Darth Vader is alive and well, and his real name is “Mitch”

I’ve been a registered Democrat since 1980.  When I turned 18, my suffragette Grandmother told me that women fought hard for the vote, so she pointed her finger at me and said, ” You better vote.” I’ve taken her advice to heart, and have voted religiously ever since. However, I can’t help but feel that politics in this country have taken a darker turn than back in the 80s. We have suffered for the last four years under an authoritarian presidency, mired in corruption, deceit, under-the-table arms deals, impeachment, Russain bounties on US soldiers, and with COVID-19, hundreds of thousands of deaths and rising. It has been an absolute nightmare, and as a Democrat, Trump makes Ronald Reagan and George Bush Jr. look like saints. Let’s face it, Richard Nixon was impeached for lying about bugging the Democrats, but his infractions got nothing on Trump and his family of grifters. 

But we haven’t got to this dark place without enablers in Washington. And the biggest enabler is Mitch McConnell. The notorious senator from Kentucky has been in Washington for over 30 years, and during his tenure, he laid the groundwork for where we are today. McConnell has been dubbed the “Grim Reaper,” “Moscow Mitch,” “Darth Vader,” and “Swamp Turtle,” to name a few. Howard Fineman in his Washington Post article has called McConnell “the apex predator of U.S. politics,” adding “no one since the Southern segregationists of the 1940s and 1950s did more to cripple the proper functioning of all three branches of government, not to mention faith in the very idea of one America.” That’s a powerful statement, and absolutely true.

Recently, Ralph Nader wrote: “McConnell is the most brazen evil, cruel and powerful legislator in the last 50 years. His lack of empathy for the vulnerable and disadvantaged is stunning.” Nader goes on to add, “McConnell, comfortably embraced by the Congress’ socialized medicine, loses no sleep saying yes to a corporate-profit-glutted, wasteful corporatized health care industry whose denials, co-payments and exemptions are costing thousands of uninsured and insured American lives a year. He fought but failed to end Obamacare, pleased to consign another 22 million people to the dreaded, uninsured hell.” And, let’s not forget that McConnell has fought tooth and nail against a second COVID relief bill for Americans who have lost their jobs and face eviction, all because of a deadly pandemic which the Trump administration has tragically bungled.

Under the Obama administration, McConnell spearheaded efforts to block practically every bit of legislation that came across his desk, and things haven’t changed for Americans or Democrats under Trump.  Each year since McConnell has been majority leader, the Senate has voted on fewer and fewer non-budget amendments: 140 in 2015, 57 in 2016, 19 in 2017, and six in 2018. We’ve all seen the Twitter photo of the stack of un-passed bills due to McConnell’s obstructionism.  Also, as one of the most powerful Republicans in the country, he’s the evil “Darth Vader” of the conservative strategy to reshape the federal judiciary.  He didn’t wait for RBG’s body to cool when he rammed through Amy Comey Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination and appointment. 

The Trump presidency was a dream come true for McConnell, his wife got a cabinet post, and his longstanding conservative goals of packing the courts at every level with conservative judges have been so easy. And let’s not forget passing the tax reform bill that has proven to be a windfall for millionaires and corporate fat-cats. How can one of the most despised politicians in the country have won re-election to a seventh term in Kentucky by 20 percentage points?  A 2019 study by 24/7 Wall Street ranked the top 25 worst US counties to live in, based on three factors: Average life expectancy at birth, poverty, and the percentage of adults who have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Of the top 25 counties, 10 of them are in Kentucky, and six of the top 10 are Kentucky counties.  This and other studies show that Kentucky counties make up 10 of the 25 worst places to live in the US.

Maybe the reason Kentucky voted for McConnell is that he’s used his power to bring in money for the state. Kentucky is ranked the second most federally dependent state in the nation. Federal funding makes up 40% of Kentucky’s revenue, and Kentuckians are getting more money back from the federal government than what they put in. Aside from most of Kentucky being on welfare, how has McConnell bettered the lives of Kentuckians? If we look at the stats, in 2020, Kentucky ranks 2nd in families living in poverty, 3rd in children living in poverty, 2nd in the nation in teen birth rates, and 8th in the nation for unemployment. So it’s not a surprise that if McConnell doesn’t care about Kentucky, he’s not going to care about the nation. He doesn’t care about the millions of Americans who are out of work and in threat of being evicted. He doesn’t care, and the GOP doesn’t care either.  If they cared, they would hold their noses, set aside their disdain for the Democrats, and work together to help all Americans. 

Mitch McConnell is an “apex predator,” and a cruel, cruel man. But he didn’t get where he is today without enablers, and the GOP and Democratic members alike have cow-towed to his aggressive tactics and rhetoric. We’re stuck with “Darth Vader” for another Senate term, and if Dems fail to flip the Senate and the Georgia Senate races go to Perdue and Loeffler, we’re looking at another replay of the Obama administration where McConnell and his GOP “homies” will block every piece of legislation that comes from a Democrat or the White House.  How one man has gained such power is unbelievable and is a direct threat to our Democracy. I hope beyond hope that the Dems can flip the Senate, and if they do, it is on them to initiate the restoration of Democratic ideals, to reform legislation, and to ensure that demagogues and authoritarians have no place in government. 

Sources:

1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/09/20/mitch-mcconnell-is-apex-predator-us-politics/

2. https://www.salon.com/2020/10/28/ralph-nader-mitch-mcconnell-is-the-most-brazen-evil-and-cruel-legislator-in-the-last-50-years_partner/

3. https://talkpoverty.org/state-year-report/kentucky-2020-report/