Senate Impeachment Trials began on Wednesday, leaving GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell more calculated than ever. Partisan divide has been the reality for much of Trump’s presidency and the Impeachment process has only exasperated tensions.
The big question for most political analysts and strategists has been: how will Mitch McConnell handle impeachment procedures? Will he remain level-headed and allow all witnesses and formalities to betide, like many of his democratc colleagues recommend? Or will he choose the more rushed approach, looking to limit witnesses and procedures in order to ensure a speedy trial that will end in favor of the president? Looking at previous decisions by the GOP in regards to protecting the president, many observers would be almost certain that McConnell will always act in the interest of the president. It should be noted, however, that the time at which these trials are occurring could not be worse for McConnell and the Republican Party.
Many predicted very polarized elections in 2020. Beyond the presidential elections, Senate seats will be up for grabs too in November. This is of great concern for the GOP Majority leader. Currently, Congress is divided which means democratic policy implementation is limited. This will all change, however, if democrats gain the 3 seats needed to gain control of the Senate. This would mean democrats could have control of both the House and Senate, giving them complete control of Congress. To put things in perspective, this means that if Trump is reelected he will be on lockdown as liberals will have the power needed to limit all conservative policy in Congress. On the other hand, if a democrat wins the 2020 presidential election, that person will have all the support needed to overturn all policies passed under the Trump administration.
In sum, 2020 Senate elections can quite literally change everything.
In his role as Majority Leader, McConnell is responsible for making sure his people win. Historically, party leaders have been tasked with ensuring that they strategize and organize so that all people within their party win the elections in their respective regions. Based on these responsibilities, strategic politicians would be very intentional about any decisions they made when dealing with something as contentious as Impeachment proceedings.
Republican Senator Susan Collins has been someone that democrats watched closely. Her centrist views have allowed many to see her as a potential swing vote in the impeachment process. With this in mind, McConnell has allowed her to be more skeptical of his work in the Senate. This pattern of protecting candidates has been evident. In order to protect elections, McConnell has allowed red state extreme rightist to support Trump and dismiss all impeachment processes. On the other hand, he has allowed moderate centrist Republicans to remain more conscious of their more liberal state voters in order to ensure they can maintain the support in their home states.
With all this in mind it is of great wonder how this process will continue. If we can count on definite things, however, we can be sure that Trump, McConnell and the Republican party are on thin ice. The question on everyone’s mind now is: just how good of a politician is Mitch McConnell?
I guess we’ll have to wait and see.