It must be very frustrating for President Trump. He’s clearly sees what needs to be done politically to counter attacks from the left, but the political pygmies that surround him refuse to cooperate. And I’m not referring to the Democrats. This particular pygmy is Curator of the Senate Mitch McConnell.
The Curator would be much more comfortable if Trump were not the president.
McConnell wouldn’t be under any pressure to defend the White House. He wouldn’t be expected to push legislation past Hillary’s veto. He could quietly be his preferred passive-aggressive self - blocking Hillary’s Big Government initiatives when required, dodging social issues supported by the base, and gaining the occasional favorable headline from the Opposition Media in exchange for passing ‘bipartisan,’ budget–breaking spending bills.
McConnell could continue to burnish his reputation for inertia by claiming he’s playing his risible “long game,” when the only time horizon he’s interested in lengthening is his time in office.
Trump might as well have Bartleby the Scrivener as Majority Leader.
Here is an example of what McConnell might do if he were an ally of conservatives and the president. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee is Rep. Adam Schiff (D–Bug Eyes). His latest in a long line of abuses of power is the release of phone records of the ranking Republican on the committee, Rep. Devin Nunes.
The Washington Examiner reports Schiff claimed he found “it deeply concerning at a time when the president of the United States was using the power of his office to dig up dirt on a political rival, that there may be evidence of members of Congress complicit in that activity.”
The fact there is no crime alleged, there was no probable cause and Kommissar Schiff isn’t part of a law enforcement agency doesn’t bother the Opposition Media or the left. Anyone is fair game in their effort to nullify the 2016 election.
This is where Mitch McConnell should demonstrate that two can play at that game. He would quietly instruct the chairman of the Senate equivalent to subpoena Schiff’s records and then release the information.
That would immediately get Schiff’s attention and more important get Nancy Pelosi’s attention. I predict pencil-neck Schiff would soon find himself on a very short leash.
Democrats get away with these abuses of power because there are no consequences. And there will continue to be no consequences on McConnell’s snooze. A source told the Examiner, “the GOP is considering ‘a wide variety of strong responses’ to Schiff’s actions.” No doubt ranging from sending a hot letter to hiring hot lawyers. Neither having any deterrent value for Schiff.
McConnell won’t even punish the leftist House for its Illegitimate impeachment. Trump’s instincts here are exactly right. He’s been under a constant barrage of negative coverage over the so–called Ukraine scandal.
Schiff’s committee wouldn’t allow Republicans to call witnesses and Schiff blocked some questioning. The entire show trial was a one–sided attempt by the power–hungry left to propagandize the American people.
Trump has a chance to clear his name during the Senate trial. In a report from CNN that’s remarkable for finally portraying Trump accurately, the president is eager to finally have a chance to tell his side of the story and turn the tables on the left:
“[A highly visible Senate trial] is exactly what Trump wants. He’s made clear to advisers privately that rather than end the trial as quickly as possible, he is hoping for a dramatic event ...He wants Hunter Biden, Adam Schiff and the whistleblower to testify. He wants the witnesses to be live, not clips of taped depositions. And he’s hoping to turn it into a spectacle, which he thinks is his best chance to hurt Democrats in the election.”
The public will have an opportunity to hear the other side of the ‘impeachment’ story that Democrats and their leftist stenographers in the Opposition Media have done their best to hide.
It’s a once-in-an-administration opportunity for Trump to finally set the record straight in a forum the OpMedia won’t be able to ignore.
Naturally, McConnell won’t do it. Mainly because there’s nothing in it for him.
Acting as the modern embodiment of Edmund Burke’s despised “false, reptile prudence,” CNN reports McConnell told the White House, “he hopes to end the trial as soon as he can, an effort to both get impeachment off his lap and protect his conference from potentially damaging votes should the process break out into partisan warfare.”
McConnell’s own words prove he’s either an idiot or a coward. “Partisan warfare” broke out almost three years ago. The question is will Mitch continue collaborating with the enemy or will he finally join the fight to support the administration and the 63 million voters who elected it.
Michael Shannon is a commentator and public relations consultant. He can be reached at mandate.mmpr@gmail.com.
