Mitch McConnell has been neutered
When I think of Mitch McConnell (and I try not to), a cliché or two come to mind. “Do as I say, not as I do;” “pot meet kettle;” I could go on, but you get the point. The word “hypocrite” works as well. According to Business Insider, McConnell is up in arms because the Democrats are moving toward budget reconciliation to pass President Biden’s COVID-19 bill. McConnell had the nerve to criticize Democrats for lack of bipartisanship, when he is the biggest partisan hack of them all. Think back to how he refused to hold a vote on Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court in 2016, when President Obama had almost a full year left in his term. Yet, he rammed Amy Coney Barrett down our throats in a matter of days prior to the 2020 election. Nonpartisanship? McConnell could write the book.
To show the sheer hypocrisy of McConnell, he used budget reconciliation to pass tax cuts for the rich in 2017, which has increased our debt burden. President Biden listened to the Republican contingent led by Susan Collins and Mitt Romney, and their proposal was not acceptable. They wanted reduced stimulus checks of $1,000, ending federal unemployment support by June 30, and removing aid to state and local governments. Are Republicans concerned about the deficit? Not unless a Democrat adds to it. Besides, Biden’s plan will aid people desperate for help; Republicans’ use of budget reconciliation aided people with no need other than increasing the load of money that they already have. It is disgusting, despicable, and disheartening. Why any average American votes Republican given their focus on the wealthy is puzzling, and likely, they will fall for McConnell’s fake crying about bipartisanship. It is past time for McConnell to sit down and shut up, and that is about to happen.
CNN reported that the Senate has reached a power-sharing agreement, which means that Democrats will now lead the committees. According to Chuck Schumer, “they are ready to hit the ground running.” The Senate is 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie breaker. Now that this has been accomplished, the Senate can move forward on President Biden’s cabinet picks, which have been languishing except for a few. As Palmer Report shared yesterday, Lindsay Graham was trying to delay Merrick Garland’s confirmation hearing because of the impending impeachment trial, showing once again that Republicans will look for any excuse to not do their jobs. He acts like the impeachment trial is going to take an extraordinary amount of time when we know better, as most Republicans have already made up their minds and will hand Trump another acquittal.
Americans are paying the Republicans a lot of money to do their jobs; they should not mind putting in a little extra time, if necessary, to get things accomplished. They should take a cue from President Biden, who has accomplished quite a bit in his first two weeks in office. With the Democratic majority Senate in place, we can expect even more.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years