Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is about only one thing, power. After the Democrats took the White House, the House, and the Senate, he blamed Donald Trump. In an odd move, the Kentucky senator voted against impeaching the ex-president, shaped himself into a pretzel, and gave a fiery speech against Trump. McConnell blamed him for the January 6 failed riot and coup saying the then-president was “practically and morally responsible” for it. What is up with that?
Trump has been trying to tear the GOP into two parts. Of course, he wants the bigger group, and he wants them to be loyal to him, not the American democracy, aka nihilism or dictatorship. On the other side is McConnell, who is trying to retain the more traditional party. Of course, these are ultra-conservatives, but they still believe in a two-party government.
The liberal and moderate Republicans have either retired or become conservative Democrats, so they are already out of the picture.
So, how does a person gain more power in Washington D.C.? The answer is simple, “money.” Obtaining the big bucks is not nearly as simple. About 50 GOP donors joined a fundraising conference call on 5 February with Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY). She was the only member of the Republican leadership to vote for Trump’s impeachment. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) also voted to impeach Trump.
Trump’s people plan to go to the states whose senators and representatives voted for his impeachment and steal the state away from them with a Trump candidate primary. Trump loyalist Matt Gaetz (R-FL) recently went to Wyoming and received a warm welcome.
Yet, it seems that McConnell could undermine a primary challenge to the Alaska senator, according to The Guardian. He could do this by financially backing the candidates who best fit into his idea of a Republican party.
A top Maryland Republican donor Michael Epstein said:
‘We want to show a really big cycle for her to scare off competition. We want people who make judgments based on what’s right.’
Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) was only one of the 10 Republicans in the House to vote for Trump’s impeachment. As a result, his local party censured him:
‘[Trump] encouraged an angry mob of his supporters to storm the United States Capitol to stop the counting of the electoral votes. But we have a lot of work to do to restore the Republican party [and reverse] personality politics.’
 Trump threatened McConnell in a statement:
‘I will back primary rivals who espouse Making America Great Again and our policy of America First. We want brilliant, strong, thoughtful and compassionate leadership.’
Sheila Krumholz runs the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. She said:
‘It will be difficult for Kinzinger and others who voted to impeach or convict Trump to keep up money-wise. As of most recent filings, Trump had $105m in the bank. He also has the biggest list of loyal supporters in politics he can tap for donations whenever he needs money.’
Veteran operative Scott Reed added:
‘The GOP must focus on nominating candidates that can win in the fall of ’22 and stop the Trump litmus test.’
Charlie Black, a longtime GOP operative, said the NRCC would help Cheney:
‘The NRCC is going to try to help Cheney and I suspect they will be for others who voted for impeachment.’
Krumholz warned that Republican candidates supporting Trump would be an easy way to raise money:
‘The way to rake in campaign cash as a GOP candidate, especially from small donors, is to put yourself out there as a Trump loyalist.’
McConnell’s path to retaking the majority has not included Trump, according to The New York Times:
‘The Kentucky senator has stopped speaking to Mr. Trump, hasn’t taken his calls since after the Electoral College met last month and has told associates that he envisions 2022 as an outsized replay of the Tea Party era, when party leaders clashed with the far right.’
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
