We didn't think McConnell's relationship could get any icier with his Republican Senate colleagues, but we apparently thought wrong.
Last month his more moderate — or at least less obstructionist — colleagues openly called "bullshit" on McConnell and compared him to President Obama, saying McConnell was "leading from behind."
Then came this story from yesterday, with Sen. Susan Collins of Maine directly calling out McConnell for bullying her and other Republican senators to filibuster and kill a transportation funding bill:
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the top Republican on the panel that wrote the $54 billion transportation bill, appeared to grope for an explanation for why Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) worked so hard to kill her legislation.
Asked if McConnell's upcoming primary fight with a tea party challenger might have something to do with the pressure, Collins told POLITICO: "I can't speculate on why. All I can tell you is he has never worked harder against a member of his own party than he did against me today."
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As the bill was facing a crucial procedural hurdle Thursday, McConnell posted himself at the desk where senators cast their votes, eyeing each Republican as they approached to signal their preference to the clerk. McConnell also spent much of the week publicly and privately rallying rank-and-file members to vote down the bill.
Forget leading from behind, that's bullying from the front of the chamber.
McConnell also gave this giant bear hug to the Budget Control Act's sequestration cuts that are rapidly gutting the economy:
Asked the same question, McConnell instead portrayed the vote as a sign of the GOP's commitment to abide by the limits of the 2011 bipartisan deal known as the Budget Control Act. "We need to indicate we're going to keep our word around here."
One very interesting aspect of McConnell's actions yesterday is that the pervious day, Congressman Hal Rogers of Kentucky's 5th District lashed out at his Republican colleagues for killing the vote on their own transportation funding bill, calling out sequestration as a disaster:
"I am extremely disappointed with the decision to pull the bill from the House calendar today. The prospects for passing this bill in September are bleak at best, given the vote count on passage that was apparent this afternoon. With this action, the House has declined to proceed on the implementation of the very budget it adopted just three months ago. Thus, I believe that the House has made its choice: sequestration – and its unrealistic and ill-conceived discretionary cuts – must be brought to an end. And, it is also clear that the higher funding levels advocated by the Senate are also simply not achievable in this Congress.
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The House, Senate and White House must come together as soon as possible on a comprehensive compromise that repeals sequestration, takes the nation off this lurching path from fiscal crisis to fiscal crisis, reduces our deficits and debt, and provides a realistic topline discretionary spending level to fund the government in a responsible – and attainable – way."
LEO Weekly asked Rogers' spokesperson at his congressional office and Appropriations Committee what he thought about McConnell's actions and words yesterday, but they have not responded.
I can't remember a single time that McConnell and Rogers have squabbled publicly, but if there was ever a time that this would happen, it would be right about now.
But at least McConnell's new Tea Party friends on his right flank in Congress have his back, right?
And even some of McConnell's current Senate colleagues — particularly those who were themselves little-known tea party candidates before they won races that the national party never thought they were supposed to win — aren't necessarily backing McConnell in the May 2014 primary.
"That's a decision for the people of Kentucky to make," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said when asked on Thursday if he planned to support McConnell over Bevin.
"I think Sen. McConnell is very capable of taking that challenge on himself," said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., adding that he doesn't typically involve himself in primaries. "Pretend we never talked," he said, laughing.
Asked a follow up question about whether he planned to support Bevin or McConnell, Lee said: "You've gone off topic. Thank you though."
Yes, that would be three of McConnell's GOP Senate colleagues refusing to endorse his re-election over primary challenger Matt Bevin, one of which — Sen. Cruz — is the vice chair of the National Senatorial Campaign Committee, the organization that has refrained from defending McConnell against Bevin's attacks so far.
These three Senators are also one of the small group trying to shutdown the government in order to defund Obamacare, a cause that McConnell is actively seeking to undermine by twisting a few senators' arms to withdraw their pledge of support. Freedom Works — the PAC that helped Tea Party challenger Richard Mourdock oust Sen. Dick Lugar across the river in Indiana last year — finally directed their aim at McConnell in an email blast this week over this action. It would be an understatement to say that McConnell doesn't want Freedom Works on his back until next May's primary election.
McConnell still has Sen. Rand Paul as his blood oath alliance partner, but at this rate, he might soon be one of the only Republican senators to not give him dagger eyes in the Senate chambers.
rest http://fatlip.leoweekly.com/2013/08/02/mitch-mcconnell-losing-congressional-gop-friends-at-rapid-rate/
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