McConnell says Trump fueled 'candidate quality' problems in the midterms

NBC ^ | Dec 13 | By Sahil Kapur

[RandFan]

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that former President Donald Trump’s endorsements in important 2022 primaries contributed to the nominations of poor candidates who fell short in swing states.

He made the remarks at his weekly news conference, responding to a question from NBC News about whether he intends to play a more active role in selecting candidates in the 2024 election cycle, when Republicans have a friendlier map.

“We ended up having a candidate quality test,” McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters about the 2022 election. “Look at Arizona. Look at New Hampshire. And the challenging situation in Georgia, as well,” he said, mentioning states where Trump-endorsed candidates won their primaries and lost to Democrats in the general election.

In a rare move, McConnell explicitly identified Trump’s influence as being problematic in the key Senate races.

“Our ability to control the primary outcome was quite limited in ’22 because the support of the former president proved to be very decisive in these primaries. So my view was do the best you can with the cards you’re dealt. Now, hopefully, in the next cycle we’ll have quality candidates everywhere and a better outcome.”

McConnell said he saw an element of déjà vu from 2010 and 2012, when Republicans picked poor candidates and lost winnable races.

“I do think we have an opportunity to relearn, one more time: We have to have quality candidates to win in competitive Senate races. We went through this in 2010 and 2012 with Christine O’Donnell, Sharron Angle, Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock," he said, naming GOP candidates who lost their races. "And unfortunately we revisited that situation in 2022.”

[RandFan]

This is the third time in as many weeks McConnell has publicly attacked Trump.

[NWFree]

Did McCrooked return his dirty money from FTX?

[Skul]

I hate Mitch McConnell. I will refuse to vote for a Republican Party where he is in “leadership”.

[CatOwner]

A good chance if Trump hadn’t stepped in the House would be in the hands of the DEMs again. Not that having a GOP majority in the House will amount to much.

[mountainlion]

The turtle is on his way out. Cocaine Mitch is still defending China and the deep state form Trump efforts to take down the swamp. Mc CONal, take your wife home to china and stay there with your buddies..

[Williams]

How about Ohio and North Carolina?

[Paladin2]

Ditch is an active anchor dragging the GOP down.

Just wait until he votes for the Omnibus.

Ditch loves public transportation for the serfs.

[Mr. N. Wolfe]

Mitch McConnell is despicable. The people who voted for him are even more despicable.

[Altura Ct.]

FU Turtle. YOU are a problem

[joe fonebone]

Well...
Let’s run the numbers...
What percentage of MAGA candidates got elected?
What percentage of bush league chamber of commerce worshipping republiCAN’Ts got elected?
The numbers tell the story.
And the numbers say.....
Drum roll....
turtle got his ass handed to him...
His few victories were when he campaigned AGAINST MAGA....

[Yogafist]

I’m surprised he could take time out from helping the democrats destroy America to do a press conference. Maybe if McConnell actually represented the voters who sent him to Washington, he wouldn’t have a 7% approval rating and might anctually have a shread of influence over voters.

[CFW]

McConnell does not have the best interests of conservatives, or the nation, at heart. Keep that in mind if you are one to nod along as you listen to his complaining.

McConnell’s job was to support the candidates for Senate as elected by the GOP voters in each State. It matters not if they were selected or endorsed by Trump. Not only did McConnell not support these candidates, in some cases he actively worked against them. McConnell failed at his job and now wants to blame others, including the voters themselves.

[euram]

So, that’s why McConnell attacked the candidates, refused to fund them, and then blamed their loss on Trump. It sounds more like we have a McConnell problem rather than a candidate quality problem. Candidate quality really doesn’t seem to matter since we have an Alzheimer’s president, and a stroke senator and the dems voted for two dead candidates (maybe since the dead are a large constituent segment for the dems they thought that two dead people should represent them).

[DeplorablePaul]

BS. RINOs said the same thing about Tea Party candidates years ago. RINOs only want candidates loyal to them. Witness cocaine’s support for Murkowski, the most abhorrent fake Republican woman. It’s time we boycott RINO candidates. Commie Democrats can ruin the country only marginally worse than Vichy Republicans.

[Bratch]

Mitch McConnell Laments the Problem with Voters: “Our Ability to Control the Primary Outcome Was Quite Limited in 2022″…

December 13, 2022 | Sundance | 355 Comments

Earlier today, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell discussed the greatest problem for the Republican Party as it exists with voters.  Allowing people to vote is not in the best interests of the Republican Party.  If the politicians could just devise a government system that didn’t need voters to support it, things would be much better.

As noted by Mitch McConnell,

“Our ability to control the primary outcome was quite limited in 2022 because of the support of the former president. Hopefully in the next cycle, we’ll have quality candidates everywhere.” 

Unless and until the Republican Party can figure out how to get around the voting, installing the correct type of Republicans will always be problematic.

The ability of the American people to vote is THE major hurdle for the Republican Senate leadership to overcome.  

WATCH:

Sen. McConnell Discusses Importance Of ‘Quality Candidates’ In Elections

[Huskrrrr]

FU Bitch, your party doesn’t get one dime of my money.

[Travis McGee]

Count Cocaine Mitch as leading the “we must have done something wrong” crowd.

DeSantis 2024 Is a Trap:
If voter fraud is not addressed, it doesn’t matter who the candidate is, because democracy in America won’t exist.

> By Dan Gelernter / December 12, 2022

https://amgreatness.com/2022/12/12/desantis-2024-is-a-trap/
[Conclusion]
“If we don’t address voter fraud, it doesn’t matter who the candidate is because democracy in America won’t exist, and your vote won’t matter—just as it hasn’t mattered for two years. How did we get from a prosperous nation and global peace to where we are now? It wasn’t just COVID. It was you. And it was me. Our government denied us the most important right we have—they stole our votes. And we said, “OK, I guess it must have been something we did.”
[rest at link]

[ifinnegan]

This has been their idiotic argument for decades.

But their candidates always lose.

1994. It took and Gingrich and Limbaugh. Not Gope.

2010 Tea Party, Palin and Beck.

Trump won in 2016 (and 20), none of theirs came close.

This year. Maga took house despite fraud and Rino opposition.

Rino Gope always loses.

Their argument isn’t premised on fact.

And worse, they try to make it fact by actively working against conservative candidates.

[Irish Eyes]

Not only did McConnell not support these candidates, in some cases he actively worked against them. McConnell failed at his job and now wants to blame others, including the voters themselves.

Blake Masters in AZ for one that McConnell worked against.

[JBW1949]

McConnell is just hoping he’ll die while in office...He is scared to death of having to come out and live with the “little people”...