GOP fights piling up for McConnell

[babylonsister]

GOP fights piling up for McConnell
By Jordain Carney - 12/11/18 06:00 AM EST


Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has a difficult two weeks ahead of him as he tries to navigate disputes within his conference over the lame-duck Congress’s final legislative goals.

McConnell, who prides himself in working with his Republican colleagues and allowing the GOP conference to work its will, finds himself in the middle of an increasingly public and bitter battle over criminal justice reform that pits President Trump, Jared Kushner and the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee against a group of conservatives opposed to the bill.

The GOP leader is also at the center of a fight over Saudi Arabia, with some Republicans demanding tough legislation in response to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

The criminal justice reform bill is turning into the biggest headache for McConnell.

The White House is clamoring for the legislation, with Kushner, a White House adviser and Trump’s son-in-law, set to highlight it during an appearance Monday night on Sean Hannity’s television show on Fox News.

Trump has personally called out McConnell, urging him to allow a vote on the legislation. The efforts portend new complaints directed toward the GOP leader if the president doesn’t get his way.

Separately, and perhaps most importantly to McConnell, tensions appear to be building with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the Judiciary Committee chairman who has publicly said the GOP leader owes him a vote on the bill, given his efforts to shepherd through a record number of appeals court judges and two Supreme Court nominees.

more...

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/420692-gop-fights-piling-up-for-mcconnell

[Buckeyeblue]

1. Maybe he's had enough

He'll be 77 in February. With the Democrats now controlling the House, what is the motivation for him to stay in the Senate? He's not going to get any legislation through. He is going to have to sit and watch as the House holds hearings on all of 45's crimes. He might be put in the position of having to deal with an impeachment trial. Sure, he's going to be able to usher through judicial appointments but with the numbers and no filibuster that hardly takes any more skill than tying your shoes.

I wouldn't be surprised if he stepped down. It would allow the KY governor a chance to appoint his successor and give that person a leg up in 2020.

It's just a thought...

[safeinOhio]

2. I don't think he will stick his neck out.

He will retreat back into his shell.

[empedocles]

3. Behind the scenes operator guy, going high public on fox?

[EffieBlack]

4. And yet, no drumbeat of "Should McConnell go?" stories ...

Another one of those hings that make you go, "Hmm."