Josh Hawley Rips Mitch McConnell for Lack of Senate Win

Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 01:58 pm

Who does Josh Hawley think he is? If Tuesday night (and election week) have told us anything, it was that it was a repudiation of MAGA extremism. It was fear for democracy. It was about women’s rights, LGTBQ rights, it was about anti-racism, anti-xenophobia, it was pro-adult, and anti-government by juveniles. So who does Josh Hawley think he is in blaming Mitch McConnell for the Senate loss? Hawley’s raised fist didn’t help on Election Day; one can be sure. Yet here he is, according to Real Clear Politics:

Two days after Republicans dramatically underperformed in the midterms, but even as control of Congress remains too close to call, Sen. Josh Hawley has completed his autopsy and offered it to his party’s leaders for consideration. The topline: The failure is all their fault.

The Missouri populist believes the Republican Party offered voters plenty in the way of generalized gripes about Democrats and President Biden – but no actionable alternative. Hawley blames that on what he calls “Washington Republicanism,” specifically Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. He also thinks it was a bad idea to talk about making changes to Social Security and Medicare.

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“Republicans just said, ‘Well, the other side sucks, and Biden sucks.’ Well, no doubt! But it’s pretty hard to convince folks, particularly independent-minded ones who don’t tend to trust the process much, to vote for you, if you don’t have something affirmative to say and offer,” Hawley said in a Friday interview.

Oh, and we recall Hawley and Cruz and the other MAGAs having so many positive plans for legislation, a commitment to work with the other side, all of it, don’t we? Hawley was the one out front saying, “Biden sucks, vote for Republicans!”

This is nothing but a powerplay from those very Republicans that likely are most to blame for the GOP’s woes in many areas, including the Senate. Donald Trump had more influence on the Senate outcome than Mitch McConnell. Had Trump picked a normal person to run as a Republican against Walker, there’s little reason to believe that person wouldn’t have run with Brian Kemp’s numbers. Oz would have been a little tougher because Fetterman was such a strong candidate, but Oz was not the “best” the GOP had to offer.

McConnell didn’t “pick” either of those men. He didn’t pick J.D. Vance, who “won” but not by much. McConnell didn’t pick Blake Masters, Trump did, and Masters is running far behind Kari Lake – though Mark Kelly is a good candidate.

Hawley and his type had far more to do with “the loss” than anything McConnell did. Hawley might just be challenging for GOP leadership.

Jason Miciak

@JasonMiciak believes a day without learning is a day not lived. He is a political writer, features writer, author, and attorney. He is a Canadian-born dual citizen who spent his teen and college years in the Pacific Northwest and has since lived in seven states. He now enjoys life as a single dad of a young girl, writing from the beaches of the Gulf Coast. He loves crafting his flower pots, cooking, and currently studies philosophy of science, religion, and non-math principles behind quantum mechanics and cosmology. Please feel free to contact with any concerns.