The problem is that McConnell failed to cultivate a stronger GOP over the last decade because of his own feeble character. It is not so much a matter of Senators reacting to individual constituencies, it is that a feckless GOP leadership bred a weak-minded party that has no experience with nor tolerance for hard-ball politics.
Just compare the behaviors of Pelosi and Schumer in the two weeks prior to Democrats retaking the House with Mcconnell in the same period to see what I mean. They spent a decade honing their party discipline while McConnell, Corker, and the rest created one internal conflict after another, losing crucial seats along the way.
-PJ
It depends on whether the Senator believes he was elected to pursue whatever his constituency wants at the time, or whether he was elected by them to use his judgement.
I prefer the latter, as the former would just vote by whatever the polls showed that day.
You really can't blame the number of Senate seats gained or lost on McConnell. There were a few candidates Trump wanted to run, who chose not to. Do you blame Trump?
Is it really fair to write that McConnell has a feeble character? Is it feeble or is he looking out for the interests of the republican party by making sure Wall Street interests, big donors and the Chamber of Commerce interests come first? After all that's where much of the money comes from and don't you look after the interests of your customers first?
The republican party has a civil war going on in the background and we don't know how it is going to end. But it seems to me, Trump is a one of a kind. There really is no one to take his place and so he is it. He has to prevail and he is doing his best to effect change but can he do it in even two terms in this vast government. Probably not and then we are back to the same old type of swampy leader.