Moscow Mitch McConnell and Others Must Be Exiled From Congress

Right-wing politicians are in denial. They claim that racism is not a problem for America in the 21st century. Of course, they are white and have enjoyed white privilege for their lifetime. “The truth lives here,” and I can confirm that people of color are facing greater struggles today than they did 20 years ago.

When Trump was illegitimately given a victory in the Electoral College in 2016, the white supremacist movement received an enormous gift. They had a leader in the White House. Millions of Neo-Nazis came out from under their rocks and became a force in politics with the encouragement of today’s Republicans in name only.

With Trump no longer using Air Force One to golf and hold hate rallies, real Americans are speaking the truth. In response, Moscow Mitch McConnell and other fake Republicans are whining, suggesting that they are facing discrimination? Really? What world are they living in?

I learned when I was 16, in 1962, that my world, my very white world, allowed me to live in an atmosphere of privilege not experienced by my black friends and classmates. It has become worse today with red states attempting to suppress the voting rights of Blacks and other minorities. Every Republican refused to vote in favor of the John Lewis voting rights bill. They confirmed once again that they are the party of racism and bigotry.

Last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was asked by Latino Rebels reporter Pablo Manríquez whether he had a message to people of color ahead of the midterms, in light of the Republicans’ blockage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. In response, McConnell said, “Well, the concern is misplaced because, if you look at the statistics, African American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans.”

As you might imagine, the response to his fallacious claim was swift and angry. The facts are clear. After a historic voter turnout in 2022, resulting in a huge win for Joe Biden by more than seven million votes, red states, those states controlled by Republican-dominated state legislatures, began passing laws intended to suppress the voting rights of minorities and the poor: all likely Independent or Democratic voters. McConnell has lied to the people of America and the people of his state, Kentucky, for the last 38 years. The old man of the senate has to go if our government is to function again.

McConnell is the poster boy for forcing congressional term limits. In the Supreme Court, Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett are the perfect example of why a lifetime appointment is asinine.

Our government makes no sense in the 21st century. Deliberation and compromise, efforts that made common sense in the past, are nowhere to be found in Washington today. The two major parties are literally engaged in a war. McConnell’s Party has been the “party of no” since 2009. It has failed to pass a single bill that would have positively affected all 331 million Americans. They are worthless, and the reason Washington is totally dysfunctional.

Op-ed by James Turnage

Sources:

WNYC Studios: Mitch McConnell’s Verbal Separation of African Americans and Americans Sparks Outrage
Pew Research Center: Majorities of Americans see at least some discrimination against Black, Hispanic and Asian people in the U.S.; by ANDREW DANILLER

Top and Featured Image Courtesy Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy Brook Ward’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License