Like the Scorpion or Kevin Hart, Mitch McConnell has to do what Mitch McConnell does - which, in Mitch's case, is being a cynical sociopathic grifter. Now, don't get me wrong, Mitch is one of the "good" Republicans - sort of. He initially drew the line at outright treason - unlike Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz, etc., etc., etc. Now, after reviewing his options for regaining control of the Senate, McConnell has decided (incorrectly) that holding accountable a president who incited violent insurrection against the very legislative body that he (McConnell) covets the leadership of would be unconstitutional.
Joe Biden is an "old-school" politician. Joe hit his stride back when many pols of both stripes could commiserate over a cocktail, and occasionally even agree on policy. If there was a sweet spot where corporate and public interests overlapped - no matter how narrowly - compromise was possible.
Fast forward to the current miasma - President Biden's honeymoon officially ended when he attempted to mitigate the apocalyptic chaos he inherited. Newly fiscally responsible Republicans decided that spending money on addressing the dire predicament that millions of average Americans find themselves would be irresponsible. Even the nation's largest business-lobbying outfit - the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - backs Biden's plan, stating that "America must return to health before we can restore economic growth and get the 10 million Americans who lost their jobs in the last year back to work."
All of that means nothing to McConnell and most Republicans. If they can't exercise power, they're simply going to obstruct and hope their obstruction will cause enough havoc that a frustrated electorate will hand over control of government to them in two years. Trumpists - on the other hand - would simply do away with elections and other inconveniences inherent with democracy.
Fittingly, the Republican Party has no actual platform other than the continuation of Trumpism and its tacit pandering to Trumpism's increasingly manic, violent and traitorous acolytes.
McConnell's problem is negotiating the tightrope between his obsession for power and the madness of Trumpism. Although corporate America has largely acknowledged the threat to "business as usual" that Trumpism poses, McConnell hasn't quite come to terms yet.
The impending Trump impeachment trial in the Senate is much more than holding Trump accountable. More than Trump, the Republican Party is on trial. It really could be its last hurrah. As it stands, Trumpism has necessitated the abandonment of any pretense of participation in American democracy - in the case of unwanted election results, the options are either baseless nullification or violent overthrow of government.
