Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority leader, was jeered and heckled by a crowd in his home state as he delivered a speech during the annual “Fancy Farm Picnic.” McConnell’s comments criticizing Kentucky Democrat Governor Andy Beshear were met with extended boos, and chants such as “Retire, retire, retire” and “lost Senate.”
McConnell began his opening sentence with the “boo bird”, which increased in volume.
Even the public address system could not help.
🚨Mitch McConnell gets drowned out by chants of “RETIRE” from his own constituents during a speech in Kentucky.
It’s over for him.
Step down.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 7, 2023
The Fancy Farm Picnic is one of Kentucky’s most important political events. McConnell may have received a warm reception from Democrats, but heckling at the event showed that McConnell has lost favor with Kentucky Republicans.
The humiliation follows a Morning Consult survey that found McConnell to be the least respected senator and an incident where McConnell was disoriented during his press conference and needed to be removed from the microphone.
McConnell’s checkered past is like saying Jeffrey Dahmer has unusual food preferences. He is capable of doing great things for the country and the Republican Party. For example, McConnell was the one who prevented Merrick Garland from being appointed to the Supreme Court and who pushed through the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett during the last days of Trump’s administration.
He is also a sly actor who orchestrated the election of Thad Cochran, a taxidermized Thad. My colleague Neil McCabe has reported that McConnell’s endorsed and supported candidate in the race for lieutenant governor was the vice president and board member of an abortion clinic.
McConnell, too, is a master of Failure Theatre. Failure Theater occurs when a politician or group of politicians makes a big deal about a certain topic, such as abortion, and then never takes action. They continue to use this issue to raise money and run campaigns.
McConnell is responsible for the same Senate that allows Joe Biden to push through the judicial nominees of more than 100 progressive activists, as well as for Biden’s Supreme Court nomination.
McConnell prefers to be a leader of a small group of bootlickers than a majority with men and women who have spine and principles. I believe that McConnell is more interested in power than he is in what he could do with it.
McConnell is older than his politics. We are becoming gerontocracy. Our chosen president is 80. McConnell is 80. Dianne Feinstein, 90, is barely aware of the time. Nancy Pelosi, who is still serving as House Minority Leader at 82 years old, stepped down from her position when she was House Minority Leader. The average age of the Senate shouldn’t be more than 65. It is not fair to keep people in their 80s in power just for their own egos.
My colleague brought up a valid point: McConnell gets treated differently than Joe Biden. However, I do not think it is relevant. McConnell has passed his sell-by date. He is not mentally or physically capable of using his Senate majority in order to stop the Democrats from running wild. He should retire.
