No democracy can survive when its leaders do not act in good faith.
Trump is a clown, a dangerous one, but a clown. He looks at Putin and imagines himself wielding total power. McConnell looks at Putin and exercises what power he has. McConnell’s imitation is weakened by having to feign respect for our democracy, still, he does what he can.
He can’t duplicate Putin’s trail of bodies, but he left a trail of dead motions and nominations in his quest to destroy the Obama administration. He can’t match Putin’s repression of the opposition, but he supports voter suppression as his party attempts to outlaw protests. And while Putin has his oligarchs that he uses to control the country, McConnell has his plutocrats – except that they use him to control the country.
There is one place, though, where McConnell has surpassed his mentor. Putin may head a kleptocracy, but he’s never stolen a Supreme Court seat. By besting his role-model, McConnell earned praise from Trump who thanked McConnell "for all that he did" to get Neil Gorsuch confirmed. Trump would not have understood the full import of that remark, still, it is no wonder that McConnell called that theft his proudest moment. (And how much does that say about the man?)
Now, without the slightest hesitation for reflection or review after Trump’s stunningly transparent attempt to shut down the Russia investigation by firing the head of the FBI, McConnell has said that there will be no independent Russia investigation – move along; nothing to see here; no cause for concern; we are in control, as is appropriate.
If the republic falls, it will not be because of Trump but McConnell.
Dana Milbank, in the Washington Post, reviewed McConnell’s tenure and concluded that “No man has done more in recent years to undermine the functioning of U.S. government. His has been the epitome of unprincipled leadership, the triumph of tactics in service of short-term power.” McConnell, he says, “broke America.”
Steve Benen, at the Maddow Blog, says of McConnell: “His legacy, therefore, will be one of division, distrust, gridlock, and a systemic breakdown in American governance.”
There is no comparison in degree between Putin and McConnell, but there is in kind. The essence of both men is the same: power above all. This is our opposition, now. It no longer is politics as usual. We need to fight accordingly.
Given a shallow, corporate media, it is up to Democrats to define McConnell as an issue. He already is the least popular senator in the country; it’s not a heavy lift to preemptively define him for the media, to define his enabling of Trumpian levels of corruption, to define his protection of possible treason, and to define his own, prolific work to destroy our republic.
Between Trump, his Cabinet, his staff, and his family, we have a target-rich environment for the next election. We will have to guard against diluting our message. Even so, McConnell should be a target. He is a proven threat to democracy, and he can be used to nationalize Senate and even House contests. Republicans already are trying to do this using Nancy Pelosi. Why are we always last to the fight?
He’s given us a perfect opportunity at a time and on a topic that the public overwhelmingly are with us. Start now.
Make Mitch McConnell the face of everything Republican. Take all his proudest moments, show them for the acts of destruction that they are, and rub the nose of every Republican in them.
![WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 24:.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) bows his head in prayer during a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in honor of "the Foot Soldiers of the 1965 Voting Rights Marches who peacefully marched from Selma to Montgomery in protest of the denial of their right to vote," on Capitol Hill, February 24, 2016 in Washington, DC. The medal was presented to Rev. Frederick Reese of Selma, Alabama, on behalf of those who marched from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 to spotlight the issue of voting rights. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)](https://images.dailykos.com/images/385327/story_image/Mitch_McConnell_gettyimages-512088380.jpg?1491247744 "WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 24:.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) bows his head in prayer during a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in honor of "the Foot Soldiers of the 1965 Voting Rights Marches who peacefully marched from Selma to Montgomery in protest of the denial of their right to vote," on Capitol Hill, February 24, 2016 in Washington, DC. The medal was presented to Rev. Frederick Reese of Selma, Alabama, on behalf of those who marched from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 to spotlight the issue of voting rights. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)")
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