Hall of Shame: Mitch McConnell
2007-05-02
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rss feedThe newest inductee into the Hall of Shame tried mightily to hide his shameful actions from public view. But despite Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's efforts, his secret hold on campaign finance legislation has been uncovered.
As the Kentucky Courier-Journal writes:
Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning combined efforts to block passage, by unanimous consent, of S.223, which would promote up-front politics by requiring that senators file their campaign finance reports electronically. That way voters could get the information they need more quickly and more easily.
The Sunlight Foundation complained about behind-the-scenes maneuvers by the two Kentuckians against this broadly supported legislation. The group condemned the "holds" that have been placed anonymously, by members who don't want voters to know they prefer to operate in secret:
"These demands show that, no matter who is objecting to the bill now, McConnell and Bunning will ensure that whenever this bill comes up for unanimous consent, some 'anonymous' senator will raise an objection."
[...]
What's clear, once again, is that Sen. McConnell says one thing and does another. He makes not only Kentucky but the Senate itself look bad.
The Courier-Journal isn't the only publication that took McConnell to task for blocking the legislation. The Lexington Herald-Leader also berated McConnell’s back-room politics writing "It's difficult to see the blocking strategy as anything but another of those too-clever maneuvers that serve only to undermine public support for Congress."
It’s clear that Mitch McConnell has failed Kentucky. Just last week the DSCC released a devastating poll that shows less than 50% of Kentucky voters would vote to re-elect McConnell. And with editorial boards across Kentucky attacking his actions, his re-election prospects are falling even faster.
