It’s Time for the GOP to Demand A “McCexit”
The world has been transfixed with an anti-establishment frenzy against aristocratic politicians and governments that have failed to listen to the voice and will of their people.
That anti-establishment battle is currently underway in the United States, where a vitriolic populace has given rise to Donald Trump. Across the ocean, in the United Kingdom (UK), British citizens implemented “Brexit,” a referendum to return sovereignty, formerly given to the European Union (EU), back to Britain.
Temperaments among the American people are similar, but the statesmen-like reaction to the public unrest in the U.K. is starkly different than what America is experiencing with our own politicians here at home. The success of the controversial “Brexit” campaign led to U.K.’s Prime Minister, David Cameron (a strong advocate for staying in the EU), to accept the wishes of the nation; in doing so, he stepped down, paving the way for fresh leadership, saying:
“[the country needs] fresh leadership” and “I love this country and feel honored to have served it … the will of British people must be respected.”
Those who led the Brexit campaign, like London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, and United Kingdom Independence Party leader (UKIP), Nigel Farage, were both positioned to surge in popularity and power. Yet, they also stepped away from the podium. Johnson, assumed to become Prime Minister, took his name out of contention; Farage retired.
There are certainly some who feel those politicians abandoned their objective to see Brexit through to fruition. However, it is also remarkable to contemplate that true statesmen might put country before careers; tough choices before lucrative ones.
Imagine, for a moment, if Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. (F, 42%) surveyed the deteriorating landscape of the Republican party and determined that the GOP required fresh leadership.
According to Gallup polls, McConnell is far more unpopular than even President Obama. President Obama has a national favorability rating just under 50 percent. McConnell’s favorability rating, however, is only 11 percent nationally.
There also appears to be a strong correlation between the Republican Party’s general popularity and McConnell taking over the Senate. In May, Pew Research showed that the Republican Party was more unpopular than it had been in the past two decades.
Why does this matter? There is a tremendous amount at stake if Republicans lose the Senate. Perhaps nothing is more important than how the Senate decides to handle the Supreme Court vacancy left by the late Justice Antonin Scalia. If the Senate shifts to the Democrats in 2017, the Supreme Court (and our nation) will appoint a progressive to the bench, and the Court will, for the first time in 45 years, shift from conservative to liberal.
Among all the issues McConnell should seek to protect, the first is the Senate’s majority, and with it, the authority to confirm a new Supreme Court Justice, and protect the Court’s conservative majority. Yet, McConnell is the very person placing the Senate in jeopardy merely out of selfish desire for power and prestige.
McConnell is a liability to the Republican Party – and more and more people are beginning to realize this. (After all, he showed up to the GOPs largest event – the Republican National Convention – and was nearly booed off stage.)
McConnell’s colleagues are worried too. The Public Policy Polling organization concluded in a analysis of the Senate in May:
Mitch McConnell’s unpopularity continues to be a huge drag on the brand of Senate Republicans. Only 11 percent of voters nationally approve of the job he’s doing as Senate Majority Leader, to 61 who disapprove. Incumbents running for reelection across the country this year will be hurt by their association with him.
Whether you like McConnell or not, everyone can agree that the vulnerability in losing the Supreme Court will have an immense impact on all of our lives. McConnell has clearly become a burden on the party. A true statesman that cared for his constituency and country would step aside and allow new leadership to step in. But not McConnell.
The time has come for McConnell to exit. The time for America’s politicians to imitate British politicians is now; it’s time for the Republican Party to have a referendum on McConnell’s leadership. It’s time for America to have its “McCexit.” (For more from the author of “It’s Time for the GOP to Demand A “McCexit” please click HERE)
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