McConnell is a Clear and Present Danger

At no other time in history has this country had so many self-centered, egocentric, and hypocritical leaders.  There have been one or two scattered about throughout the years, but nothing like today.  My Mama would have said “they’re too big for their britches.”  One particular man is busting out his seams.  He sneers, he is dismissive.  He’s like a mob boss.  His minions do not like him, but they are too afraid to stand up and tell him when he’s wrong.  After all, he can make or break them personally.  This man relishes the fact that he is a villain.  This man is Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell. (Who did you think I was talking about?)

MITCH MCCONNELL is second only to Donald Trump as the chief demolitionist of our country.  The difference is McConnell flies under the radar and operates behind closed doors.  One day, this country may overcome the damage Trump is doing.  As for McConnell, his actions will erase all the progress made in the past one hundred years and it will take nearly a hundred years to repair the damage.  (If we’re lucky).  McConnell is stacking the bench!

WHEN TRUMP was elected, I thought that leaders like McConnell would do what they were elected to do, and that was to preserve and protect our country and constitution, and to serve as a check on a President run amok.  At that time, I was optimistic that even Republican leaders would do the right thing.  I could not have been more wrong.

LET’S TAKE a look at McConnell’s history.  After McConnell divorced, he married Elaine in 1993.   Elaine, now 64, immigrated to this country when she was eight and spoke no English.  On Elaine’s website, she tells the grueling story of she and her family’s journey on a cargo ship from China. Her sister nearly died.  She said the family never gave up on the promise of America.  She was right!  Her family was welcomed to this country, not separated.  Elaine was not put in a cage.  Her parents were not shipped back to China.   Elaine now serves as Secretary of Transportation in Trump’s cabinet—Elaine Chao.

TODAY BOTH, Elaine Chao and her husband, Mitch McConnell have zero sympathy for immigrants.  It’s the attitude I abhor in people: “I’ve got mine, now to hell with you.”  McConnell has blocked sensible immigration policies for years now.  He has done all within his power to punish “Dreamers.” 

ELAINE’S FATHER built a lucrative shipping business and is very wealthy today, thanks to America’s welcoming immigration policy.  McConnell came to the Senate, not as a poor man, but had the wealth one would expect from a man with his background.  Now McConnell is the tenth richest Senator, thanks to his wife, Elaine.  In 2008, financial disclosures revealed Elaine gifted him a tax-exempt money market fund valued between $5 million and $25 million. He is now the 10^th richest man in the Senate.  I only mention McConnell’s wealth because it may explain his actions.  McConnell supported Rand Paul in the Presidential election, not Trump.  His wife who has made him a very wealthy man, works closely with Donald Trump. Take note of future photo ops as Chao stares adoringly up at Trump.  McConnell is carrying Trump’s water for himself and his wife.

TRUMP OWES McConnell bigly!  McConnell pulled every trick available to him to block Obama’s rightful appointment of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court.  He claimed it was “tradition” that no appointments would be made in an election year.  Lie!  Garland was a consensus nominee that would uphold the Constitution regardless of Party.   Then Trump nominated Gorsuch, clearly biased and bound by his personal ideology.  McConnell could not get Gorsuch confirmed by playing fair and going by the rule that a Supreme Court Nominee must get 60 votes to be confirmed.  So, he changed the long-held rule.  Some would argue that a Supreme Court position is more important than the President’s.  However, now a nominee only has to have a simple majority.  Clearly this rule change is not in the best interest of our country for such an important position.

NOW ONCE again, McConnell is large and in charge of making sure all the progress made in this country during the past one hundred years will surely be erased.  He is running interference for Trump to appoint another right-wing Justice.  Gone will be women’s rights, gay rights, immigration policy, gerrymandering, affirmative action, and on and on.  Remember, these Justices only have to receive a simple majority of the Senate vote.  That is not the same as simple majority of the people who make up our country.  Plus, we cannot vote them out in 4 or 6 years if we don’t like what they are doing. 

MCCONNELL HAS done nothing to protect our country from Russian interference in our elections.  He has refused to pass a bi-partisan bill to protect Robert Mueller’s investigation.  He has refused to pass a bill to protect “Dreamers” and he is silent on the cruel, inhumane treatment of Immigrants.  In my opinion, he and his wife, Elaine Chao, are at the top of the list of hypocrites.  That’s also why I think Mitch McConnell is a clear and present danger to our society.

 MEANWHILE, McConnell grins over his latest coup, toddlers and children are crying for their Mama’s and Daddy’s and sleeping on cold concrete floors.  Meanwhile, five more people are killed by gun violence.  This 4^th of July, I feel more like mourning than celebrating.  No matter what you decide to do this 4^th, I hope you make a memory.