Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr. (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician who has served as a senior US Senator from Kentucky since 1985. A Republican, he has also served as Senate Majority Leader since January 3, 2015. He previously served as a Minority Leader from 2007 to 2015. He is the second Kentuckian to lead his party in the Senate. McConnell is the longest US Senator in Kentucky history.
During the administration of President Barack Obama, McConnell was characterized by opponents as dissidents, while opinions on the right were sharply divided. Some on the right praised him for his tenacity and courage, while others criticized him for being part of the political establishment and not keeping his promise to the conservatives. McConnell has earned a reputation as a skilled political strategist and tactician. However, this reputation dims after Republicans fail to provide a substitute for the Affordable Care Act by 2017.
From early 2016, McConnell refused to schedule a Senate hearing for Obama's candidate to the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland, to replace Judge Antonin Scalia, who died in February 2016. Garland's nomination remained before the Senate for 294 days, from March 16, 2016, ended on January 3, 2017, more than twice the time of the other Supreme Court nominations. Then, McConnell used the so-called "nuclear option" to lower the threshold for archivalists for Supreme Court candidates to be a simple majority, with the aim of establishing Neil Gorsuch to Court.
Video Mitch McConnell
Early life and education
McConnell is of Scottish-British and English descent, son of Addison Mitchell McConnell, and his wife, Julia ( nÃÆ' Â © e Shockley). McConnell was born on February 20, 1942, in Sheffield, Alabama, and was raised as a young man near Athens.
As a youth, McConnell overcame polio, which he beat at age 2. He received treatment at the Warm Springs Institute in Georgia, potentially saving him from disability for the rest of his life. In 1990, McConnell said that his family was "almost bankrupt" due to the costs associated with his illness.
When he was eight years old, the McConnell family moved to Georgia. When he was a teenager, his family moved to Louisville, where he attended duPont Manual College. He graduated with honors from the University of Louisville with B.A. in political science in 1964. McConnell is chairman of the College of Arts and Sciences Student Council and a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. He has maintained a strong bond with his alma mater and remains a fanatical fan of sports teams. In 1967, McConnell graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law, where he became president of the Student Student Association.
In March 1967, shortly before graduating from law school, McConnell enrolled in the US Army Reserve in Louisville, Kentucky. In August 1967, after five weeks of military training at Fort Knox, he received honorable release for medical reasons (optical neuritis).
Maps Mitch McConnell
Initial career
McConnell began his apprenticeship for Senator John Sherman Cooper (R-KY) in 1964, and his time with Cooper inspired him to nominate the Senate in its own end. Then, McConnell is an assistant to Senator Marlow Cook (R-KY) and Assistant Deputy Attorney General under President Gerald R. Ford, where he worked with future Judge Antonin Scalia. In 1977, McConnell was elected Jefferson County Judge/Executive, former top political office in Jefferson County, Kentucky. He was re-elected in 1981.
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Selection
1984
In 1984, McConnell ran for US Senator against two Democratic culprits Walter Dee Huddleston. Election races are not decided until the last return comes, and McConnell wins by a narrow margin - only 5,200 votes from over 1.8 million votes, just over 0.4%. McConnell was the only Republican Senator challenger to win that year, though Ronald Reagan won a landslide victory in the presidential election. Part of McConnell's success came from a series of television campaign venues called "Where's Dee", featuring a group of sniffer dogs trying to find Huddleston, implying that Huddleston's presence record in the Senate is less than stellar. His campaign bumper stickers and television commercials asked voters to "Switch to Mitch".
1990
In 1990, McConnell faced a tough re-election contest against former Louisville mayor Harvey I. Sloane, winning 4.4%.
1996
In 1996, he defeated Steve Beshear by 12.6%, even when Bill Clinton narrowly brought the country. In keeping with the tradition of humorous and effective television commercials in its campaign, McConnell's campaign runs a television advertisement that warns voters not to "Get BeSheared" and includes a shave sheep image.
2002
In 2002, he was re-elected against Lois Combs Weinberg by 29.4%, the largest majority by Republican candidates in the states in Kentucky history.
2008
In 2008, McConnell faced his closest contest since 1990. He beat Bruce Lunsford by 6%.
2014
In 2014, McConnell faces Louisville businessman Matt Bevin in the Republican primary. The 60.2% won by McConnell is the lowest voting support for US Senator Kentucky at primary by either party since 1938. He faces Secretary of State Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes in the general election. Though polls show the race is very close, McConnell finally beat Grimes by 56.2% -40.7%, generating a margin of 15.5 percentage points - one of his biggest margin of victories, second only to his 2002 margin.
Leadership
During the 1998 and 2000 electoral cycles, McConnell was chairman of the National Senatorial Committee of the Republic. Republicans retained Senate control after both elections. He was first elected the Whip majority in the 108th Congress and unanimously re-elected on November 17, 2004. Sen. Bill Frist, the Majority Leader, did not seek re-election in the 2006 election. In November 2006, after the Republicans lost control of the Senate, they chose McConnell to replace Frist as Minority Leader. After the Republican Party took over the Senate after the 2014 Senate election, McConnell became the Senate Majority Leader.
Tenure
Reputation
According to The New York Times, in his early years as a politician in Kentucky, McConnell was "something centric". In recent years, however, McConnell has veered sharply to the right. He was now opposed to the right of collective bargaining and the minimum wage increase he had previously supported, and ignored the pork batch projects he had sent to the state of Kentucky. He believed that Reagan's popularity made conservatism much more interesting.
According to a profile on Politico, "While most politicians are anxious to be liked, McConnell has enjoyed - and cultivated - his reputation as a criminal." The Politico profile also notes "For most of Obama's presidency, McConnell has become the face of Republican obstructionism." According to Salon , "Despite McConnell's reputation as the person who said his No. 1 goal was to stop President Obama from winning a second term, it was already McConnell at the table when the big deal - into them instead of government closures threatened, debt default or fiscal cliff - has been settled. "
Reporter Alec MacGillis wrote a book about Mitch McConnell, published by Simon & amp; Schuster on December 23, 2014, titled The Cynic , which alludes to the writer's belief that McConnell mostly acts as he does for political gain and not for ideology.
With a rejection rate of 49% by 2016, it has the highest rejection rate of all senators. McConnell has repeatedly been found to have the lowest state approval ratings of any sitting senator.
Foreign policy
After winning the US Senate election in 1984, McConnell endorsed anti-apartheid legislation with Chris Dodd. McConnell went on to design new IMF funding to "faithfully protect aid to Egypt and Israel," and "promote free elections and better treatment of Muslim refugees" in Myanmar, Cambodia and Macedonia. According to a March 2014 article on Politico, McConnell is a 'likes' for both sides' sides seeking foreign help, "but he has lost some of his ideals and has evolved to be better. alert to foreign aid.
In August 2007, McConnell introduced the 2007 Protected American Act, which allowed the National Security Agency to monitor telephone and electronic communications from terrorist suspects outside the United States without obtaining a warrant. McConnell is the only party leader in Congress to oppose a resolution that would authorize a military offensive against Syria in September 2013, citing the lack of national security risks.
On March 27, 2014, McConnell introduced the United States International Programming to the bill of Ukraine and the Neighboring Territories, which will provide additional funds and instructions to the Free Radio Europe/Radio Liberty in response to the Crimean crisis 2014.
In September 2016, the Senate voted 71 to 27 against Chris Murphy-Rand Paul's resolution to block a 1.15 billion dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has been accused of war crimes. After the vote, McConnell said: "I think it's important for the United States to maintain good relations with Saudi Arabia as well as possible."
Also in September 2016, both the Senate and the House of Representatives overruled President Obama's veto to pass the Law on Terrorism Sponsorship (JASTA) into law. Although McConnell chose to rule out the president, McConnell would criticize JASTA in a day after the bill passed, saying that it might have "undesirable consequences". McConnell seems to blame the White House on this point when he quotes that there was "a failure to communicate early about the potential consequences" of JASTA, and said he told Obama that JASTA "is an example of a problem we should be talking about long ago." In vetoing the bill, Obama has given three reasons to reject JASTA: that the courts will be less effective than "national security professionals and foreign policy" in response to foreign governments supporting terrorism, that it will disrupt "the long-standing international principle of immune sovereignty ", and that would complicate international relations.
Campaign funds
McConnell argues that campaign funding rules reduce participation in political campaigns and protect old players from competition. He pioneered the movement against the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (known since 1995 as "McCain-Feingold Bill" and from 1989 to 1994 as "Boren-Mitchell Draft"), calling it "unfair, unequal, or constitutional." His opposition to the bill culminated in the 2003 Supreme Court case McConnell v. Federal Electoral Commission and 2009 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission . McConnell has been an adviser for freedom of speech at least since the early 1970s when he taught a night course at the University of Louisville. "No problem has shaped his career beyond a campaign financing junction and freedom of speech," writes political reporter Robert Costa in 2012. In a McConnell fundraising tape in 2014, he expressed his disagreement with McCain-Feingold's law, saying, "The worst day of life my politics was when President George W. Bush signed McCain-Feingold into law at the beginning of his first Administration. "
On January 2, 2013, the Public Campaign Action Fund, a liberal non-profit group that supports stronger campaign funding rules, released a report highlighting eight examples of McConnell's political career in which voice or voice was blocked (filibuster), coinciding with campaign contributions for campaigns McConnell. The Kentucky Progress, a SuperPAC focusing on defeating McConnell in 2014, hosted a press conference in front of Senator Louisville's office to highlight the report's findings.
Flag Desecration Amendment
McConnell opposed the Flag Deflation Amendment in 2000. According to McConnell: "We must curb this reflexive practice of trying to heal any and all of our nation's political and social by corrupting the Constitution.The country's constitution is not a harsh draft.This is not a rough draft and we should not treat it like that. "McConnell offers an amendment to the size that would make flag desecration a legal, illegal crime without changing the Constitution.
Health policy
In August 2001, McConnell introduced the 2001 General Nurse Law Malpractice Reform Act. The bill would require that health care responsibility measures should commence within two years, non-economic damages should not exceed $ 250,000, and punitive damages can only be given in certain situations.
McConnell voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (usually called ObamaCare or the Affordable Care Act) in December 2009, and he voted against the Health Care and Reconciliation Education Act of 2010. By 2014, McConnell repeated his call for full lifting of Obamacare and said that Kentucky should be allowed to keep state health insurance exchange sites, Kynect, or set up similar systems. McConnell is part of a group of 13 Senators who compiled the Senate version of the AHCA behind closed doors. The Senator rejected more than 15 requests for patient advocacy organizations to meet with his congressional staff to discuss the law. These include groups such as the American Heart Association, the March of Dimes, the American Lung Association. and the American Diabetes Association.
McConnell received the Kentucky Life Science Champion Award for his work in promoting innovation in the life science sector.
In 2015, the two Congressional assemblies passed a bill to revoke the Affordable Care Act. It was vetoed by President Obama in January 2016.
After President Trump took office in January 2017, the Senate of the Republic, under the leadership of McConnell, began work on a plan to revoke and replace the Affordable Care Act. They face the opposition of both Democrats and moderate Republicans, who claim that the bill will leave too many uninsured people, and more conservative Republicans, who protest that the bill is storing too many ACA rules and spending increases, and thus not a full retraction.. Many attempts to cancel the retraction failed. On June 27, after a meeting with President Trump at the White House, McConnell hinted at repairs for repeal and replacement: "We're not there, but I think we have a very good chance of getting there, just taking us a bit longer. "During the Rotary Club lunch on July 6, McConnell said," If my party can not approve an adequate reimbursement, then some kind of action relating to the private health insurance market should happen. "
Economy
In July 2003, McConnell sponsored the Small Business Liability Reform Act of 2003. The bill would protect small businesses from litigation excesses and limit the responsibility of sellers of non-manufactured products.
McConnell is a sponsor of the Gas Price Reduction Act of 2008. The bill, which was not approved, would allow countries to engage in increased exploration of offshore and domestic oils in an attempt to curb rising gas prices.
In June 2008, McConnell introduced the Minimum Tax Act and Extender Tax Extender in 2008. The bill was intended to limit the impact of the Alternative Minimum Tax.
In an interview with the magazine National Journal published Oct. 23, 2010, McConnell explains that "the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a term president." Asked if this meant "endless, or at least often, a confrontation with the president," McConnell clarified that "if [Obama] is willing to meet us in the midst of some of the biggest issues, it is inappropriate for us to do business with him."
In September 2010, McConnell sponsored the Tax Incidence Prevention Act of 2010. The bill would extend permanently the terms of tax relief in 2001 and 2003 and provide the Minimum Alternative Tax and permanent tax breaks.
In 2010, McConnell requested a service mark for defense contractors BAE Systems while the company is being investigated by the Department of Justice for alleged bribery of foreign officials.
In June 2011, McConnell introduced the Constitutional Budget Amendment. The amendment would require two-thirds of the vote in Congress to raise taxes or federal spending to exceed tax revenues this year or 18% of GDP a year earlier. The amendment determines the circumstances in which this requirement shall be waived.
In December 2012, McConnell called for a vote to grant the president's unilateral authority to raise the federal debt ceiling. When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) called for a vote up or down, McConnell objected and eventually made his own bill filibuster within hours of his introduction by asking for 60 consent votes.
After two intersesi to obtain federal grants for Alltech, whose president T. Pearse Lyons made his next campaign contribution to McConnell, to build a factory in Kentucky to produce ethanol from algae, corncobs and switchgrass, McConnell criticized President Obama in 2012 for twice calling biofuels. production of algae in a speech touting its "all-over-the-top" energy policy.
In 2014, McConnell chose to help solve Ted Cruz's filing of the debt limit and then fight the bills themselves. In April 2014, the United States Senate debated the Justice Payet Act (S. 2199; 113th Congress). It is a bill that "punishes employers for replying to workers who share wage information, puts the burden of justification on employers as to why a person is paid less and enables workers to demand redress due to wage discrimination." McConnell said that he was against the law because it would "coat the trial bag of experiments", not help women.
In July 2014, McConnell objected to a US Senate bill that would limit the company's inversion practice by US companies seeking to limit US tax liability.
Immigration
In February 2018, McConnell declared his support for immigration proposals in line with President Trump's framework, the reason for the bill which he said had "the best chance" to enter into law. At this point, he considers this problem has been running for three days of debate on the floor.
Environment
McConnell expressed skepticism that climate change is a problem, told the Cincinnati Enquirer editorial board in 2014, "I'm not a scientist, I'm interested in protecting the Kentucky economy, I'm interested in low-cost electricity."
McConnell was one of 22 senators to sign a letter to President Donald Trump urging the President to withdraw from the Paris Treaty. According to the Responsive Political Center, McConnell has received more than $ 1.5 million from the oil and gas industry since 2012.
Pistol right
On the weekend of January 19-21, 2013, McConnell for the Senate campaign was emailed and the so-called robo-defense supporters told them that "President Obama and his team are making every effort to restrict your constitutional right to defend and carry weapons.". "McConnell also said," I make every effort to protect your 2nd Amendment right. "On April 17, 2013, McConnell voted against a broader background check for weapons purchases.
Iraq War
In October 2002, McConnell chose the Iraqi Resolution, which passed military action against Iraq. McConnell supports the 2007 surge of the Iraq War. In 2010, McConnell "accused the White House of being more concerned about messenger strategies than demanding a war on terrorism."
In 2006, McConnell publicly criticized the Democratic Senate for insisting that troops be brought back from Iraq. According to President Bush's memos, however, McConnell personally urged the then President to "bring troops home from Iraq" to reduce political risk. The McConnell newspaper, The Louisville Courier-Journal, in an editorial entitled "True Colors McConnell", criticized McConnell for his actions and asked him to "explain why the fate of the Republican Party is more important than the security of the United States."
Regarding the failure of the Iraqi government to carry out reforms, McConnell said the following to End of Edition with Wolf Blitzer: "The Iraqi government is a big disappointment." Republicans are very disappointed about the Iraqi government I just read this week that a large number of parliament Iraq wants to ask us to go I want to convince you Wolf, if they choose to ask us to leave, we will be happy to fulfill their request. "
On April 21, 2009, McConnell delivered a speech to the Senate criticizing President Obama's plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba, and questioned an additional $ 81 million of White House requests for funds to transfer prisoners to the United States.
Fundraising
From 2003 to 2008, McConnell's list of 20 donors included five finance/investment companies: UBS, FMR Corporation (Fidelity Investments), Citigroup, Bank of New York and Merrill Lynch.
In April 2010, when Congress was considering a financial reform law, a reporter asked McConnell if he "made an offer from major banks." McConnell has received more money in donations from the "Finance, Insurance and Real Estate" sectors than any other sector by the Responsive Political Center. McConnell replied, "I do not think that's accurate, you can talk to community bankers in Kentucky." The Democratic Party's plan for financial reform is actually a way to institutionalize "endlessly financed bailouts for big Wall Street banks," McConnell said. He expressed concern that the $ 50 billion fund that the bank will use to liquidate collapsed financial firms "will of course immediately signal to everyone that the government is ready to rescue the big banks." In the state of McConnell in Kentucky, the Lexington Herald-Leader contains an editorial statement: "We have read that Republicans have plans for financial reform, but McConnell does not discuss any solutions, only pollutes the ideas of others without respect for the truth. "According to one count, McConnell's largest donor from the period January 1, 2009, to September 30, 2015, is Bob McNair, contributing $ 1,502,500.
2016 Supreme Court vacancies
In an August 2016 speech in Kentucky, McConnell, talking about President Obama's Merrick Garland's nomination to the Supreme Court (to fill the void caused by the death of Antonin Scalia in February 2016) said, "One of my proudest moments is when I see Barack Obama in the eyes and I said, 'Mr President, you will not fill the vacancy of the Supreme Court.' "In April 2018, McConnell said it was" the most important decision I make in my entire public career ".
2016 presidential election
McConnell initially supported fellow Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. After Paul's withdrawal, McConnell remained neutral for the main remainder. On May 4, 2016, McConnell endorsed Donald Trump's alleged nomination. "I have committed to supporting candidates selected by Republican voters, and Donald Trump, the alleged candidate, is now almost reaching the nomination."
On several occasions, McConnell criticized Trump but continued to support Trump's candidacy. On May 27, 2016, after Trump stated that Federal Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel was biased towards Trump because of his Mexican heritage, McConnell replied, "I disagree with what he (Trump) says.) This is a man born in Indiana.We all come here from elsewhere. "On July 31, 2016, after Trump criticized the parents of Captain Humayun Khan, a Muslim soldier killed in Iraq, McConnell stated," Captain Khan is an American hero, and like all Americans , I am grateful for the sacrifice that selfless young men like Captain Khan and their families have made war on terror All Americans should appreciate the patriotic service of the patriots who volunteered to defend us in the military service. "On October 7, 2016, following Donald's controversy Trump Access Hollywood , McConnell stated: "As the father of three daughters, I strongly believe that Trump needs to apologize l go straight to women and girls everywhere, and take full responsibility for the lack of respect for women shown in his comments on the recording. "
Russian interference in 2016 elections
In light of the US response to intelligence findings that Russia was responsible for cyber attacks carried out to influence American elections, after Trump won the election, Senator McConnell declared "support to investigate the findings of American intelligence that intervened Moscow." But before the election, when FBI Director James Comey, Home Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and other officials met with the leaders of both sides to make a case for a bipartisan statement that warned Russia that such action would not be tolerated. "McConnell voiced doubts about the underlying intelligence and explained to the government that he would consider any attempt by the White House to publicly challenge Russia's partisan political actions, "The Washington Post reported, citing reports from unnamed officials.
In April 2017, McConnell denied knowing anything about Trump's potential wiretap by the Obama administration, saying there was an ongoing investigation.
In November 2017, McConnell opposed passing legislation to protect Robert Mueller's Special Counsel investigation into Russian intervention in the 2016 election. In April 2018, less than 24 hours after the FBI attack in private law firm Michael Cohen (President of Trump), and after Trump said that "many people" had asked him to fire Mueller, McConnell reiterated that it opposed any laws to protect Mueller's investigations. Later that month, McConnell thwarted a bipartisan legislative effort to protect Mueller's investigation.
Committees assignment
- Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
- Subcommittee on Revitalization, Conservation, Forestry and Rural Credit
- Subcommittee on Marketing, Inspection, and Plant and Animal Health at Home and Abroad
- Subcommittee on Hunger, Nutrition, and Family Farming
- Committee on Allocation
- Agricultural Subcommittee, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agent
- Trade, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee
- Defense Subcommittee
- Energy and Water Development Subcommittee
- Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Countries, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
- Committee on Rules and Administration
- Select the Intelligence Committee ( Ex officio )
Selection history
The selection is displayed with maps depicting county-by-county information. McConnell is shown in red opponents and Democrats are shown in blue.
Personal life
McConnell is a Southern Baptist. He married his first wife, Sherrill Redmon, from 1968 to 1980, and had three children. After their divorce, he became a feminist scholar at Smith College and director of the Sophia Smith Collection. His second wife, who married her in 1993, is Elaine Chao, former Minister of Labor under George W. Bush. On 29 November 2016, the President who entered Donald Trump was nominated Chao to serve as Secretary of Transportation. He was confirmed by the Senate on January 31, 2017, in a 93-6 vote. McConnell himself chose "present" during a confirmation roll call.
McConnell is on the Jefferson Award Select Board for Public Service.
In 1997, he founded the James Madison Center for Free Speech, a defense organization based in Washington, DC. McConnell was sworn in as a member of Sons of the American Revolution on March 1, 2013.
In 2010, the OpenSecrets website placed McConnell as one of the richest members of the US Senate, based on the net worth of the household. His personal fortune increased after receiving a personal gift in 2008 to him and his wife, given by his father-in-law James S. C. Chao after the death of McConnell's mother-in-law, which ranged between $ 5 and $ 25 million.
In popular culture
McConnell appears in the title sequence, and as an out-of-screen character, in season 1 of Alpha House .
Former Daily Show host Jon Stewart has repeatedly taunted McConnell for his resemblance to a tortoise or turtle and often imitates it with the tortoise of Tortoise Wins by a Hare.
References
Further reading
- Recommended Reading on Mitch McConnell, Joshua Green, The Atlantic , January 5, 2011
- Cynical: Political Education Mitch McConnell , Alec MacGillis, Simon & amp; Schuster, December 23, 2014
External links
- Biography at Directory of Congressional Biographies of the United States
- Profile in Project Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Electoral Commission
- Rules are sponsored in the Library of Congress
- Senator Mitch McConnell is an official US Senate website
- Mitch McConnell for the Senate
- Appearance in C-SPAN
- Mitch McConnell on Curlie (based on DMOZ)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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