Mitch's fiscal cliff

From today's Courier-Journal:

Mitch McConnell believes the grown-ups in charge waited too long to find an alternative to the steep tax hikes and drastic cuts in government spending scheduled to take place Jan. 1 unless Congress does something.

"This is a conversation we should have had months ago," complained the leader of the Senate Republicans. "But here we are, once again, at the end of the year staring at a crisis we should have dealt with months ago."

...That’s pretty rich, coming from Mr. McConnell, who as the Senate’s top Republican, dedicated the last 24 months trying and failing to ensure President Obama was "a one-term president." Mr. McConnell’s other preoccupation, apart from raising money toward a sixth term in the Senate, appears to be filibustering almost anything proposed by Democrats.

Urgent case for Senate reform

Today's Herald-Leader makes the case for filibuster reform:

Sen. Mitch McConnell has only himself to blame for the growing sentiment to tame, if not kill, the filibuster.

In his four years as minority leader, McConnell and his fellow Republicans have made a mockery of the Senate by overusing and abusing the maneuver. They attained a historic level of absurdity last week when McConnell filibustered his own proposal.

...While this sounds comical, it's classic McConnell. He has been single-minded in his strategy to tie up the Senate with partisan tactics and procedural maneuvering, to the exclusion of almost any substantive debate.

Mitch McConnell cashing in on fiscal cliff

A great editorial in today's Courier-Journal:

The public might assume that Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Senate Republicans, would be among those working furiously to avoid the cliff by trying to resolve the faux budget crisis his party helped create. The public would be wrong.

...Having already stockpiled more than $7 million toward his re-election in 2014, Mr. McConnell is exploiting the current fiscal crisis as a fund-raising opportunity.

In an email blast to supporters — sent the day after he earned national ridicule for filibustering his own bill — “Team Mitch” cited the pending fiscal crisis as a reason for donors to give him even more money.

Daily Show covers Mitch McConnell's Self-Filibuster

Jon Stewart takes on Mitch McConnell's ridiculous partisan games in the US Senate. Classic!

Filibuster follies

Another good editorial from the Courier-Journal:

In an amazing display of insider maneuvering those outside Congress have come to know and hate, [Sen. Mitch] McConnell, the leader of the Senate Republicans, proposed a vote on a measure he first offered last year. It would allow the President to raise the nation’s debt ceiling without approval of Congress.

But Senate Democrats surprised him by actually offering to vote on it. Mr. McConnell then objected, thus invoking, as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid put it, “a filibuster of his own bill.”

Classic example, Mr. Reid added, of “Republicans not taking yes for an answer.”

Extremists smack down the disabled

A good editorial from the Courier-Journal:

Now 89 and in frail health, Sen. (Bob) Dole made an unusual appearance Tuesday in his wheelchair on the Senate floor to support a United Nations treaty that would establish the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 as a non-binding international standard. That act was signed into law by Republican President George H.W. Bush.

...A few Republican senators with more sense and courage than their colleagues voted for the bill, including Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Dick Lugar of Indiana. They, sadly, did not include Kentucky senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, who both voted no.

Americans need to pay attention. The Republican Party has become hopelessly hostage to its most extreme members when someone as respected as Bob Dole can no longer appeal to reason.