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U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is assisted by staff as he goes to the Senate Chamber to vote on December 11, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
Mitch McConnell closes out his Senate career with misplaced repentance, writes John Casey in an op-ed.
In a final attempt to reclaim a shred of credibility, Mitch McConnell recently voted against Donald Trump’s controversial Cabinet nominees Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary, Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health secretary. He’s also gone public by speaking out against Trump’s tariffs.
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After his no vote on Gabbard Wednesday, I saw a post with a news story about McConnell’s defiance and a comment that said, “Finally, he’s coming to his senses.”
Um, excuse me? Have you been paying attention for the last 20 years? If you are angry at the corruption, graft, and shredding of democracy that is currently engulfing the U.S. government, you can put the blame squarely at McConnell’s feet.
McConnell had multiple opportunities to stop Trump’s rise, to protect democratic institutions, and to prevent extremist policies from taking hold. At every critical moment, he chose power over principle. His last-minute resistance is nothing more than an empty gesture.
Perhaps the only reason McConnell is repentant now is that as he starts to age, most notably with falling down Capitol steps, he’s realizing he’s going to meet his maker soon. I should imagine St. Peter at the Pearly Gates of Heaven saying to him, “What makes you think I’m going to let you in?”
McConnell has spent decades in the U.S. Senate operating with a singular focus — the accumulation and wielding of power, no matter the cost to American democracy. The long-term consequences of his ruthless maneuvering are coming into full view, with the country lurching from one crisis to another, and many of them most certainly stemming from his cold, calculated political choices.
From stacking the courts to enabling Donald Trump’s authoritarian ambitions, McConnell has left a legacy of dysfunction, injustice, and a Supreme Court poised to unravel fundamental rights.
Now do you see why McConnell is to blame for you being so distraught?
In February 2021, McConnell had a chance to excise Trumpism from American politics once and for all. After the January 6 insurrection, Trump was impeached for inciting an attack on the U.S. Capitol. Yet despite acknowledging Trump’s guilt, McConnell refused to vote for conviction.
His justification? A procedural excuse that a former president could not be impeached, even though he was still in office when the process began. Had McConnell and 10 other Republican senators voted to convict, Trump would have been barred from running for office again. Instead, McConnell’s cowardice allowed Trump to remain a political force, leading directly to the authoritarian chaos we see today.
McConnell’s most infamous power play came in 2016 when he blocked Merrick Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Under the guise of an invented rule that a president in their final year cannot appoint a justice, McConnell stonewalled Garland’s confirmation, holding the seat open for a Republican president.
When Trump won, McConnell expedited Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation. And toward the end of Trump's first term, McConnell allowed Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation to go forward, hypocritically reversing the stand he had taken when Garland's nomination came up. That cemented a conservative supermajority, and the 6-3 court would go on to gut abortion rights in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade and ending federal protections for reproductive freedom. Millions of Americans lost bodily autonomy overnight, and GOP-controlled states rushed to impose near-total abortion bans, leading to medical crises and legal confusion across the country.
And who can forget the same court also ruled that U.S. presidents can have unlimited immunity from prosecution? This was its way to let Trump know that if he won the 2024 election, he could do anything he wanted and not face prosecution. And with only a couple weeks in office, Trump is already breaking the law and thumbing his nose at the Constitution.
Now do you see why McConnell is to blame for you being so distraught?
McConnell’s stacking of the court has also put LGBTQ+ rights at risk. Trump has already began his assault on our community. And he’s been busy targeting marginalized groups without consequence. Justice Clarence Thomas has already signaled an interest in overturning Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark ruling that established marriage equality nationwide. If the conservative majority follows through, McConnell will be directly responsible for upending the lives of millions of LGBTQ+ Americans.
Now do you see why McConnell is to blame for you being so distraught?
Beyond judicial manipulation, McConnell’s destructive legislative acumen has caused deep harm in other arenas. One glaring example is his role in exacerbating income inequality. As Senate majority leader, he spearheaded the passage of the 2017 GOP tax cuts, a windfall for corporations and the wealthy. The law slashed the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, ballooned the deficit, and did little for working Americans. While billionaires saw their fortunes skyrocket, average wages stagnated, and income inequality widened.
This McConnell-engineered redistribution of wealth helped create the conditions for today’s economic instability, where essential services are underfunded, and millions of Americans struggle to make ends meet.
Now do you see why McConnell is to blame for you being so distraught?
McConnell’s no votes on Hegseth and Gabbard mean absolutely nothing. Why does he suddenly feel the need to buck Trump now?
McConnell’s legacy is one of calculated destruction. His actions have eroded democratic norms, stacked the judiciary with extremists, and enabled the rise of authoritarianism. Long after he leaves office, the consequences of his ruthless ambition will continue to haunt the nation.
Now do you see why McConnell is to blame for you being so distraught?
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