‘Not going to happen.’ Why McConnell won’t call on Biden to resign over Afghanistan.
Even as a cluster of Republicans have called on President Joe Biden to resign over his handling of Afghanistan, Senate Minority Mitch McConnell has declined to do so.
It’s a position that can be explained by his seasoned realism, as well as his general distaste for political theatre.
“The president is not going to be removed from office with a Democratic House, narrowly Democratic Senate. That’s not going to happen,” McConnell told reporters on Wednesday, responding to a question about impeaching Biden.
Seated in the minority, impeachment isn’t a process he can control. But McConnell, who has continually upbraided Biden for overseeing a deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan, could join his more fiery colleagues, like Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Josh Hawley, in asking for the president’s head, but chooses not to.
As always, he’s focused on the long game.
And right now, with a battered Biden experiencing the worst run of his presidency and the fate of Democrats’ sweeping budget and infrastructure plans still uncertain, McConnell doesn’t need to stoke a fire. It’s burning crisply without him.
As the congressional calendar moves into the fall, McConnell is becoming more squarely focused on a much more realistic prospect: Regaining control of the upper chamber through elections 14 months from now.
“We’re doing everything we can to encourage opposition. In this country, a report card you get is every two years. We’re trying to hold out for that mission until next year. I do think we’re likely to see a typical midterm reaction to a new administration.”
When he says typical, he means a rebuke of Biden, forcing a loss of seats that would propel McConnell back into the majority leader position, and handing him de facto veto power over much of the Biden agenda during the final two years of his term.
With the Senate 50-50, literally every seat on the 2022 map matters more than most midterm years. Even if Republicans can pick up a seat in New Hampshire, an accompanying loss in Pennsylvania holds McConnell back from the majority.
Unsurprisingly, the people most upset by McConnell’s reticence are allies of former President Donald Trump, who once again this week called for McConnell’s removal as GOP leader.
“They ought to get themselves a new leader. He’s been there long enough,” Trump told The John Fredericks Show. “He’s a terrible–in a sense, he’s a terrible politician because he doesn’t get votes…So Mitch McConnell ought to be removed as the leader.”
Democrats quickly circulated the clip with glee, with Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Jazmin Vargas quipping, “We look forward to hearing from GOP Senate candidates if they agree with President Trump’s assessment of McConnell.”
John Cardillo, a former Newsmax TV host and Trump supporter with a substantial social media following, laced into McConnell on Thursday.
“Mitch McConnell and Joe Biden have been friends for nearly half a century,” Cardillo tweeted. “McConnell will protect Dementia Man at all costs.”
“Of course Mitch McConnell just shot down any talk that Biden would be impeached over Afghanistan,” added Emerald Robinson, Newsmax’s White House correspondent. “After all, he just helped Biden get elected in 2020. Along with most of the GOP establishment. Remember?”
Trump and his allies have been pummeling McConnell for months, to nearly no effect. None of the Trump-aligned Senate Republicans have attempted a coup and most have shrugged off the calls to boot McConnell.
The first real test of the Trumpian impact on McConnell won’t come until next year, when a slew of Senate primaries play out across the country, where the two could line up behind different candidates.
While McConnell’s feelings on Trump are complicated, there’s scant evidence he’s doing much to help Biden. Any friendship with the president appears to be rooted in only the cordiality of a pair of old school politicians.
McConnell knows rhetorical bombs have limited impact on Biden’s political standing. He’s depending on the deadlocked 50-50 Senate to do most of his heavy lifting.
This story was originally published September 2, 2021 at 10:47 AM with the headline "‘Not going to happen.’ Why McConnell won’t call on Biden to resign over Afghanistan.."
