Strange Bedfellows

(Strange Bedfellows)

How many times have "marriages" of convenience or "political alliances" where the people involved do not necessarily hold each other in high esteem. LBJ was not a fan of JFK but, because there was a need to win Texas in 1960, Johnson was added to the Democrat Ticket. Another more recent story, is the relationship Mitch McConnell has had with Donald Trump. In the 2016 Campaign, McConnell, like most so-called "establishment" Republicans, wanted to discard Trump at the outset, McConnell even wanting to drop the then Republican candidate "like a hot rock."


Senator McConnell was never MAGA. His approach to "America first" was ambivalent at best. In a current Senate Bill, that funds Ukraine and Israel, but the real crisis has been at the southern border. President Biden is seeking some "compromise" where the border would be closed after an illegal entry of 5,000 migrants. Which is missing the point. The idea is to prevent illegal crossings altogether. That has been the stated goal of House Measure, HR-2.


The legislation being drafted in the Senate, one of those bills where the "text" has yet to be written. It has bi-partisan support, one of those instances where so-called moderate Republicans, like McConnell or Senator Romney (R-UT) join with Majority Democrats to advance legislation, regardless of how it assists, or retards, Republican interests.


It is coming increasingly clear that Donald Trump could soon secure the GOP nomination. He is opposing the Senate border bill for the reasons mentioned. That position, in Senator McConnell mind "changed the politics," which tempered the Senate Republican Leader's enthusiasm for the measure. And, it places McConnell in league with Trump. Such recognition is not without precedent. It had been Mitch McConnell, as Senate Majority Leader at the time, denied Merritt Garland a Supreme Court Nomination hearing. Considering how corrupt Garland has been as Attorney General, the decision to cancel the hearing was a sound one.


Then Donald Trump was elected President and former Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D-NV) lowered the threshold for approving Judicial nominees to a simple majority of Senators. So, with a Republican President and at the time, a Republican Senate with a simple Majority needed for judicial confirmation, Trump and McConnell were able to seat three Justices on the High Bench.


That being said, if Senator McConnell wants his future in the Republican Party, he will need Trump's support. McConnell will at some point have to endorse this potential nominee as he will have to adopt a more conciliary tone, but not for Democrats.

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