Read on Twitter
I cannot yet quite articulate why but my gut instinct is that this is a huge sign of weakness on his part. https://twitter.com/jimvandehei/status/1324324844645863424
To be clear: I feel that McConnell is weak. I feel that this is chest-puffery. Can’t rationally explain but that’s my feeling.
Okay, let me talk it out to myself a little, I think this sense on my part may be coming from a couple of places.
1. Why the FUCK is he so bluntly and openly telegraphing how ruthlessly he intends to break norms again? Months ahead of time?
1. Why the FUCK is he so bluntly and openly telegraphing how ruthlessly he intends to break norms again? Months ahead of time?
It reminds me of how the Trump campaign spent months crowing to Axios about their legal strategy to contest the election and as a result we were all ready and knew exactly what they were doing.
On the one hand Biden has made noises about being conciliatory, and I’m concerned about that. I have been concerned about that since he announced his run.
On the other hand, he had a front row seat for what happened in the Obama administration.
On the other hand, he had a front row seat for what happened in the Obama administration.
In the second debate, Trump was like WHY DIDN’T YOU GET X DONE and Biden looked at him and said simply, “we had a Republican House.”
I think Biden tacks too much toward institutionalism and does not fully grasp that the old ways no longer work. I also don’t think he’s a total fool. I also think he’s highly transactional.
I also don’t think he likes being bullied.
I also don’t think he likes being bullied.
So here we have Mitch McConnell, virtually screaming at Biden that he fully intends to be a shameless fucking bully, and if you asked me to bet money on whether Biden would bend to that pressure or bristle and get his back up, I’d bet toward the latter.
I think taking this attitude toward Biden, openly and with months to go, in a situation where IF the GOP holds the Senate they will do by the SKIN of their teeth, when Democrats are already mad and many want revenge of some kind, is wildly bizarrely foolish.
I should say that I’ve long been irritated by McConnell’s rep for being some kind of Machiavellian genius. He’s not. He’s good at shameless brute force and exploiting Democratic spinelessness but I think he’s neither subtle nor especially clever.
And he’s not being subtle now. He’s flailing. This reads to me as flailing, and it’s weird flailing, because again, if they hold the Senate they are not doing so by much and I expect him to have a much harder time holding onto his caucus.
With Trump gone, with an energized and engaged Democratic base, with a bunch of GOP Senators having gone through a much harder reelection race than they expected to, I do not see him being in a particularly strong position.
So this feels to me like puffery.
So this feels to me like puffery.
Maybe it’s not. Maybe I’m missing something. But if he was confident, if he was genuinely secure in what he intends to do, I just don’t see him doing this, because I don’t feel like he’d need to.
I think this may be him trying to put public pressure on a caucus he sees potentially slipping through his fingers.
Biden should look at this, laugh, and appoint whoever he fucking wants to just like Trump has.
Biden should look at this, laugh, and appoint whoever he fucking wants to just like Trump has.
I think McConnell is also counting too much on Democrats being staunch institutionalists, because while I don’t trust them to *not* be, they’ve had four years to see just what the fuck nastiness of the game is, and you have Chris gd Coons talking about stuff like expanding SCOTUS
The last four years—and in particular the last year—have had a radicalizing effect on even more moderate Dems.
Again, I could be wrong, but I really don’t think this will necessarily be a replay of Obama’s second term, and I think this is McConnell trying to make it be that.
Again, I could be wrong, but I really don’t think this will necessarily be a replay of Obama’s second term, and I think this is McConnell trying to make it be that.
Long story short: as I said, my gut feeling is that if McConnell truly felt confident, he wouldn’t be doing something like this in a way that may very well backfire on him.
Biden has said a number of things like this that have made me perk up, yes. Him and moderate Dems—stuff like “Well, we don’t WANT to expand the court/get rid of the filibuster. We hope it doesn’t come to that”. https://twitter.com/jswallow3/status/1324455141723033601
Also Biden has all but explicitly said that he’d give McConnell a fair chance to play ball and then run the fuck over him if/when he refuses.
I think he’s weak, and I think the people moaning about how Biden won’t do anything are being premature.
I think he’s weak, and I think the people moaning about how Biden won’t do anything are being premature.
Regardless, this does not feel to me like a show of force with any real power behind it.
This is not an invitation to send me your takes on how Biden will be disappointing. I don’t care about your feelings.
Also I promise you have nothing new to tell me.
I’m really puzzled about why, when I say things like this, I get responses that amount to “I think you’re wrong.” Okay, so? What do you expect me to say to that? I think YOU’RE wrong. Either you buy my reasoning or you don’t. I’m not going to debate you, go away.
