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reggieandlee

(775 posts)
Sat Jan 25, 2020, 12:59 PM Jan 2020

BTRTN: "McConnellism"... Power, Party, and the Death of Good Faith

Born To Run The Numbers provides its view on the deaf Republican ears and blind Republican eyes at the Senate impeachment trial:

http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2020/01/btrtn-mcconnellism-power-party-and.html

Excerpts: "It is a downward spiral of circular logic: Republicans want to clear Donald Trump of abuse of power by essentially acknowledging that he successfully obstructed Congress by refusing to allow witnesses to testify, so there are no direct witnesses to his abuse of power. But, uh, he also isn't guilty of obstructing Congress. Go figure...
"Is what we are witnessing merely the latest chapter in history of people in power scheming and bending the rules to preserve their power? Is it just a torqued-up, steroids-era, 21st century version of 'the ends justify the means?' Or are we witnessing something entirely new… something that would make Machiavelli himself shudder in awe?...
"What, exactly, is McConnellism? (1) the belief that loyalty to party – and maintaining the party’s power -- is more important than loyalty to country. (2) the belief that time is better spent destroying the opposition party and denying it any accomplishments than to actually accomplish anything. (3) It is a rarified hyper-hypocrisy that shamelessly applies different standards to the actions of one party than to one’s own, and stubbornly refuses to apply the same standards to comparable actions taken by both parties. (4) It is a parasite that lives and thrives by sucking off the lies of others, be it Fox News or the President of the United States...
"The signature philosophy of McConnellism was laid down in Barack Obama’s first term, when Mitch McConnell announced his intent and purpose as Senate Majority Leader: 'The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term President.' The particular aorta that Mitch McConnell severed the day he uttered those words cut the flow of blood to a particularly American notion of public conduct… to act in good faith..."

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BTRTN: "McConnellism"... Power, Party, and the Death of Good Faith (Original Post) reggieandlee Jan 2020 OP
If Russia wanted to infect Pantagruel Jan 2020 #1
That's a pretty good definition of McConnell's governing philosophy gratuitous Jan 2020 #2
Great idea! reggieandlee Jan 2020 #4
Scathing truths regarding the death of good faith in our politics crickets Jan 2020 #3
Americans need to wake the fuck up to what is happening right under their noses. nt UniteFightBack Jan 2020 #5
Always remember: McConnell voted to convict WJC. maxsolomon Jan 2020 #6

gratuitous

(82,849 posts)
2. That's a pretty good definition of McConnell's governing philosophy
Sat Jan 25, 2020, 02:41 PM
Jan 2020

Watching the close of today's session, McConnell was recognized and asked unanimous consent to adjourn. I would have given any Senator a shiny nickel to say "Object!" when McConnell made his motion. McConnell has blocked "unanimous consent" to stop the Senate from doing practically anything, and it would have been meet and proper for one Senator to force a vote of the full Senate to allow the motion to adjourn. Yeah, it wouldn't have made a blind bit of difference, but it would have served McConnell a teaspoon of his own medicine.

reggieandlee

(775 posts)
4. Great idea!
Sat Jan 25, 2020, 07:40 PM
Jan 2020

The best medicine of all would be if just four Republican Senators found the courage to defy him.

crickets

(25,896 posts)
3. Scathing truths regarding the death of good faith in our politics
Sat Jan 25, 2020, 02:52 PM
Jan 2020
Thus McConnell introduced a concept that would once have been considered unspeakably unpatriotic: that the essential mission of one party was to destroy the Presidency of the opposing party; to cause it to fail. Considering that the newly elected President carried the electoral mandate of the American people, the idea that the opposing party’s raison d’etre is to sabotage the Presidency would logically suggest that it was simultaneously bent on subverting the will of the American people. A person bent on ensuring that the failure of President of the United States appears to believe that any resulting wound to the United States of America is simply justifiable collateral damage.


The article as a whole is a damning indictment of Moscow Mitch and all he stands for. It's a distressing but absolutely necessary read.
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