“I think there is a realization by rational Republicans - and I think so [Senate Minority Leader Mitch] McConnell Rational Republican, [Texas Sen. John] “Cornin also - there is their recognition that they cannot continue like this,” Biden replied.
Which begs the interesting question: is Biden right? Is McConnell part of the “rational” Republican wing of the party?
To answer that question, you must first decide: What does Biden mean by “rational”? Since he did not explain, we have to conclude. And my conclusion is that Biden defines rationality as a) willingness to break with Donald Trump and b) willingness to compromise when compromise is available.
So, using that definition, let’s see how McConnell fits into the “rational” category.
According to FiveThirtyEight, McConnell voted with Trump’s position 91.4% of the time he was president. That made McConnell the 18th senator in the number of Trump - equal to the senator from South Dakota, John Thun, the second-ranked Republican in the Senate leadership, and a little more Trump than senators such as Marsha Blackburn from Tennessee and Tom Cotton from Arkansas.
That finding may be a bit wrong, of course, because as the leader of the GOP in the Senate, McConnell saw his job, at least in part, as implementing Trump’s agenda through Congress. And as a leader, he had some influence on what the Trump agenda would look like.
As for other measures of conservatism, McConnell scored lower. According to the conservative Heritage Foundation, McConnell has a lifetime rating of 63% (and 69% at the current session of Congress). The average rating for a Republican senator is 81%. The Growth Club, a fiscally conservative organization, gives McConnell a lifelong score of 74% - the 21st highest among Republican senators.
(It is worth noting here that there should be a difference between a willingness to support Trump’s plan and broader measurements of conservatism. Trampism is not necessarily equal to conservatism.)
Especially when it comes to weapons, McConnell’s records are less mixed. He has an A + rating from the National Shooting Association, which noted in the 2014 campaign that a Kentucky Republican “opposed any attempt by President Obama, former New York City Mayor Bloomberg and other anti-gun extremists to degrade and violate our rights to the Second Amendment and hunting heritage.” .
On the other hand, it is true that McConnell showed readiness to criticize Trump. In the midst of the riots on January 6, 2021 in the American Capitol, McConnell said that Trump was “practically and morally responsible for causing the events of that day.”
But it is also true that McConnell’s speech followed AFTER he voted against Trump’s conviction at the Senate recall trial.
What Biden ultimately thinks of describing McConnell (and Cornin) as “rational” Republicans is that he believes they are open to an agreement. Remember that Biden, as vice president, personally negotiated deals with McConnell in order to avoid defaulting on national debts in 2011 and falling off the fiscal cliff in 2013.
“You were a true friend, you were a trusted partner and it was an honor to serve with you,” McConnell said of Biden in the Senate in the last days of Obama’s 2016 presidency.
As I wrote last week, the most important thing to remember when trying to understand McConnell is that he always considers the politics of every situation. This is especially true now, given that the mid-term elections in 2022 are fast approaching and that the majority in the Senate is very much in the game.
If McConnell believes the general public wants something to do with weapons, he will work with Cornin and Democratic leaders to find a deal. If the desire for action fades after Uvalde, it is possible that McConnell will withdraw his readiness for the Republicans to find some kind of compromise on weapons.
Therefore, the best way to understand McConnell is not on the rational / irrational spectrum. Instead, it depends on whether or not a particular issue is politically beneficial to him and his side.
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