# I pit Senator Mitch McConnel (R-Kentucky) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 29, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774 "2010-10-29T15:24:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/21 "2010-10-29T18:07:48Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Doesn’t the answer to that depend on the particular policy in question? For example, if you’re convinced that the health care reforms are not good for the country, then stalling for two years and doing nothing is much better than passing some compromise bill that furthers the bad plan. > > Isn’t it? Well, there are two questions there. One is whether the country is better or worse with that health care bill passed. The other is whether the democracy as a whole is better or worse in a situation where any minority party makes all their decisions based on that principle. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/22 "2010-10-29T18:11:41Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > One shouldn’t assume he really feels that way. I think the GW Bush presidency was catastrophic in many ways. And I think the current crop of conservatives is equally scary. But I continue to give benefit of the doubt in one important way: I assume they want what’s best for the country. Regan was a good example of why. I am certain he was a nice man who genuinely thought he was doing the right thing. He was kept awake at night by the prospect of nuclear war, and took steps he felt would make it less likely. **I think he was mistaken in just about every move he made in that effort. But I don’t doubt his sincerity or good intentions for a moment.** Much as I think people like McConnell and his ilk are twits, I can’t bring myself to believe they are twirling their mustaches and hatching evil plans to unseat the president with no regard for the eventual outcomes. They see their way as more correct, and are intent on making it happen. I’m fine with that, I’ll just be voting against them. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/23 "2010-10-29T18:16:26Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Doesn’t the answer to that depend on the particular policy in question? For example, if you’re convinced that the health care reforms are not good for the country, then stalling for two years and doing nothing is much better than passing some compromise bill that furthers the bad plan. The particular policy in question? McConnel mentioned no particular policies. He has made getting his party back in the White House a higher priority than any policy issue that might be achievable in less than 2 years. Is the key to winning the war in Afghanistan to wait 2+ years and then get a Republican in the White House? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/24 "2010-10-29T18:17:29Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > I think the GW Bush presidency was catastrophic in many ways. And I think the current crop of conservatives is equally scary. But I continue to give benefit of the doubt in one important way: I assume they want what’s best for the country. > > Regan was a good example of why. I am certain he was a nice man who genuinely thought he was doing the right thing. He was kept awake at night by the prospect of nuclear war, and took steps he felt would make it less likely. > > **I think he was mistaken in just about every move he made in that effort. But I don’t doubt his sincerity or good intentions for a moment.** > > Much as I think people like McConnell and his ilk are twits, I can’t bring myself to believe they are twirling their mustaches and hatching evil plans to unseat the president with no regard for the eventual outcomes. They see their way as more correct, and are intent on making it happen. I’m fine with that, I’ll just be voting against them. And I second this statement about Obama. Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and their cohorts on the left absolutely want what’s best for the country. Liberalism as a whole is motivated by a good heart and wanting what’s best for people. I believe that, as a general principle, it’s misguided in imagining what will work, but that’s a problem unrelated to motive. And for what it’s worth, in 2008, Obama was the better choice for the country than McCain. That doesn’t make me an Obama fan, but a realist. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/25 "2010-10-29T18:17:31Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Sure. > > But if we’re lost and trying to get to Schenectady, and you think we should go west and I think we should southwest, we might reach a compromise of west-southwest, each believing we weren’t headed directly towards our goal but both sure we were at least getting closer. > > But if I believe we should be heading east, then all bets are off. I am convinced that every step you take your way moves us farther away, and you believe the same of my plan. Under those circumstances, it makes a bit more sense to contemplate a standstill. > > Of course, the people have spoken in electing Obama. But more recently (assuming a fait accompli) the people have spoken in electing a whole bunch of Republicans. So that argument seems to be a wash. To take your analogy a bit too far: (a) You at first had said we should go southwest. A while later, I propose going west. Suddenly you remember that you really think we should go east. And you make a fuss. And we’re at a standstill. And then you say “boy, YOU’RE terrible at getting us to Schenectady, give ME the keys”. (b) If we’re out in the middle of the wilderness, doing absolutely nothing is pretty much a guarantee that we’ll starve to death. Certainly there are times when someone else proposes an action so catastrophically terrible that it’s reasonable to say that a standstill is better than that action. But when you claim that ALL actions that person proposes fit that category… To take a step back for a second, suppose I was able to produce a secret memo from Karl Rove demonstrating beyond all doubt that Republicans had deliberately chosen a strategy of absolute and total stalling and gridlock and obstruction, knowing that this would cause the Democratic administration and congress to be unable to accomplish anything, knowing that this would make them look bad – and not caring about the effect on the country of their tactics. Would that bother you? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/26 "2010-10-29T18:19:20Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > The particular policy in question? McConnel mentioned no particular policies. He has made getting his party back in the White House a higher priority than any policy issue that might be achievable in less than 2 years. Of course. Because virtually every other policy option on the table depends upon that step. It’s what we the project management biz might say is “on the critical path.” > [@](#): > > Is the key to winning the war in Afghanistan to wait 2+ years and then get a Republican in the White House? Probably not. That’s more an example of the “You want to go west and I want to go south,” paradigm, where a compromise of sorts will be ideal. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/27 "2010-10-29T18:21:16Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > To take a step back for a second, suppose I was able to produce a secret memo from Karl Rove demonstrating beyond all doubt that Republicans had deliberately chosen a strategy of absolute and total stalling and gridlock and obstruction, knowing that this would cause the Democratic administration and congress to be unable to accomplish anything, knowing that this would make them look bad – and not caring about the effect on the country of their tactics. > > Would that bother you? Yes, absolutely. I would hope that any secret memo of the sort said, “Here’s what we want,” “Here’s what we can live with,” and “Here’s what must be stopped,” with inclusion in each category driven by the effects on the country as whole. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/28 "2010-10-29T18:56:25Z")
I just don’t see how President Obama’s first two years have been THAT damaging to the country that **Bricker** ’s scenario can be reasonably entertained. After stripping away the Tea Party rhetoric of “Obama’s a Socialist”, what do you have? I mean, realistically, how far to the left has Obama taken the USA in the past two years? How much damage has he caused by his policies? Has the international reputation of the USA suffered a precipitous drop in the last two years? Has the debt been run up egregiously compared to the previous 8 years under a Republican President? Did the steps taken to fix the economy fail in an obvious fashion, plunging the economy further downward? I mean, do you think McConnel believes deep down that if Obama is not removed, the country would suffer irreparable damage? That would be reason enough to make Obama’s removal the “single most important thing” to do. Or is McConnel’s prime motivation to win the White House back for HIS party? My money is on the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/29 "2010-10-29T19:02:02Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > But if we’re lost and trying to get to Schenectady, and you think we should go west and I think we should southwest, we might reach a compromise of west-southwest, each believing we weren’t headed directly towards our goal but both sure we were at least getting closer. > > But if I believe we should be heading east, then all bets are off. I am convinced that every step you take your way moves us farther away, and you believe the same of my plan. Under those circumstances, it makes a bit more sense to contemplate a standstill. Ah, so reasonable. But it makes me curious…exactly which policies are those that Republicans (taken as a monolithic whole) oppose so diametrically? HCR – of which much distinctly resembles proposals made not very long ago by Republicans? Cap-and-trade – also eerily similar to plans originated by Republicans? Bank bail-outs – signed into law by a Republican? Do tell. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/30 "2010-10-29T19:22:26Z")
[del] > [@Bricker](#): > > Yes, absolutely. I would hope that any secret memo of the sort said, “Here’s what we want,” “Here’s what we can live with,” and “Here’s what must be stopped,” with inclusion in each category driven by the effects on the country as whole. Has his party’s conduct since losing their majority the last time been distinguishable in any way from what it would be if such a memo actually existed?[/del] Dunno how that happened. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/31 "2010-10-29T19:23:35Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Yes, absolutely. I would hope that any secret memo of the sort said, “Here’s what we want,” “Here’s what we can live with,” and “Here’s what must be stopped,” with inclusion in each category driven by the effects on the country as whole. Has his party’s conduct since losing their majority the last time been distinguishable in any way from what it would be if a “No to Everything” memo actually existed and was guiding? Except for the part about what they can live with, that is. In what way? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![John\_D\_Adamo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed8c4c/32.png) [@John\_D\_Adamo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_D_Adamo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/32 "2010-10-29T19:47:52Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > That the GOP, in its current incarnation, is able to attract enough voters to take over the House of Representatives. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. There is a greater-than-zero chance that the Dems may hold the House, albeit a slim one. I will say, however, that mindless obstructionism on the part of Republicans (no on bills relating to middle class tax cuts and increasing the safety of women in the military?) Is just going to increase as they get more powerful. It is a good thing that so much was accomplished this past year and a half (credit card reform, tobacco industry reform, health care reform, fair pay act, jobs bills, infrastructure improvements, etc), because it’s all downhill from here. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/33 "2010-10-29T20:48:28Z")
> [@Digital\_Stimulus](#): > > Ah, so reasonable. But it makes me curious…exactly which policies are those that Republicans (taken as a monolithic whole) oppose so diametrically? HCR – of which much distinctly resembles proposals made not very long ago by Republicans? Cap-and-trade – also eerily similar to plans originated by Republicans? Bank bail-outs – signed into law by a Republican? This is the sort of shit that belies the claim that it’s the policies, not the man, that Republicans oppose. Every so often a politician accidentally tells the truth, and tonight the blue moon shines on McConnell. The crusade to make Obama a one-term President began long before he pulled the Family Truckster into the “Reserved for POTUS” parking space behind the White House, and anyone who believes otherwise should \*please \*offer to share with me whatever they’re smoking. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/34 "2010-10-29T20:49:27Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > But if we’re lost and trying to get to Schenectady, and you think we should go west and I think we should southwest, we might reach a compromise of west-southwest, each believing we weren’t headed directly towards our goal but both sure we were at least getting closer. > > But if I believe we should be heading east, then all bets are off. I am convinced that every step you take your way moves us farther away, and you believe the same of my plan. Under those circumstances, it makes a bit more sense to contemplate a standstill. What lengths are you willing to go to to get your way? Would you slash the car’s tires, burn the map, break the GPS? All of those things will make it harder for me to drive to the west. But at some point it’s fair of me to say that you’ve lost sight of the real goal (getting us both to Schenectady) and are just throwing a tantrum and shouting “let me drive!” ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/35 "2010-10-29T21:12:15Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Sure. > > But if we’re lost and trying to get to Schenectady, and you think we should go west and I think we should southwest, we might reach a compromise of west-southwest, each believing we weren’t headed directly towards our goal but both sure we were at least getting closer. > > But if I believe we should be heading east, then all bets are off. I am convinced that every step you take your way moves us farther away, and you believe the same of my plan. Under those circumstances, it makes a bit more sense to contemplate a standstill. I would take this analogy in a slightly different direction. (humor intended) It’s like we’re both hungry and wanting a burger. You think the ABC restaurant has the best and tastiest burgers. I believe it is the XYZ restaurant. Instead of reaching a compromise, you refuse to go anywhere at all as we simply sit there getting hungrier and hungrier. All of my suggestions (How about PDQ restaurant? How about if we go to ABC and then XYZ next week? How about we flip a coin?) are met with “HELL NO!” and “WHAT A STUPID IDEA”! and “YOU"RE A SOCIALIST” Finally you just pull the ignition keys out of the car and throw them out the window. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/36 "2010-10-30T00:09:24Z")
Here’s the full quote. Or rather, as much of the quote as ThinkProgress put on their website: > [@](#): > > ``` > MCCONNELL: We need to be honest with the public. This election is about them, not us. And we need to treat this election as the first step in retaking the government. We need to say to everyone on Election Day, “Those of you who helped make this a good day, you need to go out and help us finish the job.” > > NATIONAL JOURNAL: What’s the job? > > MCCONNELL: The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president. > > ``` > > McConnell added, “Our single biggest political goal is to give our nominee for president the maximum opportunity to be successful. … So, he’s talking about elections and politics. I don’t see what the big deal is, although it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to say on the record. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/37 "2010-10-30T01:50:46Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Here’s the full quote. Or rather, as much of the quote as ThinkProgress put on their website: This quote was taken from an interview McConnell gave to the [National Journal](http://nationaljournal.com/member/magazine/top-gop-priority-make-obama-a-one-term-president-20101023)(subscription required). I don’t have a subscription, but apparently Paul Krugman does, and [here](http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/28/lessons-of-1995/) are his comments on it: > [@Paul Krugman](#): > > When I read the Mitch McConnell quote that’s been getting so much attention: > > ``` > *The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.* > > ``` > > my immediate concern was whether it was taken out of context. And if you read the full National Journal interview (subscription required), the nuances are a bit different from those you might take from the quote in isolation. > > But not in a good way. > > If you read the whole thing, what you get is that McConnell is taking a very different lesson from the events of 1995 than the one most pundits take, and expect Republicans to take. The whole attempt to bully Clinton into slashing Medicare by shutting down the federal government was a political failure for the GOP; but McConnell doesn’t see this as evidence that Republicans were too confrontational. > > No, he sees it as evidence that they weren’t confrontational enough; they were too focused on their policy agenda, and neglected the necessary work of destroying Clinton: > > ``` > *We suffered from some degree of hubris and acted as if the president was irrelevant and we would roll over him. By the summer of 1995, he was already on the way to being reelected, and we were hanging on for our lives.* [italics added by me to avoid confusion] > > ``` > > So this time around they won’t bother much with trying to get actual legislation passed; they’ll focus on the important thing: undermining the man in the White House. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/38 "2010-10-30T02:52:19Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Palin wins the WH in 2012. She moves forward on just the agenda you expect. :eek::eek::eek: Dude, I know Hallowe’e’n is just around the corner, but still… And why would I wait until 2014 to talk about making her a one-termer? ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774/39 "2010-10-30T04:23:10Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > Helping the country get through the Great Recession is not your top priority. Your single most important goal is getting a Republican ass into the oval office seat. It absolutely is not. His single most important goal is to get the nigger out of it. Otherwise they’ll have to stop calling it the “White House”, remember? -Joe [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-mitch-mcconnel-r-kentucky/558774.md?page=1)