Time for Mitch to Go? Probably not

Many of us have experienced living in the vicinity of that “perfect couple” that seems ideally suited to each other. They’re great neighbors and the picture of domestic bliss… at least until “something” happens and a trigger is tripped. Suddenly you hear shouting coming from the house when you walk past and they stop showing up for parties. That’s pretty much what seems to be going on in the Senate GOP these days. The “something” in question was the disastrous border bill and it’s caused a rift between Mitch McConnell and some of his detractors who are publicly criticizing him. A couple have gone so far as to call for a change of leadership, including Utah Senator Mike Lee. For his part, McConnell is blowing them off, saying, “They had their shot.” (Associated Press)

After months of negotiations and delays, the Senate on Thursday voted to move forward on legislation that would provide wartime aid to Ukraine and Israel. While far from a final vote, it was a momentary victory for Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, a strong supporter of the aid for Ukraine, in particular, despite a growing number in his party who have opposed it.

But the deep Republican divide over the aid, along with contentious debate over a border policy compromise with Democrats that was blocked by GOP senators earlier this week, has recently left a small group of senators in his conference fuming — and some even calling for his removal.

“WE NEED NEW LEADERSHIP — NOW,” Utah Sen. Mike Lee posted on X after the text of the border bill was released on Sunday evening. He added in another post, “Senate GOP leadership screwed this up — and screwed us.”

At least for now, it doesn’t appear that McConnell is in any danger of losing his position. The number of people calling for his removal is still relatively small, though there are more than a few complaining over recent events. That could change, however, depending on how much of a revolt he faces over the next round of Ukraine funding. It also doesn’t help him that his relationship with Donald Trump is… complicated at best. It’s being reported that the two of them haven’t even spoken in more than a year.

It’s important not to lose sight of McConnell’s history, particularly with Trump, and the credit he rightly earned for himself. Mitch skillfully set up one approval of Trump’s judicial nominees after another, including three seats on the Supreme Court, but also on benches all across the country. It was one of his primary areas of focus, and he helped usher in changes that will long outlast his tenure as Senate Minority Leader.

But at the same time, the party has been undergoing a period of change and Mitch McConnell increasingly seems to have been left behind. Traditional neoconservative trends and retail politics have fallen increasingly out of favor, replaced by a greater emphasis on protecting the working class and a general “America First” attitude. It would be easy to say that much of that was driven by Donald Trump, but it was already happening before he came down the golden escalator. Trump was really just the messenger that many had been looking for.

Unfortunately, McConnell largely missed the boat. He’s been around for a long time and is very likely stuck in his ways. He’s not a liberal by any means, but he’s not heading in the same direction as an increasing majority of conservative voters. His willingness to blithely walk into the Democrats’ trap with the border bill in the name of giving the measure the patina of bipartisanship was simply a bridge too far. And his continued, unabashed support for more Ukraine funding without restrictions also places him out of step with a growing segment of his caucus. 

Again, I don’t expect to see Mitch McConnell going anywhere any time soon. The votes don’t exist to remove him as Minority Leader and he clearly doesn’t sound like he plans to step down voluntarily. But he’s in his 80s already and claims he hasn’t made up his mind about running for another term. The Senate GOP really needs to start thinking about who might step up to fill his shoes, though perhaps not until after we make it through this election.