{"id":2250044,"date":"2024-05-22T03:05:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T07:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-is-mitch-mcconnell-still-in-charge\/"},"modified":"2024-05-22T03:07:57","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T07:07:57","slug":"why-is-mitch-mcconnell-still-in-charge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-is-mitch-mcconnell-still-in-charge\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Does Mitch McConnell Remain in Power?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/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%2Fwhy-is-mitch-mcconnell-still-in-charge%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=2250044&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--><p>The\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-times-issues-multiple-corrections-for-article-falsely-claiming-900000-u-s-children-have-been-hospitalized-for-covid-19-during-pandemic\/\" title=\"New York Times Issues Multiple Corrections For Article Falsely Claiming 900,000 U.S. Children Have Been Hospitalized For COVID-19 During Pandemic\">article discusses<\/a> the challenges faced by Mitch McConnell as Senate leader, analyzing his effectiveness and policy alignment\u200d within \u2062the GOP. It highlights his\u200b impending departure, the impact on the upcoming elections, and the Senate&#8217;s uncertain balance of power. The piece also delves into\u2062 the GOP&#8217;s struggles \u200cand the potential Senate race outcomes based\u2062 on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-the-left-is-shocked-about-what-these-hispanic-poll-numbers-say-about-biden-2024\/\" title=\"ANALYSIS: The Left Is Shocked About What These Hispanic Poll Numbers Say About Biden 2024\">recent polling data<\/a>. The\u200c article explores Mitch McConnell&#8217;s challenges as Senate leader, examining his performance and policy alignment within the GOP. It\u200c focuses on his upcoming exit, its implications for future elections, and\u2062 the uncertain Senate\u200d power dynamics. Additionally, \u2062it touches on the \u200bGOP&#8217;s difficulties\u200b and potential\u2064 Senate race results from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ga-gop-sen-david-perdue-in-runoff-battle-with-democrat-jon-ossoff\/\" title=\"Ga. GOP Sen. David Perdue in runoff battle with Democrat Jon Ossoff\">recent polls<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>The role of the Senate minority leader requires a master tactician when the chamber is in session and a charismatic strategist when an election is on the line. Mitch McConnell is only one of these things and not the one his party desperately needs over the next six months. He has already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/02\/28\/mitch-mconnell-gop-senate-leader-retire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced his intention<\/a> to step down from leadership but not until after November\u2019s vote, leaving Republicans undermanned in the campaign underway. Whatever their sense of loyalty, their chances will be better if they replace him now.<\/p>\n<p>The problem is one of both style and substance. The 81-year-old\u2019s health problems and lapses during public appearances would make him an ineffective spokesman in any cycle, let alone one where Republicans seek to make President Joe Biden\u2019s similar issues a major liability. But even were he at the peak of his powers, McConnell\u2019s core beliefs would still preclude him from effectively supporting his side.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-48596451\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-2f0845d4f3ec6b17a7ace37a1de7c3c5 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-2f0845d4f3ec6b17a7ace37a1de7c3c5\"><\/div>\n<p>On policy, he is badly misaligned with the GOP and its standard bearer. His attempt to foist a badly negotiated non-solution to the border crisis on his caucus was a disaster and just one example of how his enthusiasm for the uniparty\u2019s open-ended funding of Ukraine outpaced his interest in his own party\u2019s priorities. He simply does not agree with Donald Trump on the issues likely to animate the campaign. He is a free trader who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/video\/politics\/mcconnell-wont-say-whether-tariffs-are-taxes\/2019\/05\/14\/da42fecd-32f7-4391-a20d-92d2bba008f8_video.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cannot make the case for tariffs<\/a>. He is weak on immigration, allied with big business, and expansive in his vision for the nation\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/shapiro-americas-slow-suicide\/\" title=\"SHAPIRO: America\u2019s Slow Suicide\">foreign policy commitments<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While disagreement with a presidential nominee always poses a challenge, here the problem is more serious. Trump can be a formidable, perhaps once-in-a-generation campaigner but also his own worst enemy. Elites may not control many votes, but they often determine how a campaign\u2019s message is received, funded, and implemented. The GOP, in disarray in so many ways, lacks prominent and disciplined messengers. A credible Senate leader would be a major asset. McConnell is missing in action and a liability if and when he speaks.<\/p>\n<p>As important, the Senate itself hangs in the balance. Most analysts expect Republicans to fall inevitably into a majority thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/maps\/senate\/2024\/toss-up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the races in play<\/a>, which offer them 50 seats almost by default (assuming wins by Josh Hawley, Rick Scott, and Ted Cruz, all of whom hold comfortable leads in reliably red states). What are the odds that Democrats can retain all five of their vulnerable seats in Montana, Ohio, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania and also sweep three open seats in Arizona, Maryland, and Michigan?<\/p>\n<p>Well, last week\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2024\/05\/13\/us\/elections\/times-siena-poll-registered-voter-crosstabs.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New York Times polling<\/a>, which showed Trump leading Biden in most swing states, found Democrats nonetheless leading in every Senate race. In Nevada, Trump leads Biden by 12, but the Democrat leads the Senate race by 2. In Arizona, Trump leads by 7, but the Democrat leads by 4. In Pennsylvania, Trump leads by 3, the Democrat by 5. In Wisconsin, the one swing state with Biden ahead (by 2), the Democrat leads the Senate race by 9.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-48eb5c03b1ace069926fe28952b12f4c fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-48eb5c03b1ace069926fe28952b12f4c\"><\/div>\n<p>The Times found Trump leading in Michigan by 7, but the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/maps\/senate\/2024\/toss-up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">RealClearPolitics polling<\/a> average has the Senate race tilting narrowly to the Democrats. The Times did not even poll Ohio, which is considered squarely in Trump\u2019s column, but RCP has the Senate Democrat ahead by 5. In Montana, a deep-red Trump state, RCP has the Democrat ahead by 6. In short, if the election were held today, with a winner at the top of the ticket and a historically favorable map, Republicans would still fail to get beyond 50 in the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>This should sound familiar because it has been the story of the last two Republican efforts at a Senate majority. The Senate went to the Democrats in 2020 when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/election\/2020\/results\/senate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">seats flipped<\/a> in both Colorado and Arizona and incumbent Republicans managed to lose not one but two runoffs in Georgia. Then came the 2022 midterms and the \u201cred wave\u201d that never was. McConnell was that debacle\u2019s author, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2021\/12\/03\/mcconnell-no-agenda-midterms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">proudly refusing<\/a> to give GOP Senate candidates anything to run on. The unpopularity of incumbent Democrats, he insisted, should be the sole focus. Republicans <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/election\/2022\/results\/senate?election-data-id=2022-SG&#038;election-painting-mode=ahead&#038;filter-key-races=false&#038;filter-flipped=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">failed to flip a single seat<\/a> in overwhelmingly favorable political conditions, actually losing a Pennsylvania seat instead.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout, having no apparent priorities or vision and disdaining those his party increasingly stands for, McConnell has failed to unite his caucus behind any coherent message. Once again, he is neither equipping Republican candidates with a positive agenda nor providing the air cover that comes with the elusive appearance that elected representatives in Washington have a plan. Will this be enough to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory? Recent history suggests yes.<\/p>\n<p>It is difficult to decipher the logic behind McConnell remaining at his post when Senate Republicans have so many better options. Perhaps the best explanation is that, were replacement to occur now, the caucus would have to elevate someone from the New Right who represents the party\u2019s future and can best deliver in the campaign. Then again, that seems a fairly good argument against waiting.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-7109b57a1d767eb717933af7fb045a04 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-7109b57a1d767eb717933af7fb045a04\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-66f27c1ea7a9ca4eabb681671934a5fb fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-66f27c1ea7a9ca4eabb681671934a5fb\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Senate minority leader&#8217;s role demands a skilled tactician during sessions and a charismatic strategist during elections. Mitch McConnell embodies one but lacks the other crucial aspect needed by his party in the upcoming six months. His announced intention adds uncertainty to his leadership position<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3159,"featured_media":2250045,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-2024-05-21-at-1.02.46%E2%80%AFPM-1024x562.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2250044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-2024-05-21-at-1.02.46%E2%80%AFPM-1024x562.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250044","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\/3159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2250044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250044\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2250045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2250044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2250044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2250044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}