Does Mitch McConnell Care About His Constituents?

Kit O’Connor, May 18th, 2020

When I thought about writing a biweekly piece- whether a letter to the editor or just some thoughts from a constituent, that I could read on our weekly show, I worried that I would not have enough material. Silly me. I coined the phrase “Mitch Mcconnell never lets us down in letting us down” for a reason- he is constantly standing in our way, letting us down, while occupying the most powerful seat in the US senate. There is, sadly, plenty of fodder for these spots.

My question of the day is this: Does Mitch McConnell care about his constituents?

Currently, the coronavirus pandemic has killed over 90K Americans, including over 330 here in Kentucky. The unemployment rate in the US was at 14.7% in April, and just last Thursday, McConnell’s hometown paper, the Pulitzer Prize winning Courier-Journal, reported that unemployment in Kentucky was close to 40%.

Obviously, two issues of paramount importance are healthcare and making ends meet. Does Senator McConnell want his constituents to have access to healthcare? Does he want them to have enough money to pay rent and put food on the table?

People need to be healthy and they need to be safe. They also need to trust that when someone else goes to work, that they, too, are safe and healthy. We need to trust this not only because we’re good, caring people who want to see each other out of harm’s way, but also because we don’t want others to spread illness to our own loved ones. That has never been more clear than now. And yet, Mitch McConnell has tried to destroy the Affordable Care Act and take away people’s healthcare over and over again. Why?

The second issue is financial assistance. Recently, Senator McConnell said that states can go bankrupt rather than have access to aid. He blamed the blue states, but it would also affect his home state- us here in Kentucky. No aid would mean cuts to teachers, firefighters, the police, and the very frontline people we’ve been calling heroes.

Fast forward a week and a half. The House of Representatives passed another stimulus bill last Friday that would provide aid to local governments and payment to the public- those very Kentuckians who need it. But, as reported by Politico yesterday, “senators are expected to consider a handful of lifetime judicial appointments this week and then head home for the Memorial Day recess.” They won’t be considering this stimulus bill. Once again, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, the person responsible for scheduling the Senate’s daily legislative program, is going out of his way to turn his back on you and me.

Over and over again, I hear of foodbanks being overwhelmed with lines of cars waiting for help. I hear of small businesses closing. I see my neighbors pleaing with us to order from local restaurants to help them stay in business but, according to Politico, and I quote, “the Kentucky Republican says he doesn’t yet feel the “urgency” to spend more money after Congress has delivered nearly $3 trillion in aid already.”

Good sir. Really?

Not only that, but the New York Times reported recently that Senator McConnell “is insisting that there will be no more stimulus, no more money for anyone until businesses get immunity from liability during the pandemic.” He is insisting that employers be shielded from liability if their workers contract the coronavirus. In other words, YOU have to go to work, but if your employer is haphazard with protecting your safety from contracting the Coronavirus in your workplace, you cannot hold them liable. Is Senator McConnell more concerned with protecting businesses from his constituents than he is with protecting those constituents from these businesses?

Honestly, Kentucky, does our senior senator even care about his constituents? And if the answer is yes, then we deserve what we get (or don’t get). But if the answer is no, then let’s demand that he do so. We deserve representation that actually cares about us.

Kit O’Connor is a founding member of the MMRC. They live in Frankfort, KY with their spouse, Nate Orshan. Kit is a lifelong activist, advocate and educator with a focus on human rights, particularly refugee and migrant rights and LGBTQ+ rights. Besides teaching high school, they enjoy public speaking and providing workshops about a range of issues from citizen lobbying to human rights messaging. You can Follow Kit on Twitter @ KitUnbridled