THE LONG VIEW: MITCH MCCONNELL — THE GREAT OBSTRUCTIONIST
OCT. 2010
A REAL PATRIOT McConnell says his top priority as Senate minority leader is making Barack Obama a “one-term president.”
APRIL 2013
NO GUN CONTROL In the wake of Sandy Hook, McConnell filibusters to block bipartisan gun-control measures that would expand background checks and ban assault weapons.
NOV.
JUDICIAL SABOTAGE McConnell leads a successful effort to block 79 Obama nominees, compared to 68 blocked under all other presidents combined since 1967.
NOV.
REAL THREAT “You’ll regret this,” McConnell warns when the Dems abolish the rule requiring a 60-vote majority for lowercourt nominations, to overcome GOP obstruction.
MARCH 2016
SUPREME COURT OUTRAGE Now majority leader, McConnell blocks Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, refusing even to hold hearings, arguing, with no basis in the Constitution, Obama did not have the right in an election year. “One of my proudest moments,” said McConnell.
SEPT.
COUNTRY FIRST? McConnell questions CIA report on Russian election interference and threatens political retaliation if Obama releases the findings before the election.
NOV.
VOTER MOTIVATION Twenty-six percent of Trump voters say filling the Supreme Court seat McConnell managed to hold open was the most important factor in why they voted for Trump.
APRIL 2017
GOING NUCLEAR McConnell uses “nuclear option,” abolishing filibuster for Supreme Court nominations, to ram through Trump nominee Neil Gorsuch with a simple majority vote.
JULY
‘SKINNY REPEAL’ McConnell tries to repeal Obamacare, holds no public hearings on bill that would strip 16 million of health insurance, but is foiled by John McCain’s thumbs-down.
DEC.
DEFICIT HYPOCRISY McConnell leads the passage of the Trump tax bill that benefits corporations and the wealthy, and will raise the deficit by $1.4 trillion. When the deficit does indeed balloon the next year, McConnell blames Medicare and other social safety nets.
OCT .2018
NUCLEAR SEQUEL McConnell’s Senaterules revamp pays off again as Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed to the Supreme Court through a simple majority vote.
JAN. 2019
UN-DEMOCRATIC McConnell calls Dem legislation to increase voter turnout by making Election Day a holiday a “power grab.”
APRIL
BY ANY MEANS Further dismantling procedural rules, McConnell decreases Senate debate time for lower-level Trump nominees from 30 hours to two hours.
MAY
NEW HEIGHTS OF HYPOCRISY When asked what he’d do if a Supreme Court vacancy arose in 2020 before the election, McConnell grins: “Oh, we’d fill it.”