It wasn't too long ago that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) argued that President Obama has been able to enact his entire policy agenda, so he's not in a position to complain about the state of the economy.
McConnell argued that White House officials have been "trying to pretend like the president just showed up yesterday, just got sworn in and started fresh. In fact, he's been in office three years. He got everything he wanted."
Keep that argument in mind when you watch McConnell's campaign video, shown during the Kentucky Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner a few days ago.
Now, the fact that McConnell, who isn't up until 2014, is already putting together slick campaign videos -- 30 months before his next election -- suggests even the Republicans' Senate leader has grown panicky about potential primary challengers.
But more important is the message of the video itself. As Joe Sonka explained this week, the clip effectively tells viewer that McConnell "singlehandedly blocked Obama from getting any of his agenda passed by Congress." McConnell can say Obama got everything he wanted or he can say he stopped Obama from getting everything he wanted, but he can't say both.
Credit where it is do: At least this video is much more honest. Mitch McConnell is quite adept at obstructing legislation -- the most prolific abuser of the filibuster in American history -- in order to politically harm a sitting president.
As you can see in the video, McConnell also loves it when people talk about how important and powerful he is. In 2008, McConnell's campaign theme was the same, yet it consisted of telling voters how much pork and federal spending he was able to deliver to Kentucky through his real ultimate power. Since that's now out of favor, his new theme is how he was able to block any progress that Obama wanted, so that he could be a one-term president. In other words, the campaign is less "Country First" or "Kentucky First," and more "McConnell First."
That is, unless you actually believe McConnell's statements saying that Obama got everything he wanted, in which case Mitch McConnell is a giant failure. Mitch assumes that you'll overlook the contradiction.
I was also struck by the fact that, in McConnell's own clip, the viewer sees talk of the Minority Leader putting President Obama's defeat above literally every other consideration, including the nation's interests.
In October 2010, McConnell famously boasted, "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.... Our single biggest political goal is to give [the Republican] nominee for president the maximum opportunity to be successful."
It was, almost immediately, seen as evidence of partisanship gone horribly awry, and Exhibit A of why policymaking in Washington has become all but impossible. And yet, in his new campaign video, McConnell felt compelled to include this -- as if to say he's proud of it.
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" but he can't say both."
Yes he can, and who will call him on it? (Rhetorical question, amigo.)
You got that right. I've noticed over the past year or more that none of the mainstream media is calling out any GOP member on their outright lies or huge misrepresentations. The media keeps saying that both parties are to blame for everything when in fact the biggest problem was... and still is, the GOP obstructionism that has been going on since Obama's inauguration.
Since the GOP didn't know how Obama was going to lead way back in the beginning, the only reason that makes any sense for the GOP to fight Obama's every move, is because they hate the fact that America has a black President. Why else would they vow to do everything possible to make him a one-term President.... even when it was hurting the country?
The media, in trying to be seen as being neutral, look like they are pro-GOP when they ignore all the lies and misrepresentations that the GOP and their super-pacs are spewing.
Indeed, if one is a @!$%#ing liar, one can say anything one wants.
Oh, they totally hate that he's Black. Since day one, they've been talking about having him be a one-term pres., and since then, so many extremist labels have been incorrectly tacked on to the President. Nazi Communist being one of them. Do they TRULY believe that Obama is trying to turn America into a country of Communism? Or when they throw out the words "dictatorship" and then talk about how they STOPPED him from having any of his policies go through.
That's not how a dictatorship works, folks. Also, FOX NEWS, you are included in the mainstream media, with unfortunately high ratings. So, is anyone really surprised that this fool has no idea that he's a detriment to the country? And that he's a big ol' liar?
Someone needs to send the GOP a journal. That way, they can remember which lies they've told. :) Somebody who actually likes them, that is.
He MUST say both. After all, he is a Republican and they all talk out of both sides of their mouths....
"And yet, in his new campaign video, McConnell felt compelled to include this -- as if to say he's proud of it."
Of course he's "proud"! He's also a megalomaniac, a socio-path, a traitor to those that voted for him, a turtle that should retire, and a traitor to America because rather than do what is best for the nation - he is determined to obstruct! So why does he consider himself a "patriot", again?
Honestly, this looks like an ad for Obama to me.
I have trouble believing that republicans are proud of what they have done. In fact, I'm angry and feel like those pledging to bring the country to its knees are traitorous.
The Republican Party has become the party of liars. How can the public be so accepting of this? Isn't honesty still a virtue? I guess the average Republican person does not want to know the truth. I want to know the truth. I hope there are more like me than them.
As a Rape-Public-Con-man, Mitch McCon-man can easily say both, and more. The tragedy is that he'll manage to get many people to believe him.
An interesting line from the Wikipedia article on "confidence tricks" (Wiki may not necessarily always be the most reliable of sources, but sometimes it can be illuminating):
"...there is no consistent profile of a confidence trick victim, the common factor is simply that the victim relies on the good faith of the con artist...even alert and educated people may be taken in..."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confidence_trick
NEVER TRUST A RAPE-PUBLIC-CON!
If the republicans manage to take the country back and the economy begins failing again under the Ryan budget, they'll just blame Obama, until people wise up, if that's even possible.
Mark my word, if America makes the mistake of putting GOP back in the driver's seat next year, you can kiss America goodbye. Not only in domestic issues, but also on the world stage. The world would have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of what we are. No country would want to follow even when we lead. The respect and cooperation we have now would be gone in a flash. My prayer is that all the lies and deceit by the Republicans will be exposed to reveal just who they are: anti-women , anti-middle class, and liars. I dare say that based on the activities of the GOP, they don't mind bringing this country down just to fulfill their promises to their corporate sponsors. If GOP comes to power, I can assure you that the center cannot and will not hold.
As is noted here already , HE CAN SAY BOTH , and get voted back into office , for me this is where dems get so pissed off at their fellow dems , we are dealing with voters and reps like mcconnell , who can say and do any under handed thing , and get away with it , so when dems like myself demand we must stand up to these people and fight , we are berated by obama and many dems for wanting to pick fights , well this is a battle and a war , and folding to the likes of mcconnell and his blinded sheep voters is a sell out to dem party principles , and it is disgusting
And in the end of all that negotiating with these people at the end of last year , what was the over all accomplishment ? JACK SQUAT , they cut heating assistance pell grants and tax cuts for wind mills , give me a break fellow dems
OK MEDIA...whatcha gonna DO? More of this false equivelency or actually REPORTING on the fact that the reason things don't get DONE, the reason the economy is not BETTER is because the GOP tried to block it...THEY screwed the country. Where is Ornstein??? C'mon MEDIA...you can DO it!
I choose "giant failure" but that's just because I've had my eyes open..
I am becoming discouraged. I am tired of looking out, and seeing so much crapola that is against our president that is just not true. I'm tired of standing up for our president and having people in the Democratic Party stabbing him, and his campaign, in the back. I'm tired of watching the press pay far more attention to Mitt Romney and any Democratic Party member who is against the president rather than focusing on what the president is doing for the American people and/or what positive things he has done. I think the third estate is no more an independent agency of our society. It has become a republican puppet.
Romney and the Republicans are hard pressed to blame Obama for the whole economy when McConnell is bragging he has stopped Obama and the Dem economic proposals. The Obama campaign needs to use the clip against Romney and the Republicans. It allows him to ask the voters for a Dem Congress.
the only way to change an evil mind is to let it run its course, feed it as much rope as possible, and then bury the strangled corpse; the mind will get changed somewhere between feeling their own noose slip around their neck and 'the long tunnel with the white light'
We are screwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwd! & Politics is all to blame! And the Media, Because they used to GET the stroy NOW they MAKE the story. To bad we are to fat and confortable. Some call that a great country????
Of course McConnell can take credit for obstructing as well as blaming the president, isn't that what the republicans have been doing for the past 12 years, taking credit for everything that goes well, and placing blame when it doesn't. It's become such a common trend that it's no longer surprising, much less worthy in discussing.
Is it really surprising the party of NO would do everything they can to stop Obama from getting anything done to help the country.
The GOP only plays to the rich and no one else.
They are hateful to the country when they don't work together to get the country moving after the GOP had 8 years to run the country into the ground.
The ease with which these elected officials lie, out right lie, and mislead is frightening and sickening. This is supposed to be the age of everything electronically recorded. It was thought that it could keep people honest. Remember the days of, 'it's in the public record?' Doesn't seem to matter anymore, spin does.
The republicans obstruct at the expense of the people, and yet place the blame on the president for being divisive. I think this obvious ploy is a direct insult to any thinking person.
Lets not forget. The former REPUBLICAN governor of Hawaii linda lingle was in office when the request came to see Obama's BC, she obliged and told them no more request will be granted. My facts may be a little shady but what the hell, if the republicans can do it I feel no guilt at all!