Much to the consternation of many conservatives and Trump backers, Mitch McConnell was once again reelected as Senate Minority Leader with only 10 GOP Senators opposing him.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mcconnell-emerges-senate-leadership-vote-gop-backing-not-going-anywhere

That 80% margin is being presented by his backers as a great show of confidence, but I think it’s actually more explainable by the old saying, “If you strike at a king, make sure you kill him.” McConnell controls the powerful committee assignments, so anyone voting against him has to weigh the odds of him losing the vote (tiny) against the odds of losing their own power if they oppose him (YUGE.) I’d say that the fact that 20% of Republican Senators were willing to throw caution to the wind and go on record as opposing him shows how deep the dissatisfaction with him is.

But that’s how things work in Washington. You didn’t really think that Nancy Pelosi has remained the Democrats’ leader for this long because so many of them love her, did you?

Stephen Kruiser at PJ Media has some comments on his own trepidations about McConnell, how his continued leadership is likely to block a much-needed overhaul of the GOP, and how he’s more likely to compromise with Chuck Schumer and oppose MAGA Republicans than the other way around.

https://pjmedia.com/columns/stephen-kruiser/2022/11/17/the-morning-briefing-the-post-red-trickle-mitch-mcconnell-will-be-a-problem-for-conservatives-n1646605