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Essential Mitch: The Early Years

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NPR

News, Documentary, Society & Culture, News Commentary

4.712.1K Ratings

🗓️ 18 November 2020

⏱️ 37 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What is it about Mitch? How did a politician famous for his lack of charisma become one of the most powerful men in Washington? This week, we continue our deep dive into the world of Mitch McConnell, looking back on his early years as an up-and-coming politician.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Mitch McConnell has a new nickname.

0:03.6

He used to like it when people called him Darth Vader or the grim reaper of the Senate,

0:08.7

meaning the one who kills bills passed by Democrats.

0:11.8

And last week, when he again was elected the Republican leader in the Senate, one of his

0:16.6

colleagues called him the Apex Predator.

0:20.3

Just to be clear, the Miriam Webster definition for that is a predator at the top of a food chain

0:26.0

that is not preyed upon by any other animal.

0:29.7

The one who Republicans hope will help them keep a majority in the Senate by winning two

0:35.0

runoff elections in Georgia in January.

0:41.4

That majority is important, of course, because it means the party gets to control a lot of

0:47.0

stuff, like saying they won't approve certain cabinet appointments or Supreme Court nominees.

0:52.8

If there's another vacancy, what legislation gets passed, like more COVID relief, basically

0:58.6

any spending on anything?

1:01.4

Hanging onto that power is the reason many say McConnell and his Republican colleagues

1:06.1

are standing by President Trump who still has refused to concede the election.

1:11.4

Here's what McConnell says about that.

1:13.7

Until the Electoral College votes, anyone who's running for office can exhaust concerns

1:25.5

about counting in any court of appropriate jurisdiction.

1:32.3

It's a truism to say people have a right to avail themselves of appropriate election

1:37.9

law remedies.

1:38.9

There's no doubt about that.

1:40.7

That's John Bolton, a Republican who was Trump's national security adviser.

...

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