When GOP Minority Senate Leader Mitch McConnell refused to put out a 2022 Senate Republican agenda late last year, he wasn't coy about his intent.
As McConnell briefed big GOP donors on his plan in November, one donor dared to wonder what exactly Senate Republicans planned to run on. McConnell reportedly responded with something to the effect of: "With all respect, that's not what we're doing."
In January, reporters dared to pose the same question to McConnell after President Joe Biden used a speech to repeatedly ask, “What are Republicans for?”
When a reporter asked what Republicans planned to do if they regain the majority in November, McConnell chuckled, "That is a very good question, and I'll let know when we take it back."
Well, Senate GOP campaign chief Sen. Rick Scott of Florida apparently has a different perspective about the way to win in November. Instead of keeping Senate Republicans’ horrific agenda under wraps, Scott has decided to unveil it in all its fascist glory. As my colleague Joan McCarter writes, "It is a chilling vision for the end of America as we know it."
Just to name a couple top priorities, Scott wants to levy a tax hike on individuals who currently don't make enough money to owe taxes because, "All Americans should pay some income tax to have skin in the game, even if a small amount." No word, though, on the corporations making a killing but not paying a dime in taxes.
And then there's this: “We will secure our border, finish building the wall, and name it after President Donald Trump.”
Oh, thank goodness they're not letting that one go.
In any case, if you want a deep dive, Joan's got you covered above. But what this document represents at the very least is a strategic rift within the Senate Republican caucus—where McConnell is supposedly a strategic mastermind who can do no wrong.
To be honest, McConnell refusing to clue voters in on what Republicans planned to do with their potential majority was abhorrent. But he certainly had good reason to hide the GOP agenda from the American people. As Scott has now demonstrated, the agenda itself is abhorrent.
But Scott's release of a GOP articulation of ideals may, in fact, demonstrate something bigger: an actual leadership contest within the caucus. Scott most certainly wants to run for president. But if Trump announces for 2024, it's possible Scott is positioning himself for a bigger platform other than president. That could be vice president, or it could be Senate GOP leader.
Following McConnell's rebuke of the Republican National Committee for declaring the deadly Jan. 6 attack "legitimate political discourse," Trump asserted that McConnell didn't speak for the Republican Party.
But McConnell has brushed off Trump's jabs by challenging reporters to find anyone in his caucus willing to challenge him for the leadership post. "That's the answer to your question," McConnell said.
Whatever Scott's intentions are, releasing this appalling bit of drivel as a statement of GOP ideals certainly runs in direct defiance of McConnell's decree.
Related articles:
Worse than Trump: Head of the NRSC releases Republican plans for a dystopian, fascist America
McConnell vows to stand for absolutely nothing ahead of 2022 midterms, just like the RNC in 2020
It's time for Democrats to quit talking about Democrats and do nothing but pillory Republicans
Biden: What are Republicans for? McConnell: Nothing
Trump ponders who speaks for the Republican Party. Answer: Not McConnell