Mitch McConnell Removes the Republican Party From A Seat At The Negotiation Table (Updated)

William F. Buckley, Jr., the patrician founder of the National Review rag, declared in its mission statement that “A conservative is someone who stands athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it.”

Buckley, as so often was the case, was wrong. This is the very definition of an obstructionist, or an arsonist of democracy. The Republican Party has ceased to be a governing partner in our democracy because of this obstructionist philosophy.

Under the leadership of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the “Grim Reaper” of the Senate graveyard where legislation goes to die, McConnell has taken Buckley’s mission statement to its extreme: his policy of “total obstruction” of anything proposed by a Democrat has made the GQP the “Party of No.” McConnell and his GQP gang of obstructionists are arsonists of democracy.

In doing so, McConnell has effectively removed the Republican Party from a seat at the negotiation table. He can be ignored. Republicans have nothing of value to offer if they have no intention of acting in good faith. Therefore, there is no good reason for Democrats to negotiate with Republicans, despite the media villagers who do not understand this dynamic, clutching their pearls and insisting that “bipartisanship” means Democrats must make concessions to these GQP arsonists intent on burning down America’s house of democracy (they might have done so quite literally on January 6 had they succeeded in their plot to overthrow American democracy, America’s very own version of the Reichstag fire that heralded Hitler’s fascist rise to power in Nazi Germany).

A Reuters/Ipsos Poll today found that on the substance of the Biden American Jobs Plan, there is broad bipartisan support among the American people. Pay attention media villagers. To Build Support for Plan, Biden Offers His Own Take on ‘Bipartisan’.

– 79% of Americans supported a government overhaul of American roadways, railroads, bridges, and ports.

– 71% supported a plan to extend high-speed internet to all Americans.

– 68% supported an initiative to replace every lead pipe in the country.

– 66% supported tax credits for renewable energy.

– 64% supported a tax hike on corporations and large businesses.

– 56% supported ending tax breaks for the fossil fuel industry.

This is almost as much “bipartisan” support as for the hugely popular COVID-19 Relief bill. Only elected Republicans in Congress and their propagandist far-right (fascist) media talking heads were opposed to it.

Where things starts to go sideways is in the swamp of polarized GQP tribalism built by the far-right (fascist) media over the past 40 years. These propagandists are a malignant cancer in the American body politic.

Just as Americans loved the substance of the Affordable Care Act, as soon as the GQP labeled it “Obamacare” (drawing attention to “that black man” occupying our White House), the knee-jerk reaction of tribal Republicans is to oppose anything from a Democrat:

Only 45% of Americans said they would support a jobs and infrastructure plan that was “recently released by the Biden administration.” Another 27% said they were opposed and the remaining 28% said they were not sure.

[That’s 2-1 in support over opposed. The “not sure” are neutral, who can be won over with more information.]

The decline in support appears to be mostly a partisan [tribal] reaction: only about two in 10 Republicans and three in 10 independents said they supported a Biden infrastructure plan, compared with seven out of 10 Democrats.

I’m sorry, but when the Republican Party has ceased to be a governing partner in our democracy, and Mitch McConnell and his GQP gang of obstructionists are arsonists of democracy (the MAGA/QAnon violent seditious insurrection on January 6 to overthrow American democracy is not forgotten ,nor will it ever be forgiven), tribal Republicans have forfeited any right to a seat at the table. They are anti-democratic, un-American, and unpatriotic. They should all be doing penance, forced to wear sackcloth and ashes and to apologize for the Big Lie for at least a generation or two. God may forgive you, but I never will.

Rachel Maddow made an effective case on her program last night.

The GQP is nothing more than a post-truth, post-policy propaganda machine for performance politics to provide content for far-right (fascist) media. In Today’s GOP, Congress Is Just Where You Prep for a TV Gig. The GQP propagandists now dictate what the party represents, not the party directing the message of its propagandists, a case of the (Fox)tail wagging the dog, as it were. Republican politics and right-wing media continue to fuse. This is a new and dangerous development in American politics.

On Thursday, the “Grim Reaper,” Mitch McConnell said the GOP won’t support Biden’s infrastructure plan, vows to fight Democratic agenda:

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters the more than $2 trillion plan the White House unveiled Wednesday “is not going to get support from our side.” The proposal would invest in roads, bridges, airports, broadband, water systems, electric vehicles and job training programs, and raise the corporate tax rate to 28% to offset the spending.

The Republican also vowed to oppose the broader Democratic agenda under President Joe Biden, who passed his first major initiative last month in the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.

“I’m going to fight them every step of the way, because I think this is the wrong prescription for America,” McConnell said at a news conference in Kentucky.

The arsonist of democracy, the leader of the Party of No, has declared that the GQP has no intentions of acting in good faith in negotiations with Democrats. The only appropriate response from Democrats is “Good to know. OK, you’re done here. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.” Mitch McConnell has declared that the Republican Party has officially checked out as a governing partner in our democracy.

America has only one governing party now, the Democratic Party. It is up to Democrats alone to save our democracy and to rescue our economy. From here on out, the only negotiations are among the constituencies of the Democratic Party’s “big tent.” Democrats must stick together to save our country (lookin’ at you Joe Manchin).

As The Post’s Jennifer Rubin observes, Republicans have boxed themselves in on infrastructure. And Democrats know it.

Mitch McConnell can take his ball and go home. Your threats no longer have any power. No one ever liked you, anyway. Who needs you?

Democrats can get this job done without you and your obstructionist GQP gang of arsonists of democracy.

UPDATE: Suck it, Mitch.

A new Morning Consult poll finds 57% of voters say they’d be more likely to support President Biden’s infrastructure plan if it were funded by tax increases on those making over $400,000 a year.

And 47% of voters say they’d be more likely to support the proposal if it were funded by increases to the corporate tax rate.

There is a paradigm shift occurring in America against the faith based supply-side “trickle down” GQP economics of the past 40 years, which has been entirely debunked and discredited. Giving money to the Plutocrats hoping that they will invest it and “trickle down” to the rest of doesn’t work. Wall Street’s fixation on quick profits wreaking havoc in the ‘real’ economy, report says. Also, No Federal Taxes Paid by Dozens of Big, Profitable Companies. Americans want fairness and equity.