McConnell faces leadership challenge after failure to pass “skinny repeal” of ObamaCare

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to the media about plans to repeal and replace Obamacare on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 27, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell is facing mounting pressure from a grassroots movement within the Republican party to resign his post. His time and time again failure to repeal and replace ObamaCare has left many conservatives understandably frustrated at his inability to rally his party members behind his leadership.

John McCain’s return to the senate after being diagnosed with a brain tumor and his subsequent, shock sabotage of the Senate’s “skinny repeal” of Obamacare seems to have been the final test of faith in McConnell’s leadership. Faith that already seemed to be fluttering due to previous, failed attempts to repeal the bill, a cornerstone promise of the Republican party election campaign and of course Trump’s presidential campaign.

Following the disappointing result for McConnell, a number of prominent conservatives have called for his resignation.

Rep. Mo Brooks told CNN’ “Let’s be clear about what happened in the last 24 hours in the United States Senate — it was an abject failure of the United States Senate to do what America needs doing [sic],”

“Unquestionably the leadership at the top is responsible,” Brooks told Cuomo. “The buck stops there, that’s why you take on that kind of responsibility,” he said. “If Mitch McConnell cannot get the job done on this, how is he going to get the job done on the rest of President Trump’s agenda over the next three-and-a-half years? This is a killer.”

“It’s not necessarily anything bad about Mitch McConnell himself personally. But he’s got a job to do, and if he can’t do it then, as ‘The Apprentice’ would say, ‘you’re fired,’ get somebody who can,” he concluded.

Similar questions of McConnell’s leadership echoed across the twittersphere with prominent conservative radio host Mark Levin digging into McConnell’s leadership

“McCain joins Democrats, McConnell fails again and must go,” he tweeted early Friday.

President Donald Trump unsurprisingly was left frustrated and vented that frustration on Twitter. Although the President didn’t single out McConnell he did show annoyance at defecting Republicans and an eagerness to move on from healthcare, evidently after growing weary of McConnell and his Republican senators barely missing the mark to repeal ObamaCare.

“3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!” tweeted the President.

The President has yet to see a major legislative victory during his tenure and with the 6 month mark just recently passing, understandably an annoyance for President Trump.

For now, Republican Senators have lost the battle for HealthCare reform with Mitch McConnell conceding defeat, saying “it is time to move on” in an emotional speech on the Senate floor after the “skinny repeal” was voted down.

“This is clearly a disappointing moment,” Mr McConnell said, according to the Hill.

“I regret that our efforts were simply not enough this time. Now, I imagine many of our colleagues on the other side are celebrating. Probably pretty happy about all this. But the American people are hurting, and they need relief.”

By Aaron O’Leary – Media Bias Fact Check

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