Ashley Judd is a little too liberal for my tastes, and that isn’t easy to do. But saying things like it is “unconscionable to breed” will make me turn away from you. Nonetheless, I think a 2014 senate race between Ms. Judd and Mitch McConnell would be absolutely fascinating. Yes, she’s mother-skeptical and practices yoga and speaks fluent French. But she’s also married to a famous race-car driver, frequently attends Kentucky Wildcat basketball games, and comes from one of country music’s royal families. Since she lives in Tennessee, she’ll have to establish some residence in the Bluegrass State, but she wouldn’t be relocating from Malibu. She grew up in Kentucky and went to college there.
Before McConnell gets the pleasure of running against an anti-poverty activist who spends half her time in Scotland, he’ll have to fend off any primary challenges from his right. That won’t be easy. Consider what happened with Rand Paul just two years ago. It’s telling that McConnell has hired Rand Paul’s campaign manager. That’s part of his strategy. He also plans on playing the bad cop to John Boehner’s good cop.
What does that mean?
Apparently, it means that McConnell will let John Boehner fashion any compromises over tax and budget issues, and he’ll take a back seat on immigration, too. His theory is that the base won’t rebel against him if he shows absolutely no leadership on or authorship of any negotiated settlements in Congress.
This is going to be problematic in practice, and it is probably hopelessly optimistic. John Boehner has to pass legislation while McConnell only needs to consent to allow legislation to be passed. But Boehner also presides over a more conservative caucus than McConnell. It is much easier for McConnell to give five votes to the Democrats than it is for Boehner to get most of his caucus to vote for something that the Senate Democrats like and that the president will sign.
If the Senate Republicans are going to eschew any leadership and just sit around waiting for Boehner to spit up something that the base pretty much hates, it’s going to be a long two years. McConnell’s strategy just contributes to the gridlock and dysfunction in Congress. And he’ll try to get off the hook by saying, “I didn’t negotiate that deal and I didn’t vote for it.” But if he didn’t filibuster it, he allowed it to happen. The Republican base is going to be miserable as they watch Boehner try to force his caucus to keep the government’s doors open. And they’ll look to McConnell to kill any deals they don’t like.
Does the Republican base like any deals? With this president?
Sitting back and taking no leadership is going to whipsaw McConnell. He is going to get primaried and he is going to get chewed up to the point that he might actually lose to a Hollywood starlet so liberal that even I would have second thoughts about voting for her.