Things are apparently getting ugly in the Republican Senate conference, according to The Hill :
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/3737223-gop-acrimony-spills-over-at-heated-senate-lunch/
Senate Republicans let their fury and frustration out at one another during a lengthy closed-door meeting that revealed the bitter feelings left over from a crushingly disappointing midterm election.
The biggest fireworks came after McConnell stood up at one point in the meeting and observed that while he heard a lot of criticism of his leadership style, no one had yet announced any plan to challenge him for the job of Republican leader.
Scott, the chairman of the Senate campaign arm, then interjected to say that he planned to challenge McConnell at Wednesday morning’s leadership election, catching many of his GOP colleagues by surprise, according to a Republican source familiar with the conversation in the room.
McConnell quickly cut Scott off, telling him to wait his turn to speak. Then things really got heated.
McConnell accused Scott of mismanaging his job at the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and of mischaracterizing the record of the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC affiliated with McConnell that poured tens of millions of dollars in a slew of key races, according to the source familiar with the confrontational exchange.
Scott then heatedly criticized McConnell for not putting out an agenda before the election and keeping his own leadership team in the dark.
There’s more in the article, but I don’t want to quote any more because of fair use. Senators Collins (ME), Thune (SD), Cruz (TX), Braun (IN), and Ernst (IA) are all quoted in the article, having a good ol’dog fight.
And according to the WaPo, Festivus came a month early in the Senate conference:
During the hours-long meeting that became what one senator had predicted the day before would be an “airing of grievances ,” about 20 senators spoke, and some of them got heated, according to Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), who is supporting Scott and called the meeting a “serious discussion” about where the party goes from here.
“Senator Scott disagrees with the approach that Mitch has taken in this election and for the last couple of years, and he made that clear,” said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who opposes McConnell for leader. “And Senator McConnell criticized Senator Scott’s management of the NRSC.”
McConnell mostly listened during the meeting, according to one senator present, and only interjected a few times when the discussion got “out of line.”
The conversation felt like a festival of blame.
flurb
November 16, 2022, 2:02pm
5
I have little doubt Mitch is gonna curb-stomp Scott. Scott will get a few of the constant contrarians to vote for him but having just flubbed his job of getting more Republicans elected to the Senate isn’t a great perch for a leadership bid. I saw this morning that GOP Sens Blackburn and Tillis are calling for an audit of the NRSC.
So Senate Republicans have … turtled up?
flurb
November 16, 2022, 6:55pm
8
Here’s your headline: SCOTT PITCH TO DITCH MITCH HITS HITCH WHEN PUBS SWITCH!
