Watching Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell operate during Justice Kavanaugh’s hearings should be studied by students of politics on both sides of the aisle.
During all the noise, turmoil, accusations, attacks, and demonstrations, Senator McConnell stood firm.
He was calm in his demeanor and firm in his resolve. He never wavered in his belief that Judge Kavanaugh would be confirmed to the Supreme Court.
His quiet confidence resonated with the Republican Caucus in the Senate and for those who were on the fence he practiced the “art of persuasion” giving the few who were undecided on his team time and political cover to make up their minds.
This is the second time he has delivered a Supreme Court Justice for conservatives and President Trump and it will likely ensure both their legacies.
In fact, to date the majority leader has shepherded through 69 judicial confirmations, including Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh.
His impact on the “Judiciary” cannot be understated.
He, along with President Trump, is reshaping the philosophical makeup of the courts for decades to come.
No longer will Left wing activists be able to cherry pick courts to get a result that they were unable to get from their respective legislatures or from Congress.
Simply stated, it will be much more difficult for the Left to legislate from the bench.
And it will be less likely that the “Left” will be able to stifle the Trump agenda on a myriad of issues — which brings me to the lame duck session of Congress in November.
Recently, Leader McConnell set the stage for another monumental fight with the Democrats when he stated, “we are committed to helping the president get wall funding.” And House Republican Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has signaled that he intends to introduce legislation to fully fund the “wall” and numerous other border security priorities of the president.
Add to that the fact that the federal government runs out of money December 7 and McConnell has a great deal on his plate. Jockeying for dollars by the federal agencies, the special interests, and the lobbyists will be intense.
And to be clear — the president is threatening to shut down the government if funding for the “wall” is not included in the upcoming continuing budget resolution.
To achieve his budget priorities President Trump has continued to urge Leader McConnell to end the legislative filibuster that requires 60 votes for a spending bill to pass.
He wants a simple majority to pass legislation. To me, that seems to be a reasonable request — especially after the hyper-partisanship of the Kavanaugh hearings, the harassment of Republican senators in the halls of the Senate and the “demonstrations” at the Supreme Court.
The “Left” and their proxies Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi clearly have one goal and that is to “resist” any and of all of the president’s agenda. And by any means necessary.
Will Senator McConnell deliver on the president’s signature issue, building the wall?
Only time will tell.
But what is clear is that this may well be the last best chance for ensuring sovereign American borders.
Marc Rotterman worked on the national campaign for Reagan for president in 1980. He currently serves as senior fellow at the John Locke Foundation. He is the host of "Front Row" on UNC-TV and The NC Channel. Follow him on Twitter @FrontRowmarc. For more of his reports — Click Here Now.
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