BTRTN: "McConnellism"... Power, Party, and the Death of Good Faith [View all]

[reggieandlee]

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..."