives like the above and primaries \u2063as he sought to promote Senate candidates he \u2063believed were most electable. McConnell also served during a time\u2063 when the definition of conservatism was evolving and when the Republican electoral coalition was becoming more blue-collar.<\/p>\n<p>This drove down McConnell\u2019s approval ratings across\u2064 the board and created a Republican leadership vacuum that Trump eventually filled. However, there remain doubts about whether McConnell\u2019s would-be successors can govern more effectively or achieve \u200celectoral victories comparable to\u2063 Reagan\u2019s 49-state \u2063landslide in 1984, the year \u2063McConnell was first\u200b elected to the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomebody said, \u2018You know, Mitch is quiet,\u2019\u201d Trump\u2063 said \u2064of McConnell during happier times between\u200c the \u200dtwo. \u201cAnd I said, \u2018He\u2019s not quiet. \u2026 He doesn\u2019t want \u2063people to know him.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McConnell sounded\u200c a similar note himself. \u201cI \u200dstill \u2063have enough gas in the \u2063tank to thoroughly disappoint my critics, and I intend to\u200b do\u2064 so with\u200c all the enthusiasm \u200cwhich they \u2063have become accustomed,\u201d he quipped.<\/p>\n<p>W. James Antle III is executive editor of\u2062 the Washington Examiner magazine.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How has Rep. Liz\u2063 Cheney&#8217;s role\u2064 on the\u2064 January 6 committee investigating the Capitol riot been received by fellow Republicans?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Olleague, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), against criticism from fellow Republicans for her role on the\u200c January 6\u200c committee investigating\u2062 the Capitol riot.<\/p>\n<p>As \u2063McConnell steps down and makes\u200b way for a\u200b new generation of leadership in the \u200bSenate, the question remains: who\u2064 will take his place? Several\u200c individuals have already begun positioning themselves as potential \u200csuccessors, including Sens. John Thune (R-SD),\u200c John Barrasso (R-WY), and Roy Blunt (R-MO).<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of who ultimately takes over as Senate Minority Leader, McConnell&#8217;s departure marks \u2062the end of an era in Republican politics. His long tenure as\u200d leader and his strategic maneuvering have left an indelible mark on the party and the country. As a legislative heavyweight, McConnell has shaped the direction of the Republican Party\u200c and played a key role\u2064 in \u2062advancing the conservative agenda.<\/p>\n<p>The upcoming transition in Senate \u200dleadership reflects\u2064 the changing landscape\u200b of American politics. The rise of a new generation of Republicans, \u2063with their own ideas and \u200bpriorities, signifies a shift in the party&#8217;s direction.\u200c The GOP is becoming younger, more conservative, and more responsive to the concerns of its base.<\/p>\n<p>It is yet to be seen how this new generation of Republican \u200cleaders will navigate the \u2064challenges facing the country \u2064and the party. The political landscape \u2063is constantly evolving, and the GOP must adapt to the\u200b changing times \u200cin order\u2062 to remain \u2062a \u200drelevant and \u200ceffective force in American\u2064 politics.<\/p>\n<p>As \u200bMcConnell takes a step back from\u200b his\u2063 leadership role,\u200c he leaves behind a legacy of\u2063 accomplishment and controversy. His tenure as Senate Minority Leader has\u2064 been marked by\u2064 strategic victories, fierce battles, and moments of\u2064 compromise. \u2064Whether one\u200c agrees \u2062or disagrees with McConnell&#8217;s \u2064approach, there is no denying his impact\u2064 on American politics.<\/p>\n<p>As the Republican Party looks towards the future, it must not only grapple with the challenges\u2063 of \u200da <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gov-desantis-envisions-midterms-as-end-of-floridas-days-as-a-swing-state\/\" title=\"Gov. DeSantis Envisions Midterms as End of Florida\u2019s Days as a Swing State\">changing political landscape<\/a> but\u2063 also find \u200da way \u2064to\u200d bridge the divide between different factions within the party. \u2063The new generation of\u200c Republican\u200d leaders must navigate\u200b this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/state-department-backs-iranian-protesters-as-biden-admin-emboldens-hardline-regime\/\" title=\"State Department Backs Iranian Protesters as Biden Admin Emboldens Hardline Regime\">delicate balancing act<\/a> \u2062as they seek to make their mark on American\u200c politics.<\/p>\n<p>While McConnell steps down, his influence \u200dwill continue to be felt in the Senate and the Republican Party. His decision to make way for a new generation of leadership represents a pivotal moment in American politics. It is now up to\u200d the next generation to seize the opportunity and shape the future of the Republican Party.<\/p>\n<p>As \u200cthe political landscape\u200d continues to \u200devolve, \u2062one thing remains certain: McConnell&#8217;s departure marks the end of an era\u200d and\u200d the\u200d beginning of a new chapter in American \u2064politics. The stage is set for a \u200cnew generation of Republican leaders to step up \u2063and make their mark, and the country awaits to \u200csee what \u2062they\u200b will bring to the table.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Know when it&#8217;s time to leave,&#8221; McConnell stated, hinting at his departure. As Trump&#8217;s influence grew, McConnell recognized the shrinking space for his own power. With his resignation, the stage was set for a clash between the two political heavyweights, leaving the town to witness a battle for dominance in the upcoming election<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2189809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/LUNCHEONS-2-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2189807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/LUNCHEONS-2-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2189807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2189807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2189807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2189809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2189807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2189807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2189807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}