WASHINGTON – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, has been in trouble before, but internal party divisions over coronavirus aid and an unpopular president may have put him at his worst as leader republican.
In one wing, he faces a riot of conservatives who are totally against new spending and the $ 1 trillion price in another round of help to shore up the stagnant economy.
In direct opposition, it must satisfy a group of anxious incumbents who face tough reelection fights in the fall and are desperate to bring relief to their sick states.
To further complicate matters, you have to deal with a mercurial president, Donald Trump, who is putting a key in his efforts.
Voters will judge McConnell’s results from top to bottom as the crisis progresses, with coronavirus cases in the US exceeding 4 million and the economy paralyzed. He’s had trouble getting the Republicans to agree to even start negotiations with the Democrats.
“This may be McConnell’s toughest challenge as a majority leader,” said Brian Riedl, a member of the Manhattan Conservative Institute and a former chief economist for Senator Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio.
The disagreements are delaying an expected launch of a $ 1 trillion coronavirus package until early next week, McConnell said, but ensuring that benefits for millions of unemployed Americans will be reduced. And the proposal will surely face opposition from Democrats, who are skeptical and have the power to block it.
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McConnell has a lot at stake, including his job. Senate control hangs in the balance, worrying that falling Trump poll numbers threaten to topple Republicans with it.
McConnell, a 35-year-old senator, is also up for reelection in a Republican-friendly state against Democrat Amy McGrath, a former Navy fighter pilot who portrays him wanting to help big business but not locals. from Kent.
Some Republicans say the last time McConnell faced such a daunting task was during the 2017 effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which failed in the Senate.
That effort, Riedl said, as well as the conservatives’ push in 2013 to devalue the law, caused a “civil war” among Republicans that McConnell lost.
“Other than that, it has been remarkably good to bring the conference together,” Riedl said.
‘Keep your cards close to the vest’
Many colleagues do not blame McConnell for the fragility.
“He is very good at times like this. Listen. He is very quiet. He keeps his letters close to his vest,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, RS.C., Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. “We will find vacancies. It is in everyone’s interest to continue helping people with the virus.”
McConnell’s past political victories give his members confidence that he will finally prevail.
“He generally has a good handle on what can be accomplished,” said Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss. “It is a very, very important issue. But I hope it is acquitted.”
Still, McConnell’s move to tightly control the drafting of the legislation generated some complaints Thursday from senators who say they remain in the dark.
“Mitch told us the discussions were ongoing. That is as far as we got,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who has faced McConnell in the past. “Unfortunately, that is a pattern we see a lot. The bills are written behind closed doors and then thrown into the conference at the last minute.”
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, criticized the McConnell-backed proposal’s direction, saying, “I am not going to agree to authorize a penny until we have clearly understood what we have already done.”
But he did not blame McConnell, saying he “will not go into personal evaluations” when asked how McConnell has handled the problem.
‘He has this’
Colleagues see McConnell as an effective strategist who is very attentive to members’ concerns and able to read the politics of the day. Critics say he cynically uses those talents to accumulate power.
“I don’t think I’ve seen any of the same in terms of strategy,” said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas. “And I’ve been here for a long time.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., stepped up pressure Thursday and accused McConnell of crafting “a partisan bill” he described as “not unified, unserious, unsatisfactory.”
“Republican disorder and hesitation have serious and life-threatening consequences for tens of millions of Americans,” Schumer told reporters as details emerged.
A Republican Senate staff member acknowledged that the new round of aid is challenging because some members are content not to fund COVID-19’s extra aid after the $ 2.2 billion CARES Act.
But the staff member, who discussed internal dynamics on condition of anonymity, argued that a bigger challenge for McConnell was to unify the conference against voting on President Barack Obama Merrick Garland’s 2016 Supreme Court election, which had “more at stake” for his legacy.
Allies say McConnell has overcome other difficult challenges, such as avoiding the so-called fiscal cliff in late 2012, managing government funding battles during the rise of the tea party, and bailing out financial institutions during the 2008 crash.
Brian McGuire, a former speechwriter for McConnell, said McConnell has handled many complicated challenges, and the COVID-19 relief push is one. He argued that confirming Judge Brett Kavanaugh before the Supreme Court in 2018 was an even more difficult task.
“He has this,” said McGuire.
