Carl Hulse
New York Times
December 21, 2019, 7:06 AM PST
WASHINGTON — Shattering convention, he held open a Supreme Court seat for 11 months. He twice changed Senate rules to create a record-setting assembly line of conservative federal judicial confirmations. He has been ruthless in his control of the Senate floor, denying Republicans and Democrats alike much opportunity to debate legislation.
In response, Democrats have called Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the majority leader, the grim reaper. He embraces the nickname with enthusiasm.
Now, as a showdown intensifies over President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, the test for McConnell is whether he can again bulldoze over Democrats while keeping his Republican colleagues together, persuading them to share both his low regard for the impeachment charges and his view of the Senate’s role.
As his successful blockade of Judge Merrick Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court showed in 2016, McConnell is not afraid to defy norms and take intense heat for doing so, as long as he emerges a winner.
Story Continues
Bugs Marlowe
Article URL : https://www.yahoo.com/news/mitch-mcconnell-master-blockade-plots-150606979.html