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Goodbye, Cocaine Mitch
Powerlineblog ^ | November 23, 2024 | John Hinderaker

Posted on 11/23/2024 2:32:08 PM PST by lasereye

Mitch McConnell is retiring, prompting an election in the GOP Senate caucus to select a new leader. For reasons that were not clear to me, Florida’s Rick Scott was the favorite of some MAGA Republicans. But the caucus elected John Thune, who served as Whip under McConnell.

In an interview with Breitbart, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson had some strikingly candid comments about the contest for Majority Leader. I have a lot of respect for Johnson, a successful businessman who is serving in politics out of principle and has three times overcome underdog status to win Senate elections in Wisconsin:

“John Thune is not Mitch McConnell. I think what was interesting about our candidate forum the Monday night before the vote is it was pretty much repudiation of Mitch McConnell’s one man dictatorship,” the senator revealed. “It truly was. I mean, there was not much of a difference in terms of how Cornyn, Thune, or Rick Scott spoke, in terms of how they wanted to be a leader,” he said, describing all three of them as “far more collaborative, engaging the conference in developing a strategy, us knowing what the strategy was, no surprises, supporting President Trump, his nominees, [and] his agenda.”

“So that’s what they all said. The conference chose John Thune. I like John. He’s a smart guy. He’s an articulate guy. I’ll do everything I can to help him succeed because he’s committed to helping President Trump succeed. So we move forward,” he said, noting he was a “big supporter” of Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL). But “not because I dislike John Thune and John Cornyn,” he said.

This is the part that I find remarkable:

Speaking of McConnell at the end of the interview, Johnson pointed out that the 82 year old “never sought leverage in all these funding battles” because he actually liked the spending.

“Quite honestly,” he said, “he didn’t really mind…spending” and pointed out “the now $36 trillion in debt under his watch.”

While I don’t claim to be a close personal friend, I have known Thune casually for quite a while. He is a rock-solid conservative, and if McConnell really did have such a casual attitude toward spending, and with the GOP now possessing a three-vote majority, I hope we will see a notable turn to the right in the Senate.


TOPICS: Government; Politics
KEYWORDS: mcconnell; misleadingheadline; notretiring; retirement; thune
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We hadn't heard that he was considering retiring before the election. It seems like the election outcome was behind this.

Sounds like Thune isn't going to be another McConnell.

1 posted on 11/23/2024 2:32:08 PM PST by lasereye
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To: lasereye

Retire? Well, I can see him do that so the Senate can flip one GOP seat to the DEMs. A parting shot to Trump.


2 posted on 11/23/2024 2:34:18 PM PST by CatOwner (Don't expect anyone, even conservatives, to have your back when the SHTF in 2021 and beyond.)
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To: CatOwner

Mitch is retiring as leader but I haven’t heard he was resigning his senate seat.


3 posted on 11/23/2024 2:38:45 PM PST by JayGalt (Fight! Fight! Fight!)
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To: JayGalt

Neither have I, but I can see it go down that path. Tough call on who is more cognizant: McConnell or Biden.


4 posted on 11/23/2024 2:40:36 PM PST by CatOwner (Don't expect anyone, even conservatives, to have your back when the SHTF in 2021 and beyond.)
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To: lasereye

McConnell will become chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and the Rules Committee when the new Congress convenes in January 2025.

McConnell will also take over the Senate Rules Committee.

He is up for reelection in 2026 and has not said if he will run again.

Kentucky should do much better!


5 posted on 11/23/2024 2:42:05 PM PST by clashfan (Deo Vindice)
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To: JayGalt

Apparently he’s not retiring from the Senate. I should not have posted this article, which doesn’t make that clear.


6 posted on 11/23/2024 2:42:07 PM PST by lasereye
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To: lasereye

After checking that pesky constitution thingie, I find a distinct role for the VP clearly spelled out, and his powers listed.
I find no reference to a majority leader, or any powers associated with this made up title and position.
I therefore assume that the VP, who constitutionally presides over the senate, calls it to order, adjourns for the day, and calls recess.
Tell the person in this made up position to either play ball, or have any power he thinks he holds stripped.
The senate is the VP’S domain.
Period


7 posted on 11/23/2024 2:44:08 PM PST by joe fonebone (And the people said NO! The End)
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To: lasereye

“the [corrupt senile RINO traitor] never sought leverage in all these funding battles because he actually liked the spending.”

Imagine that, Mitch was so addicted to spending that as a Republican he was happy sucking the lifeblood out of the American economy, spending money we had to print to beggar the productive middle class. Shameful garbage.


8 posted on 11/23/2024 2:44:38 PM PST by AndyJackson
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To: clashfan

He’s out in 2026.But...he and his people own the GOP organization here. So I have little hope we will get another Rand Paul.

Right now I just want to see Andy Beshear gone. He’s high on my list of despised KY politicians. He’s a baby faced commie IMO.


9 posted on 11/23/2024 2:53:00 PM PST by ChildOfThe60s ("If you can remember the 60s....you weren't really there")
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To: lasereye

Maybe he is retiring to the bottom of a pond. China will certainly have no further use for the turtle.


10 posted on 11/23/2024 2:53:04 PM PST by Empire_of_Liberty
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To: lasereye

Way to get my hopes up! Then again another rino would have taken his place.


11 posted on 11/23/2024 2:53:25 PM PST by toddausauras (Trump won!)
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To: lasereye

Can we get him to go 1/1/2025?


12 posted on 11/23/2024 2:55:20 PM PST by rktman (Destroy America from within ? Check! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this💩? 🚫💉! 🇮🇱👍!)
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To: lasereye

The chicoms killed his Chicom sister in law this year

Shortly after that he said he was stepping down.


13 posted on 11/23/2024 3:02:31 PM PST by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: lasereye
For reasons that were not clear to me, Florida’s Rick Scott was the favorite of some MAGA Republicans.

Those reasons were that Scott was neither Cornyn nor Thune, both of whom have their leashes wrapped around Mitch McConnell's hand.
14 posted on 11/23/2024 3:02:43 PM PST by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: joe fonebone
I find no reference to a majority leader, or any powers associated with this made up title and position.

Well...the Senate gets to make their own rules, don’t they?

15 posted on 11/23/2024 3:10:10 PM PST by gundog (It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. )
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To: lasereye

McConnell committed to resigning the leadership after the failed amnesty bill. I haven’t heard he is leaving the senate.

https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-senate-republican-leader-stepping-down-ba478d570a4561aa7baf91a204d7e366


16 posted on 11/23/2024 3:10:48 PM PST by Yogafist
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To: joe fonebone

The Constitution says nothing about the Republican Party, the Democrat Party or any other political party.

Think of the political parties as unions - collective bargaining. The employees have job titles and positions granted to them by the employer - but in the context of the union, they have union titles that have nothing to with the employer.

N the same manner, party leadership positions are elected by party members, not established by the Constitution.

It dies not mean they are “made up” titles - they are very real.


17 posted on 11/23/2024 3:15:43 PM PST by enumerated (81 million votes my ass)
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To: Yogafist

It appears he is not. The article was not clearly written.


18 posted on 11/23/2024 3:15:50 PM PST by lasereye
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To: ChildOfThe60s

“He’s out in 2026.”

The turtle’s expiration date is up. He will be rolled out in 2025.


19 posted on 11/23/2024 3:21:49 PM PST by bosco24
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To: lasereye

Speaking of McConnell at the end of the interview, Johnson pointed out that the 82 year old “never sought leverage in all these funding battles” because he actually liked the spending. “Quite honestly,” he said, “he didn’t really mind…spending” and pointed out “the now $36 trillion in debt under his watch.”

I don’t know why anyone would be surprised that Mitch McConnell is a big spender. I’ve been pointing it out for years.

Mitch McConnell became the Republican senate leader in 2015.

National debt in 2015: 18 trillion dollars

Current debt 2024: 36 trillion dollars

https://www.usdebtclock.org


20 posted on 11/23/2024 3:25:27 PM PST by Mr. N. Wolfe
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