Mitch McConnell Admits That Republicans Lose When More People Vote

He calls making Election Day a national holiday a “power grab” by Democrats.

ARI BERMAN JANUARY 30, 2019 2:01 PM

Democrats have long accused Republicans of restricting access to the ballot because Republicans are likelier to win when fewer people vote. On Wednesday, the GOP leader in the Senate appeared to admit that they’re right.

On the Senate floor, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced his opposition to a relatively uncontroversial measure that would make Election Day a federal holiday in order to make it easier for people to get to the polls. He called it a “power grab” that would help Democrats win elections.

“Just what America needs, another paid holiday and a bunch of government workers being paid to go out and work for, I assume, our folks—our colleagues on the other side, on their campaigns,” McConnell said. “This is the Democrat plan to restore democracy? A brand-new week of paid vacation for every federal employee who would like to hover around while you cast your ballot?”

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McConnell mocks idea of making Election Day a paid holiday

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The measure is part of a sweeping democracy reform bill introduced this month by House Democrats, which also includes reforms like automatic and Election Day registration, nationwide early voting, independent redistricting commissions, and public financing of congressional campaigns. McConnell has led the Republican opposition to the legislation, calling it “the Democrat Politician Protection Act.”

Critics pounced on McConnell’s statement, seeing it as confirmation that Republicans are trying to retain their political power by preventing people from voting.


Dan Pfeiffer

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If more people voting is bad for your political party, maybe try fixing your party.

Steven Dennis

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On Senate floor Mitch McConnell rips a federal holiday for Election Day as part of a “power grab” by Democrats to win elections.

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Other congressional Republicans, including Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Doug Collins (R-Ga.), the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, echoed McConnell’s criticism.


Jamie Dupree

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On the House floor, Rep Jim Jordan R-OH expresses outrage that Democrats want to make Election Day a federal holiday

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Making Election Day a national holiday—a so-called Democracy Day—is an increasingly popular idea, supported by 65 percent of the public, according to the Pew Research Center. It’s been championed by progressive politicians such as Bernie Sanders and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Holding elections on a Tuesday in November is an increasingly antiquated notion—38 states now offer early voting, and most advanced democracies vote on the weekends, when it’s more convenient to get to the polls.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/01/mitch-mcconnell-admits-that-republicans-lose-when-more-people-vote/?utm_source=mj-newsletters&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=political-mojo-2019-02-01

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Allies Of Vladimir Putin Funneled Money To Senior Republicans

Sens. Mitch McConnell, Marco Rubio, and Lindsey Graham are among those who benefited from Russia-linked donations.

A close look at public campaign finance reports reveals a network of Russian oligarchs increasingly contributing to top Republican leadership in recent years, according to Dallas News.

And thanks to the Supreme Court's ruling on Citizens United in 2010, the donations are perfectly legal.

An example is Len Blavatnik, a dual U.S.-U.K. citizen and one of the largest donors to GOP political action committees in the 2015-16 election cycle. Blavatnik's family emigrated to the U.S. in the late '70s from the U.S.S.R. and he returned to Russia when the Soviet Union began to collapse in the late '80s.

The Russian billionaire is one of the U.K.'s wealthiest, with an estimated net worth of $20 billion. Prior to the 2016 election season, Blavatnik's political donations were bipartisan and meager.

In 2015-16, everything changed. Blavatnik's political contributions soared and made a hard right turn as he pumped $6.35 million into GOP political action committees, with millions of dollars going to top Republican leaders including Sens. Mitch McConnell, Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham.

It is unclear why Republicans would knowingly accept donations from such contributors, particularly after Russia's attempt to interfere with the presidential election was known:

Two weeks after the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a joint statement in October 2016 that the Russian government had directed the effort to interfere in our electoral process, McConnell's PAC accepted a $1 million donation from Blavatnik's AI-Altep Holdings.

The PAC took another $1 million from Blavatnik's AI-Altep Holdings on March 30, 2017, just 10 days after former FBI Director James Comey publicly testified before the House Intelligence Committee about Russia's interference in the election.

(more at Dallas News)

https://mavenroundtable.io/theintellectualist/news/allies-of-vladimir-putin-funneled-money-to-senior-republicans-hR1nirIpK0-Au1Xg74novg/