{"id":2382404,"date":"2024-12-20T17:08:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-20T22:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-bids-farewell-as-gop-leader-with-an-ode-to-bipartisanship-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-12-20T17:09:53","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T22:09:53","slug":"mcconnell-bids-farewell-as-gop-leader-with-an-ode-to-bipartisanship-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-bids-farewell-as-gop-leader-with-an-ode-to-bipartisanship-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"McConnell bids farewell as GOP leader with an ode to bipartisanship &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"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\">28<\/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%2Fmcconnell-bids-farewell-as-gop-leader-with-an-ode-to-bipartisanship-washington-examiner%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=2382404&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>Mitch\u2064 McConnell, the Senate Minority leader, delivered a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-president-trumps-farewell-speech-to-the-nation\/\" title=\"WATCH: President Trump\u2019s Farewell Speech to the Nation\">farewell address<\/a> as he concluded his nearly 18-year tenure as the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">longest-serving party leader<\/a> in the Senate. \u2064Even though his term will not officially \u2064end until early \u20632027, this transition marks the first time as \u200d2007 that he will not led the\u200d Senate Republicans, with his successor being GOP Whip\u2063 John Thune. In his address, McConnell expressed his intention to remain active in politics, vowing to continue\u2063 challenging his critics. He\u2063 highlighted the importance \u2063of bipartisanship in overcoming the challenges of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-mcconnell-we-will-be-very-picky-with-biden-picks\/\" title=\"Sen. McConnell: We will be very picky with Biden picks\">deeply divided congress<\/a>, emphasizing that successful governance relies on collaboration and \u2064compromise rather than strict party allegiance.  <\/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\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Mitch McConnell bids farewell as Senate GOP leader with an ode to bipartisanship<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1880863\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Senate Minority Leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3263357\/mcconnell-misses-final-senate-news-conference-after-fall\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Mitch McConnell\">Mitch McConnell<\/a> (R-KY) bid farewell Friday to his tenure as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2571123\/mitch-mcconnell-makes-senate-history-tuesday-as-longest-serving-leader\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"longest-serving party leader\">longest-serving party leader<\/a> of the chamber, a post he&rsquo;s held for nearly the past 18 years.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>McConnell&rsquo;s current term, his seventh consecutive, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/despite-insistence-by-democrat-politicians-and-medical-elites-empirical-evidence-does-not-conclusively-show-that-masks-reduce-the-spread-of-covid\/\" title=\"Despite Insistence by Democrat Politicians and Medical Elites, Empirical Evidence DOES NOT Conclusively Show that Masks Reduce the Spread of COVID\">doesn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t expire until early 2027. However, when he returns in January for the new Congress, it will mark the first time since 2007 that he won&rsquo;t be the ringleader of Senate Republicans.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3240974\/meet-new-congress-house-senate-freshmen-119th\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>MEET THE NEW CONGRESS: THE HOUSE AND SENATE FRESHMEN ELECTED TO SERVE NEXT YEAR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The job will be that of his successor, GOP Whip John Thune (R-SD). <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/these-people-were-vicious-i-saw-all-kinds-of-illegal-behavior-michigan-election-witness-who-saw-4-am-illegal-ballot-drop-for-biden-speaks-out-video\/\" title=\"&quot;These People Were Vicious - I Saw All Kinds of Illegal Behavior&quot; - Michigan Election Witness Who Saw 4 AM Illegal Ballot Drop for Biden Speaks Out (VIDEO)\">ve made<\/a> it clear this year that our colleagues haven&rsquo;t seen the last of me,&rdquo; McConnell said from the Senate floor. &ldquo;I still fully intend to keep frustrating my critics in the years ahead.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>With a nearly full chamber of senators listening from their seats, McConnell used his swan song to offer &ldquo;a few observations I picked up along the way&rdquo; of being a senator for almost four decades. <\/p>\n<p>Bipartisanship, he emphasized, was the key to accomplishments in a bitterly divided town, particularly for a chamber that relies on basic across-the-aisle agreements to function and 60 votes for nearly all legislation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve heard folks who like making a point they&rsquo;d rather serve with 30 colleagues who all agreed than a majority who didn&rsquo;t,&rdquo; McConnell said. &ldquo;So, if you<a><\/a>  want to accomplish absolutely nothing &mdash; nothing &mdash; sign up with the group.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>McConnell offered his colleagues on the other side of the Capitol some timely, albeit unsolicited, advice as House Republicans struggled to cobble together a last-minute funding agreement to stave off a midnight government shutdown. The House GOP torpedoed a bipartisan deal with Democrats on Thursday after 11th-hour opposition from President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire confidant Elon Musk.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care to count how many times I&rsquo;ve reminded our colleagues &mdash; and our House counterparts &mdash; how harmful it is to shut the government down and how foolish it is to bet that your own side won&rsquo;t take the blame for it,&rdquo; McConnell said. &ldquo;Recent history doesn&rsquo;t leave a whole lot of room for interpretation on that one: when you try to use normal government function as a bargaining chip, you pay a political price.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) smiles as he walks to join other Republicans who will vote to replace him with a new leader at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He conceded it was &ldquo;not entirely clear yet how or when Congress will conclude its end-of-year business.&rdquo; However, he characterized the debacle as a telling episode of lawmakers&rsquo; motives for seeking elected office.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Folks come to Washington to do one of two things: either to make a point or to make a difference,&rdquo; McConnell said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s usually not that hard to tell who&rsquo;s doing which, especially in situations like the one we&rsquo;re in right now.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>McConnell, 82, has not stated his 2026 reelection plans. He&rsquo;s suffered several health episodes since 2023, the most recent being this month when he sustained a sprained wrist and scratched face after tripping and falling near the Senate chamber.<\/p>\n<p>However, what is certain is his stated focus next Congress to counter growing isolationism in his party from global engagement, such as helping Ukraine defeat Russia.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;No one can do what we can internationally, and that&rsquo;s where I&rsquo;m going to put my focus. Thank you all for the opportunity,&rdquo; McConnell concluded his speech.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell was met with a standing ovation from senators in the room. Thune, followed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), congratulated McConnell with handshakes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3224765\/senate-democrats-hope-midterms-2024-downballot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>SENATE DEMOCRATS SEE HOPE FOR MIDTERMS WITH 2024 DOWNBALLOT RESULTS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Senators from both parties lined up to offer their personal farewells, some offering McConnell a hug on what could be the chamber&rsquo;s last working day of the 118th Congress.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Everyone knows Leader McConnell and I had plenty of disagreements over the years on matters of policies and politics,&rdquo; Schumer said. &ldquo;But when the time was right, we found ways to work together, to get very important things done&nbsp;for this country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1880863\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1880863\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mitch McConnell bids farewell as Senate GOP leader, emphasizing bipartisanship<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2382405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mcconnell-bids-farewell-as-senate-leader.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5118,9717,47193,5194,32076],"class_list":["post-2382404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bipartisanship","tag-farewell","tag-gop-leader","tag-mcconnell","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mcconnell-bids-farewell-as-senate-leader.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2382404","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\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2382404"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2382404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2382408,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2382404\/revisions\/2382408"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2382405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2382404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2382404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2382404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}