Mitch McConnel: GOP's top ratfucker

Interesting profile piece on how Mitch McConnell rose to become the top gun of GOP ratfuckery. If you wondered how he gets away with his transparent dirty tricks, this would explain it:

McConnell nevertheless manipulates the press masterfully, using methods that are head-smackingly obvious and yet still elude most politicians. He knows exactly what he wants to say, repeats it with emphasis, then stops. He will not be drawn out, and has no compunction about refusing questions. He would never make Boehner’s mistake, because he won’t entertain hypotheticals. “We don’t issue a whole lot of currency,” his spokesman says. What McConnell does say makes news.

At the press conference, reporters jockeyed to throw him off message and extract some further bit that might drive the story forward. His unvarying reply when asked about Boehner was: “It does not make sense to raise taxes in a recession,” a phrase he uttered nine times in barely as many minutes. The effect was like watching a swarm of mosquitoes encounter a bug zapper. After he wrapped up the proceedings, the reporters broke their huddle and scurried to button­hole individual senators. McConnell ignored them and walked off. The story soon dried up. No vote took place. And the elections were, as McConnell intended them to be, an unadulterated referendum on President Obama.

And speaking of manipulated, compliant media, Mitch whined on the Senate floor today about the lost comity of the world's greatest deliberative body.

"What have we become?" cried Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell during a lengthy floor speech Wednesday afternoon. The Republican leader lamented the "theatrics and the messaging wars" that he said have come to define and "cheapen" the upper chamber today.

"I'm absolutely certain of one thing: the Senate can be better than it is," he said.

"We've gotten too comfortable with doing everything we do here through the prism of the next election, instead of the prism of duty. And everyone suffers as a result," the Republican leader said.

No mention in the articles that Mitch is spewing pure bullshit and he's preemptively accusing Democrats of doing what he and his party are doing themselves. Nor mention of his own significant role in sabotaging the work of the people and destroying what little was left of the dignity of the Senate. But they transcribed this quote nicely:

"If Republicans are fortunate enough to be in the majority next year, amendments will be allowed," he said. "Senators will be respected."

As far as I know, nobody asked him if that included Democratic Senators and I suppose it wouldn't have mattered since he wouldn't have answered anyway. Funny how you never hear the insider media complaining about McConnell's lack of access. Too busy whinging about not being allowed to follow POTUS around when he plays golf. This is why we can't have an informed electorate.