Three Cheers

McConnell, Romney stand against far right for what’s right

Three cheers for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. And an attaboy for Utah GOP U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, too.

The longtime Republican chief showed his members just what leadership means Tuesday, when he took a stand for the truth about the last year’s mob breach of the U.S. Capitol — something that some in his party are determined to play down for fear of offending voters still loyal to former President Donald Trump.

McConnell took to the podium and told the Republican National Committee it was wrong Friday to vote to censure GOP Reps Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for their roles in the investigation of the January 6 uprising.

The two participated in “a Democrat-led persecution” according to the censure.

And he decried the committee’s feeble attempt to downplay the day’s events as “ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.”

“It was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent a peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election from one administration to the next,” McConnell said. “That’s what it was.”

Former presidential nominee Romney had earlier criticized the censure on his Twitter feed .

“Shame falls on a party that would censure persons of conscience, who seek truth in the face of vitriol,” he tweeted.

Republicans have a pretty good chance of taking back the Senate and possibly the House in November’s midterm elections. But these sometimes self-destructive wars between ultra conservative GOP lawmakers and those not so far to the right could derail that opportunity. McConnell recognizes the need for solidarity. Those who voted for the censure and continue to gloss over January 6 are willing to risk it all just to selfishly bolster their far-right bona fides.