By Carol Lucas
Dear Sen. Mitch McConnell:
Like so many Democrats in this country, I have viewed much of what you have done during your tenure in the United States Senate with a jaded eye. As I sat today and watched your speech on the Senate floor, I knew there would be those who would rush to praise you, especially those remaining senators who are remotely connected to the former Republican party.
Of course, Susan Collins who stood behind you, physically and philosophically, was quick to gush in her usual fashion.
“I just want to very briefly recognize my good friend, the Republican leader, for his extraordinary service not only to our caucus but more importantly to the Senate as an institution and our country,” Collins said. “His tenure as leader will be remembered not just for its historic longevity but also for his unparalleled devotion to this great institution, which he has always defended.”
I might interject here that I take a bit of umbrage with Ms. Collins, but more on that later.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer shook your hand after your speech in what I can only believe was a sympathetic shake, given what others of your own party had to say.
I soon discovered that those who control the MAGA party of Donald Trump were equally adamant about voicing their feelings regarding your announcement.
First, there was Ted Cruz of Texas, who publicly called for you to resign your post just three weeks ago. And then we have that very vocal, rarely reliable, questionably moral individual Matt Gaetz. He celebrated your announcement by saying that you, “the newly-resigned Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Rona McDaniel, and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) all got “86’d.”
I admit that I had to research that term although I had an idea of what he meant. He couldn’t just say removed. But then you know how that guy loves to believe he is so cool.
Sir, the last comment I could find regarding your resignation of your post came from none other than Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) You know, that clever individual who raised his fist in a gesture of triumph to the insurrectionists on January 6. The one who then ran scared when the attack on the capitol took place. Yes, that Josh Hawley. He was quoted as saying, “Good. It’s time.”
Senator, I know I am not telling you anything you don’t know. That the Republican party as you and I knew it is, for all intents and purposes, gone, defunct. It is now the party of Donald Trump, and sad to say, there are too many of your party metaphorically wetting their britches rather than doing anything about it.
I have laid out for you those in your own party who are more than happy to see MAGA reign. Make no mistake, I choose that word purposely because you and I both know that is what Donald Trump is striving to accomplish. That said, I feel it is necessary to point out some of the reasons that we Democrats feel you have contributed to your own dilemma.
Very frankly, Senator, my first clue to your unholy need to play dictator yourself was when you made it clear that your main goal was to keep President Obama limited to one term. You deliberately refused to compromise on anything, even ideas you had previously supported, with that President. I always wondered whether or not it was strictly political differences or something else. I’m sure that curiosity will never be satisfied.
And when that didn’t succeed, you turned to his appointee for Supreme Court, refusing even to bring it to the floor for a vote. Can you truly say that you are satisfied with the results of that scheme, given what today’s Court looks like, and the scrutiny under which it falls?
U.S. intelligence officials warned you of Russian interference in the 2016 election to put Trump into power, and you looked the other way. Today that threat still looms, and one must wonder whether or not your focusing on that, rather than ignoring it, might have put us in a totally different place.
Perhaps your most egregious action was to shield the ex-president from being convicted in his second impeachment trial. This would have barred Trump from being able to run for office, and much of what we are undergoing right now would not be.
So as far as Susan Collins’ waxing eloquent today regarding your “unparalleled devotion to this great institution,” I can only respond that is a matter of perspective.
Sir, I will leave you with this: you may be able to redeem some of your respectability by not endorsing Donald Trump. Those who support him have made it clear they don’t support you. Trump, himself, has also made that clear, even going so far as to mock your wife. That, alone, should be sufficient reason to withhold your endorsement. I humbly submit that failure to do so makes you no better than, and, in fact, every bit as bad as he is.
Sincerely,
Carol Lucas
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”
