There’s an old adage in the world of politics that says you can always tell when a politician is lying simply by checking to see if his (or her) lips are moving. One of their favorite forms of lying, particularly in an election year, is to make promises that they may or may not keep.
Well, get ready America! Mitch McConnell’s (R-ino KY) lips are moving again!
In an interview with Politico, McConnell let America in on his strategy to “challenge” Obama if he is given the opportunity to be the leader of Republican-majority Senate. His “moving lips” promise boils down to attaching policy riders to spending bills that would limit Obama on everything from the environment to health care by using an arcane budget tactic to circumvent Democratic filibusters and force the president to “move to the center” if he wants to get any new legislation through Congress.
In the words of the great Ronald Reagan, “well, there he goes again.”
We’ve seen this dog and pony show from McConnell before.
- He made a promise to repeal Obamacare “root and branch” – he broke his promise when he voted to fund it.
- He made a promise not to raise taxes – he broke his promise with the Biden-McConnell budget deal of January, 2013.
- Following the budget deal, he made a promise to reduce spending – he broke his promise one year later when he helped pass a clean debt ceiling bill.
- He made a promise to work on keeping spending in check – he broke his promise when he did nothing to prevent a vote on the Ryan-Murray budget compromise.
- He promised to seriously deal with illegal immigration – he broke that promise TWICE since 2008 for political expediency, and is committing to do so again next year if the G.O.P. retakes the Senate.
When asked about the possibility of a government shutdown if his gimmick should backfire, McConnell shook it off, saying that Obama “needs to be challenged, and the best way to do that is through the funding process.”
Of course, he won’t challenge Obama’s disaster of a healthcare plan using this “new” strategy. As he tells Politico, his plan would have “no impact on Obamacare.”
McConnell’s Gutless On Principles (G.O.P.) Hall of Shame behavior reminds me of the song “Promises In The Dark” by Pat Benetar. The lyrics of this classic from the late 1970s tell the story of a person who has been lied to over and over again by someone she wants to trust, but can’t. One verse from the song tells us something Conservatives can relate to as we consider the words of McConnell:
But promises, you know what they’re for
It sounds so convincing, but you heard it before
Cause talk is cheap and you gotta be sure
And so you put up your guard
And you try to be hard
But your heart says try again
We know what McConnell’s promises are for. They are nothing more than a cheap attempt to win back the votes of the Conservatives he has previously pledged to destroy, as he attempts to not only protect his backside, but to also load the Senate with the type of Stepford politicians he’ll need to achieve his personal agenda.
With approval ratings lower than Obama’s, McConnell is in the fight of his political life in a state he has represented for decades, and where Obama lost every county in 2012. No wonder he’s whispering promises in the dark.
By the way, if you’d like to hear the whole song as a way to forget about liars like McConnell, here you go:
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