Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has finally broken a week of silence on Donald Trump, but not to address the incendiary words that have spewed out of the GOP standard-bearer's mouth. No, he was talking to a local group of Republicans in Kentucky, admitting that things weren't looking great for a Republican Senate, but reiterating that Trump is his guy.
McConnell did not mention Trump as being a drag on Republican down-ballot races, but he chided Trump's campaign tactics. The Kentucky senator said he hopes Trump "settles down and follows the script."
When asked by a reporter about Trump's comments labeling President Barack Obama as the "founder" of the Islamic State group, McConnell replied: "I'm hoping that we can make this election about Hillary Clinton. I think if we do, we can win."
With the election less than three months away, McConnell said Republicans are in "a dogfight," and listed GOP-held seats in New Hampshire, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida and Indiana as "very competitive."
"I may or may not be calling the shots next year," McConnell said. […]
McConnell warned that if Republicans lose their grip on the Senate after the November election, their ability "to impact judicial appointments will be considerably diminished."
In case you missed it, that's McConnell reiterating again that he would be perfectly fine with a President Trump shaping the federal judiciary, the Supreme Court. Even though he thinks Trump is putting that in jeopardy, when a Trump voter in the group told him "[w]e don't hear your voice enough" in support of Trump, McConnell assured her Trump had his support, and a vote for Trump over Clinton "is easy for me."
McConnell appears to be playing a long game here, ready to concede 2016 to the Democrats but counting on a more favorable map in 2018 for Republicans to get his majority back. That means another two years of maximum obstruction from Republicans as they try to keep the rabid Republican base happy and ready to turn out for them next time. It's a promise of two more years of utter dysfunction in Congress. Which means two things for Democrats: we've got to focus on running up the numbers in this election and the new Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, is going to need to revisit filibuster reform so they can head into the next midterm with some accomplishments.
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