That’s not Simon &Garfunkel you hear singing “Sounds of Silence” somewhere back in the echoes of your mind, that’s Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell overtly remaining mum regarding the fortunes of former President Donald J. Trump and his upcoming battles with John Law.
While other Republicans, notably Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, are publicly wailing about the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune confronting the baron of Mar-a-Lago – Lindsey says the current Stormy Daniels contretemps is “going to destroy America” –McConnell has assumed his Marcel Marceau demeanor with a silence that speaks louder than an atomic blast.
McConnell is the highest-ranking Republican official in the country – House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, of California, is technically in the lead since he is higher in succession to the presidency but is such a boob no one takes him seriously. As the GOP’s top dog, Mitch might be expected to jump to the defense of the party’s once and, perhaps future president, for unity if nothing else.
Ain’t gonna happen.
As everyone knows, that ship sailed a long time ago. While Trump’s sniping has understandably attracted most of the attention – from characterizing McConnell as an “old crow and “disloyal sleazebag’’ to ridiculing his wife, Elaine Chao, calling her “Coco Chow” for God knows what reason – McConnell is drawing notice by remaining quiet.
The backbiting has taken a break recently as both men have had their attentions diverted. Trump is dealing with a 34-count felony indictment in Manhattan for fiddling with corporate records, not to mention at least two other serious probes that may require him to seek the presidency as a resident of Leavenworth, KS.
McConnell, meanwhile, recently suffered a serious fall that left him out of action for a period with a concussion that led to hospitalization. Regardless, it’s highly unlikely McConnell would have had anything to say if Trump’s ranting had continued unabated.
That doesn’t mean the two have decided to let bygones be bygones. What it means is McConnell, following the old, political axion to remain quiet unless it improves the silence, is winning the stand-off. But the confrontation is far from over.
It’s actually a complicated story. The two men are as different as two, conservative Republican politicians can be. Trump demands attention, is intentionally uncivil, profane, and demands one and all to bow to his greatness. McConnell can stand in the corner of a gathering and you would hardly know he’s there. He fancies himself a deal-maker who operates in the background.
The two never really got along during Trump’s four years in office yet enjoyed playing the game by denying the obvious. Trump would occasionally chide McConnell – he was forever on McConnell’s back, for instance, about his desire to deep six the filibuster while more recent history shows why McConnell insisted on keeping it.
So, it was a wedding of convenience. But all pretense ended in 2020 when Trump lost his bid for re-election but claimed victory nonetheless, insisting he actually won “by a lot,” that the outcome was “rigged” and he was the once and future president.
This hooey, of course, led to the Jan. 6 mob riot and the second of the two impeachment efforts against Trump, this one for essentially instigating an insurrection. McConnell, for purely political reasons, put the kibosh on that effort, questioning its legitimacy since Trump had already left office, But he also harshly blamed the Orange Ogre for feeding the insurrectionist fire that resulted in lawmakers trapped in the Capitol fearing for their lives and the damage wrought on a building that stands as a symbol of democracy.
Trump has never acknowledged that McConnell essentially let him off the hook. After all, he expected him to kill impeachment. All Trump heard was the criticism, the sort of thing he, a weak man posing as a bear, could not abide. And he has led the attack on McConnell from that day forth, blaming him for everything up to the kidnapping of the Lindberg baby.
And McConnell has let it all pass, even the insults heaped on his wife.
It bears saying that McConnell performed a remarkable disservice to the public by standing in the way of impeachment. A conviction, even though unlikely given the Republican make-up of the Senate, would have banned Trump from seeking the presidency once again, an outcome McConnell and anyone else with the sense God gave to a goose would appreciate. And a trial would have, at least, softened him up further eroding any support he might otherwise have attracted from independents and the few, remaining moderate Republicans populating the planet.
Instead, the nation is faced with the prospect of another Trump campaign that soils the very ideal of democracy.
McConnell is obviously betting, hoping, really, that Trump serves as his own worst enemy, that the current and potential future indictments render him unworthy, even among those populating the Republican base, of another chance at the White House. It’s the old concept of refusing to get in the way while an opponent hangs himself.
The problem for McConnell is the Republican base is so enamored of Trump – it’s a cult, really – that it won’t abandon him under any circumstance, and that there’s every reason to believe that Trump will defeat all comers in a Republican primary. That outcome would most likely, if not positively, result in a Democratic victory in November 2024, which is not the result McConnell publicly desires.
Or, consider for a moment, Trump’s peccadilloes ultimately result in losing the primary campaign to someone like, say, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is Trump without the personality, which is about as damning a thing you can say about an individual as possible. The idea that Trump will embrace the results and throw his support behind the candidate who defeated him is ludicrous. Can such a scenario actually be imagined? Trump will roar his disapproval and demand that his cult of followers reject DeSantis, or former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, or whomever steps forward to better him.
Trump will split the Republican electorate if he is refused the nomination. He will split the nation, likely resulting in President Biden’s re-election, if he captures it.
Neither outcome would seem overly appealing to McConnell, who would much rather see a Republican in the White House.
At the same time, is it outside the realm of possibility to believe McConnell, in his heart of hearts, would actually prefer Biden over Trump? Trump has already called for his ouster as Senate Republican leader. While he easily dismissed a challenge for the post this year, a majority of his Senate GOP colleagues may very well wind up endorsing Stormy’s ex-boy toy for president. It’s unlikely
McConnell will maintain his leadership post if Trump once again grabs the wheel.
On the other hand, despite their differences, McConnell gets along with Biden, has proved he can work with him and, in fact, voted for the administration’s infrastructure bill (by the way, significant of nothing, the new bridge replacing the Spence between Covington and Cincinnati, might it be named the McConnell bridge? He voted for the bill, helped get the funding, is the longest-serving senator in Kentucky history and, frankly, there’s some justification).
Remember, Biden was ready to nominate a conservative Republican to an open federal court seat in Kentucky as, apparently, a favor to McConnell. It eventually blew up as a result of the usual nitwittery from Sen. Rand Paul, $-JeffYass.
McConnell may very well have a majority to handle when the 119th Congress convenes in January 2025. He won’t be the leader if Trump takes the White House. His situation is obvious.