Mitch McTurtle-- The Personification Of Death Itself

Every year, Morning Consult puts out a national survey of all 50 states to determine how their residents feel about the states' two senators. And every year Bernie is the most beloved and McTurtle is the most detested. This year's survey, out this week, was no different: Bernie #1, McTurtle #100.

Thinking about the 2020 elections, these are the seven senators who will be facing the voters next year with bad approve/disapprove ratios:

• Mitch McConnell (R-KY)-- 36% approve, 50% disapprove
• Thom Tillis (R-NC)-- 34% approve, 33% disapprove
• Martha McSally (R-AZ)-- 35% approve, 35% disapprove
• Cory Gardner (R-CO)-- 35% approve, 35% disapprove
• Dick Durbin (D-IL)-- 37% approve, 35% disapprove
• Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)-- 38% approve, 37% disapprove
• Joni Ernst (R-IA)-- 40% approve, 37% disapprove

Last week, the unpopular McTurtle was campaigning in front of a small group of right-wing Kentucky fat-cats when he boasted how he would continue gumming up the system next year-- if he's reelected-- to make sure no progressive legislation passing by the House is voted on in the Senate:

"If I'm still the majority leader of the Senate after next year, none of those things are going to pass the Senate. They won't even be voted on. So think of me as the Grim Reaper: the guy who is going to make sure that socialism doesn't land on the president's desk."

CBS News reported that "before referring to himself as the personification of death, McConnell, the White House's most powerful ally on Capitol Hill, accused Democrats in Congress and those running for president of endorsing a fringe, far-left agenda that will imperil the American economy. 'You pass the Green New Deal and Medicare for All, you have fundamentally changed this country, fundamentally changed it into an unproductive place with significant unemployment and huge problems,' McConnell said, noting that some of his colleagues in the Senate who are running for president, like Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, have vouched their support for both proposals. McConnell said progressive platforms are being touted by most mainstream Democrats, not just 'some young woman from New York who just got elected to Congress,' presumably referring to freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of Queens and the Bronx. 'It's much broader than that,' McConnell said."

Not much new there. When haven't conservatives smeared progressive proposals to help working families as "socialism" or "communism" or whatever nonsense popped into their minds? Versions of McTurtle from the 1700s on have fought tooth and nail to prevent progressive ideas from taking hold. A decade ago, Mike Lux did a great book about it, The Progressive Revolution, in which he laid out many of the progressive initiatives that entailed winning bloody battles (sometimes literally) against conservative opponents. These are the battles we won against the McTurtles of American history:

• The American Revolution
• The Bill of Rights and the forging of a democracy
• Universal white male suffrage
• Public education
• The emancipation of the slaves
• The national park system
• Food safety
• The breakup of monopolies
• The Homestead Act
• Land grant universities
• Rural electrification
• Women’s suffrage
• The abolition of child labor
• The eight hour workday
• The minimum wage
• Social Security
• Civil rights for minorities and women
• Voting rights for minorities and the poor
• Cleaning up our air, our water, and toxic dump sites
• Consumer product safety
• Medicare and Medicaid

Yes, Republicans referred to the dozen or so final ones as "socialism" and used the same scaremongering McTurtle uses about them today when they fought them back in the day. Today Trump and McTurtle aren't content blocking new progressive proposals, they are working actively to roll back the fruits of progressives victories going back over a century.

As repulsive and corrupt as the DC Democrats are, they are basically what stands between us and the conservative vision of America that includes none of that progress. Look, I went to high school with Chuck Schumer; believe me when I tell you I despise him far more than you do. But Friday he was correct when he said that McTurtle has turned the Senate into "a legislative graveyard... Leader McConnell ought to allow debate and amendments immediately-- which Democrats would welcome-- on commonsense, House-passed bills on democracy reform, combating the gun violence epidemic, health care, and so much more... On getting anything done to help the American people, Leader McConnell and the Senate Republicans in the first 100 days get an 'F'."

Earlier Friday, Pelosi-- who has plenty of flaws and shouldn't be speaker-- also took on McTurtle's decision to play the Grim Reaper. In a letter to House Democrats, she blasted McTurtle's approach to making himself into an obstacle to all progressive legislation:

In our first 100 days, the House was busy passing vital bipartisan legislation that addresses the issues that matter in the lives of the American people.

The House has sent the Senate legislation that has strong bipartisan support across the country, consistent with our For The People agenda. We urge Senator McConnell to take up the legislation as soon as possible.

• H.R. 1 – the For The People Act to restore confidence in our democracy;
• H.R. 8 & H.R. 1112 – the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and the Enhanced Background Checks Act, commonsense gun violence prevention measures;
• H.R. 7 – the Paycheck Fairness Act, to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work;
• H.R. 1585 – Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, a strong improvement and long-term reauthorization of VAWA;
• H.R. 1644 – the Save The Internet Act to restore vital Net Neutrality protections.

In the coming weeks, we will be taking action on:

• The Protecting People with Pre-existing Conditions Act and other legislation to lower health costs by reducing prescription drug prices;
• H.R. 9 – the Climate Action Now Act to preserve the Paris Climate Accord and lay the foundation for more action;
• H.R. 5 – the Equality Act to end discrimination against LGBTQ Americans;
• H.R. 6 – the American Dream and Promise Act to protect Dreamers, TPS and DED recipients.

Our progress For The People stands in stark contrast to the inaction of the GOP-controlled Senate. The Republican Senate needs to wake up, and vote on these urgently needed bills immediately. If they don’t like our bipartisan bills, then they can pass their own version and we can go to conference.

Leader McConnell has declared himself the “grim reaper” of these House bills to make progress for working families. We will show him that these bills are alive and well with the American people. The middle class and America don’t want the Senate to be a legislative graveyard for so many of these important issues-- they want action.