Thank you, Mitch

A farewell to one of this century’s greatest conservative champions

I admire few politicians. Mitch McConnell is an exception. Mitch is pragmatic and intellectual and shows loyalty to his colleagues, as well as values that make him a rare breed of politician. For sixteen years, Mr. McConnell has led the Senate Republicans and delivered victories for the country and the conservative movement. And, despite pressure from the right-wing and far left, Mr. McConnell never wavered in his belief in the institution and traditions of the Senate, our founding fathers' vision for the country, and the inherent exceptionalism of America.

His faith in America has been crucial in maintaining our country's status as the beacon of freedom and in standing with our allies. Despite the recent isolationist tilt within the Republican party, Mr. McConnell has offered a refreshing moral clarity on standing with our allies Ukraine and Israel. Solidarity with Ukraine and commitment to our alliances hardly make him a hero with the dominant Trumpist wing of the party, which is further proof that his decisions are made based on principle, not on political expediency. But Mr. McConnell has a history of upholding what is right rather than what may be convenient.

For over forty years as Senator and sixteen years as Republican conference leader, Mr. McConnell has been Washington’s most articulate, eloquent, and consistent defender of the First Amendment right to free speech, repeatedly countering attempts to infringe upon these fundamental freedoms. His early endeavors include thwarting a 1994 initiative to finance political campaigns with taxpayer funds—a foolish concept leftists repeatedly champion today. Mr. McConnell's most notable free-speech battle was against the loathsome McCain-Feingold Act of 2002, which sought to impose unprecedented restrictions on political advocacy and parties. Despite an initial defeat in the Supreme Court, Mr. McConnell's persistence saw many of these restrictions overturned, reinforcing the First Amendment rights of political entities and advocacy groups. Channeling Voltaire's principle of “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,” he opposed a 2006 amendment that sought to criminalize flag desecration, a stance shared by only a few of his Republican colleagues.

Indeed, Mr. McConnell’s entire life and career are marked by an unwavering commitment to civil liberties. In his college years, not as a mere spectator but instead as an active participant, Mr. McConnell stood shoulder to shoulder with demonstrators at the “March on Washington” in 1963, led by Martin Luther King Jr. His principled stands did not end there, during his inaugural term in the Senate, he worked with the Democratic Congress to overturn President Ronald Reagan’s veto of sanctions against South Africa — retaliatory sanctions for the nations continued support for racial segregation. In 2015, he promptly endorsed Governor Nikki Haley’s decision to remove the Confederate flag from the South Carolina state capital, which placed him at odds with many of his colleagues and constituents.

But few view Mr. McConnell in a favorable light; few have been hounded by the relentless churn of the mainstream media as he. During his tenure in leadership, many on the left frequently lambasted Mr. McConnell for being some conniving supervillain responsible for every legislative disappointment in the Obama presidency, courtesy of his gridlock that supposedly subverted the people's will. But this gridlock stemmed from the will of the people who supported Mr. McConnell’s repeated pledges to torpedo Barack Obama’s agenda and gave him conservative majorities.

In the first two years of the Obama administration, the Democrats held a filibuster-proof 60-seat Senate majority. Fulfilling his campaign promise for healthcare reform and rather than working with Republicans on a compromise bill, in good faith, Mr. Obama rammed through Obamacare without a single Republican vote. In response to Republican objections, Mr. Obama told Mr. McConnell and other GOP leaders during a meeting that “elections have consequences” and, at the end of the day, “I won.”

After the 2010 midterms, a night of historic gains for the Republicans, Mr. McConnell had the leverage to impede Obama's agenda. And impede he did, with every right to do so.

Tired of one-party rule courtesy of a disastrous administration, the American people wished for the Obama administration to work with Mr. McConnell in the Senate and Speaker Boehner in the House. Instead, Mr. Obama would spend the rest of his presidency throwing televised press conferences, more like temper tantrums, in the Rose Garden, moaning that the Republicans no longer enabled him to act like a king. When reporters asked Mr. McConnell why he could not just let Mr. Obama have his way, McConnell responded: "Elections have consequences."

McConnell's leadership saw the GOP conference effectively counteract every disastrous action advanced by Mr. Obama. And despite criticisms of “obstructionism” and “partisan gridlock,” the electoral outcomes repeatedly favored the Republicans, underscoring the public's tacit approval of the GOP's staunch opposition to a president whose agenda was out of step with the public.

But policy and presidents come and go — Mr. McConnell’s true legacy will be his judicial picks. In 2014, at the peak of his influence, McConnell led the Senate Republicans to hold fifty-four seats after grabbing nine from the Democrats. This broad-based coalition had a home for everyone, such as moderate Rockefeller Republicans like Mark Kirk and Susan Collins of Illinois and Maine and Tea Party conservatives like Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton of Texas and Arkansas. McConnell's tent was broad yet impactful.

2014 was the most consequential midterm election of our lifetime, as it enabled Republicans to block Mr. Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland in 2016, confirm Neil Gorsuch in 2017, Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, and Amy Coney Barrett in 2020. Additionally, as it is often overlooked by the media and public, as high-profile battles over the Supreme Court are better for television ratings, Mr. McConnell led his broad-based coalition to confirm an unprecedented number of conservative judges to circuit and district courts. Because of his work, conservatives see victory for the rule of law with every recent Supreme Court ruling.

And now, after an illustrious and consequential tenure, Mr. McConnell has announced that he will step aside from Senate leadership after fulfilling his current term. I applaud this moment of rare humility, given that at age 82, Mr. McConnell acknowledges the realities that age takes even on the most resilient. His record, often overlooked by my fellow conservatives, warrants deeper appreciation and gratitude. As we stand on the cusp of his departure and the end of an era, I believe that history will grant him the respect he deserves. In his twilight years, I hope he finds solace with some good Kentucky bourbon, more time with his family, and the freedom of no longer being responsible for keeping a famously unruly caucus in line.

Thank you, Mitch.