Can Conservatives Get Rid of Mitch McConnell? And Should They? – Opinion

Republicans are often asked to take action on Mitch McConnell. And I get it. He’s a creature of the establishment, he has not exactly been the kindest guy toward upstart conservatives coming to Washington D.C., and he has never really been so much as ally of Trump as he was just on the same side for certain issues.

RedState has covered McConnell in detail. We condemn his more establishment-like behavior, but we also admit that McConnell’s overturning the Constitution is a good thing. Roe V. Wade wouldn’t have happened without him. I have affectionately referred to him as a “supervillain” on at least one occasion.

Conservatives feel upset that McConnell cast doubts on pro-Trump candidates, who currently struggle in Senate races. Over at the conservative site Rvivr, Jeff Crouere also writes that McConnell’s fear of low-quality Senate candidates is shameful.

McConnell is 80 years old and has spent most of the last six decades of his life in Washington D.C. as a member of the “Swamp.” He started working in Washington D.C. as a U.S. Senate intern in 1964 at the age of twenty-two. McConnell held various positions throughout the 20-year period in Washington D.C. and Kentucky before he was elected to the U.S. Senate.

McConnell is a moderate Republican candidate, so it’s not surprising. He despises the Tea Party movement.

McConnell represents the kind of Republican who can live with U.S. Sens. Mitt Romney (R.UT), Lisa Murkowski, (R.AK), Congresswoman Liz Cheney and members of Bush’s family. He is the epitome of the party’s problem.

It’s a sentiment that many in the conservative movement feel fairly regularly. It’s frustrating at times to see the most conservative actions possible not get taken, and to see the Republican Party self-moderate in order to score a deal, rather than negotiate from the farthest position so they can walk away with a meaningful victory or two.

The However, Wall Street JournalMcConnell is key to financing elections, which does highlight a problem for conservatives.

The biggest campaign story last week wasn’t Mitch McConnell’s warning that Republicans might not retake the Senate in November. That’s been clear since the party nominated so many candidates whose main advantage was support from Donald Trump. That those candidates were now calling for Mr. McConnell’s help was the big news.

Exhibit A: Ohio is where Mr. McConnell and the Super Pac joined forces. The Senate Leadership Fund is investing $28 million in Ohio to help J.D. Vance. The “Hillbilly Elegy” author won the primary in a divided field after Mr. Trump endorsed him. As he pursued the populist left, Vance struggled to get money from his GOP donor network. This worked in the primary but might not be sufficient to win in November.

Mitch McConnell
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

One advantage of Old Guard/Establishment is having regular donors. Another part of this advantage is that party allies know people who can win regularly in elections. It didn’t matter if Mitch McConnell was able to overcome many challenges.

That’s the biggest issue going forward for conservatives. It really does look like McConnell is only leaving D.C. when he wants to, so you’ve got to figure out how to work with him or work around him. Are these Trump-backed conservatives capable of doing that? They’ve been outspoken about the desire to get McConnell out of power, but when the time comes, will they be able to pull it off?

It’s hard to imagine any outcome that isn’t “Well, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” We’ve seen that many times in the years since the Tea Party movement. And, to be absolutely fair to McConnell, there has been a fundamental transformation of the judicial branch because he held his ground and worked to get as many conservative judges onto the bench as possible in Trump’s four years as President. He may not have gotten fiscal reforms through the Senate (and, frankly, it doesn’t look like he ever really cared about such things), but there is something to be said for the successes he has brought to conservatives.

I’m no fan of the leader of the Republicans in the Senate, but it’s hard to see any movement that knocks him out of power. Either you will continue to work against him, or you’ll be able to work with him. The question becomes, though, if you can work with him without being seen as a sellout… or becoming one.

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