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Maybe it's just me, but... Mitch McConnell is really rather impressive. Legolas Send a noteboard - 07/05/2019 07:33:10 PM

He delivered a speech today - see link below - about the Mueller report, which immediately generated outraged reactions from the left-wing media and Democratic politicians. Which isn't surprising, as he does heavily criticize and mock the Democrats. But the funny thing is, if you watch the whole thing, paying close attention to what he says and just as much to what he doesn't say, it's a remarkably clever speech with numerous implicit rebukes of Trump's rhetoric and positions as well.

Certainly, he's very partisan a lot of the time, with Republicans and the Trump administration getting credit for the smallest things and Democrats and Obama being blamed for everything. But taking all that with a bunch of salt, there are a lot of good points inbetween. No doubt he's very much aware how much his references to 'unhinged partisanship' and 'outrage industrial complex' apply to Trump as much or more as they do to the Democrats - but he doesn't say it and I rather figure Trump's too thick to read it between the lines. Not a word about obstruction of justice, as the point of the speech isn't at all to defend Trump, it's to take a tough stance against Russia, appeal to the American public and score points against Democratic politicians and pundits, without alienating a single Republican, from the diehard Never-Trump wing all the way over to Trump himself. Pretty brilliant.

And I think he is very much correct on his point that Putin must be delighted with how his election interference turned out and how much bang for his buck he's getting, even now several years later. Whether or not it was the decisive factor swinging the election to Trump, it has proven an infinite source of inspiration for Democrats and establishment Republicans to criticize Trump, and for Trump to debase himself and his office in reaction, generating further outrage, in an endless feedback loop that exacerbates polarization in America and diminishes its reputation and its capacity for action around the world.

McConnell speech on the Mueller report
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Maybe it's just me, but... Mitch McConnell is really rather impressive. - 07/05/2019 07:33:10 PM 539 Views
So is Tywin Lannister. Anyone who doubts McConnell's intelligence and cunning is a fool. *NM* - 08/05/2019 02:05:22 AM 128 Views
*This* *NM* - 08/05/2019 07:54:00 PM 123 Views
Yes. But also, he's right about really a lot of it. - 08/05/2019 10:49:40 PM 267 Views
Pfft Trump is miles better than anyone the Dems have - 08/05/2019 11:37:52 PM 286 Views
Better at what, exactly? - 09/05/2019 09:02:14 PM 275 Views
Why is the Golan thing retarded ? - 27/05/2019 12:57:03 PM 244 Views
Because of the precedent it sets. - 27/05/2019 08:20:42 PM 286 Views
I did not vote for Bennet-Shaked though I considered it - 27/05/2019 01:01:17 PM 250 Views
Ouch, that sucks. - 27/05/2019 08:29:37 PM 274 Views
McConnell has been a rock star for years..... - 08/05/2019 04:06:46 AM 285 Views

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