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Senator Mitch McConnell


Self Description

June 2010: "Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving U.S. Senator in Kentucky’s history, is the Senate Republican Leader in the 111th Congress. Elected to that position unanimously by his colleagues on November 18, 2008, he is the 15th Senate Republican Leader and only the second Kentuckian to lead his party in the Senate. The first, Alben Barkley, led the Democrats from 1937 to 1949.

Senator McConnell previously served, again by the unanimous vote of his colleagues, as the Republican Leader in the 110th Congress and the Majority Whip in the 108th and 109th Congresses. McConnell also served in leadership as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the 1998 and 2000 election cycles.

First elected to the Senate in 1984, McConnell made history that year as the only Republican challenger in the country to defeat a Democrat incumbent and as the first Republican to win a statewide Kentucky race since 1968. McConnell’s victory in 2008 is also one for the record books: On November 4, he won nearly a million votes, the most ever received for a Kentuckian in a statewide race. On January 10, 2009, McConnell became the longest-serving Senator from Kentucky, surpassing the tenures of his predecessor as leader, Alben Barkley; his former colleague, Wendell Ford; and his friend and mentor, John Sherman Cooper.

Senator McConnell graduated with honors from the University of Louisville College of Arts and Sciences, where he served as student body president. He also is a graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Law, where he was elected president of the Student Bar Association. McConnell worked as an intern on Capitol Hill for Senator John Sherman Cooper before serving as chief legislative assistant to Senator Marlow Cook and as deputy assistant attorney general to President Gerald Ford. Before his election to the U.S. Senate, he served as judge-executive of Jefferson County, Kentucky, from 1978 until he commenced his Senate term on January 3, 1985.

McConnell currently serves as a senior member of the Appropriations, Agriculture and Rules Committees.

Married to Elaine L. Chao, who served as President George W. Bush’s U.S. Secretary of Labor and as former president of the United Way of America and director of the Peace Corps, he is the proud father of three daughters."

http://mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Biography

Third-Party Descriptions

January 2013: 'Republicans, who have portrayed Mr. Obama’s four appointments as a power grab, quickly celebrated the outcome. The Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, said the ruling “reaffirmed that the Constitution is not an inconvenience but the law of the land.”'

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/26/business/court-rejects-recess-appointments-to-labor-board.html

February 2011: "The repeal measure, which was adopted overwhelmingly by the Republican-controlled House last month, was put forward by the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, as an amendment to an aviation industry bill that is now on the Senate floor."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/health/policy/03congress.html

December 2010: '“The F.C.C. has provocatively chartered a collision course with the legislative branch,” Mr. McDowell said, alluding to the complaints of Republicans in Congress. Before the F.C.C. meeting even began on Tuesday, the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, said in a statement that the Internet “should be left alone,” and that his colleagues would “push back against new rules and regulations” next year.'

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/21/f-c-c-approves-net-rules-and-braces-for-fight

June 2010: "Among those to make that point was the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who has made opposition to restrictions on campaign financing one of the signature priorities of his career in Congress."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/us/politics/25cong.html

August 2007: "The GOP leadership consists of McConnell, Assistant Minority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi, Conference Chairman Jon Kyl of Arizona, Policy Committee Chair Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, and Senatorial Committee Chair John Ensign of Nevada."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/08/28/craig.arrest/index.html

December 2007: "“The effort to ‘pay for’ the A.M.T. is highly offensive to members of my side of the aisle,” said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, who has balked at Democratic proposals to force a series of votes on competing options for circumventing the looming problem."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/us/06tax.html

December 2007: "Until that happens again, said Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, people can expect to see plenty of filibuster threats. “I think we can stipulate once again for the umpteenth time that matters that have any level of controversy about it in the Senate will require 60 votes,” he said."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/weekinreview/02herszenhorn.html

October 2007: Last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) and Republican leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) found bipartisan agreement on maintaining one special privilege. Together they put language into a defense appropriations bill that would keep legal the practice of some senators of booking several flights on days they return home, keeping the most convenient reservation and dumping the rest without paying cancellation fees -- a practice some airlines say could violate the new law.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/13/AR2007101301275.html

Relationships

RoleNameTypeLast Updated
Employee/Freelancer/Contractor (past or present) Justice Department/Department of Justice (DOJ) Organization Jun 27, 2010
Member of (past or present) Republican Party (U.S.) / Republican National Committee Organization Jun 27, 2010
Member of (past or present) US Senate Organization Jun 27, 2010
Student/Trainee (past or present) University of Kentucky (UKY) Organization Jun 27, 2010
Student/Trainee (past or present) University of Louisville Organization Jun 27, 2010
Colleague/Co-worker of (past or present) Sen. Robert "Bob" F. Bennett Person Aug 19, 2006
Family Member Elaine L. Chao Person Nov 7, 2005
Friend (past or present) Subordinate of (past or present) Senator John Sherman Cooper Person Jun 27, 2010

Articles and Resources

22 Articles and Resources. Go to:  [Next 2]

Date Fairness.com Resource Read it at:
Jan 25, 2013 Court Rejects Obama Move to Fill Posts

QUOTE: In a ruling that called into question nearly two centuries of presidential “recess” appointments that bypass the Senate confirmation process, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday that President Obama violated the Constitution when he installed three officials on the National Labor Relations Board a year ago.

 New York Times
Aug 14, 2012 Factory owners: Federal prisoners stealing our business

QUOTE: Unicor is a government-run enterprise that employs over 13,000 inmates -- at wages as low as 23 cents an hour -- to make goods for the Pentagon and other federal agencies....If Unicor wants a contract, it gets it.

 CNN/Money Magazine
Apr 20, 2011 Obama weighs disclosure order for contractors

QUOTE: “Now, under the guise of ‘transparency,’ the Obama administration reportedly wants to know the political leanings of any company or small business, including those of their officers and directors, before the government decides if they’ll award them federal contracts.”

 Washington Post
Feb 02, 2011 Senate Rejects Repeal of Health Care Law

QUOTE: "Senate Democrats on Wednesday defeated a bid by Republicans to repeal last year’s sweeping health care overhaul, as they successfully mounted a party-line defense of President Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement."

 New York Times
Feb 01, 2011 States Diverge on How to Deal With Health Care Ruling

QUOTE: in a few states that are party to the litigation, Republican governors and attorneys general declared the expansive health care law effectively null as a result of the judge’s ruling. They suggested they would suspend planning and implementation until appeals courts could rule...

 New York Times
Dec 24, 2010 Democrats Seek Changes to Senate Procedures

QUOTE: Frustrated by routine filibusters and other procedural blockades, Senate Democrats are urging their leadership to negotiate with Republicans to change the rules that govern how the Senate does business. The Democrats would leave intact the ability of the minority party to filibuster legislation and nominations, meaning that in most cases it would still take 60 votes to get anything done. But they want to require senators to be on the floor if they intend to try to debate a bill to death and would make other changes to streamline the Senate’s operations...

 New York Times
Dec 21, 2010 F.C.C. Approves Net Rules and Braces for Fight (Media Decoder)

QUOTE: The new rules [approved by the FCC-- Ed.] are, at best, net semi-neutrality. They ban any outright blocking and any “unreasonable discrimination” of Web sites or applications by fixed-line broadband providers, but they afford more wiggle room to wireless providers like AT&T and Verizon.

 New York Times
Jun 24, 2010 House Approves Legislation That Mandates the Disclosure of Political Spending

QUOTE: The House on Thursday approved legislation to curtail the ability of corporations and other special interest groups to influence elections by requiring greater disclosure of their role in paying for campaign advertising. The bill is intended to counter a Supreme Court ruling in January that the federal government may not ban political spending by corporations and other advocacy groups, like labor unions.

 New York Times
Aug 18, 2009 The Most Outrageous U.S. Lies About Global Healthcare

QUOTE: Many of the most wildly inaccurate statements [about health systems] have been directed abroad -- sometimes at the United States' closest allies, such as Britain and Canada, and often at the best health-care systems in the world.
Dec 12, 2008 Auto Bailout Talks Collapse as Senate Deadlocks Over Wages: Without a Deal, Carmakers Face Bankruptcy Threat

QUOTE: The legislation would have provided emergency loans to General Motors and Chrysler, which have said they face imminent collapse without federal help. The high-stakes talks broke down over when the wages of union workers would be slashed to the same level as those paid to nonunion workers at U.S. plants of foreign automakers...

 Washington Post
Apr 23, 2008 G.O.P. Set to Block Bill Easing Limits on Pay Discrimination Suits

QUOTE: Senate Republicans said on Tuesday that they were confident they would be able to block legislation intended to reverse a Supreme Court ruling last year that established tight time restrictions on lawsuits over pay discrimination.

 New York Times
Dec 06, 2007 Tax Stalemate Threatens Chaos as Filing Nears

QUOTE: But their inability to agree on exactly how to limit that tax is threatening to throw filing season into chaos and cost millions of Americans more in income taxes while fueling a political blame game over just who is responsible.

 New York Times
Dec 02, 2007 How the Filibuster Became the Rule

QUOTE: The filibuster may be well established in the popular consciousness — think of long-winded senators speechifying for days. But because modern Senate rules allow lawmakers to avoid the spectacle of pontificating by merely threatening the act, filibusters and the efforts to overcome them are being used more frequently, and on more issues, than at any other point in history.

 New York Times
Oct 14, 2007 Getting Around Rules on Lobbying: Despite New Law, Firms Find Ways To Ply Politicians

QUOTE: Looking for ways to keep spreading freebies legally, hundreds of lobbyists have been attending seminars at Washington law firms to learn the ins and outs of the new law.

 Washington Post
Aug 28, 2007 Craig: I did nothing 'inappropriate' in the airport bathroom

QUOTE: On Tuesday, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee, asking that the senator's conduct be investigated. The group, which largely targets Republicans, asked the committee to probe whether Craig "violated the Senate Rules of Conduct by engaging in disorderly conduct," a statement said.

 CNN (Cable News Network)
Jun 04, 2007 A Point System for Immigrants Incites Passions

QUOTE: The point system, one of the most significant features of the Senate immigration bill, will be at the heart of the debate as Congress resumes work on the legislation after a weeklong recess. It has already stirred passions because it would profoundly change the criteria for picking future immigrants.

 New York Times
Apr 25, 2007 Bush, Congress reach for war's reins: The showdown this week between President Bush and Congress on war funding is a constitutional issue over who controls the military.

QUOTE: At the heart of the dispute is a tension locked into the Constitution over who directs a war. As commander in chief, Bush says that he and generals on the ground determine the deployment of US forces, not members of Congress .... But many congressional experts see this week's confrontation over war funding as a critical test for a Congress that has long deferred to the White House over the conduct of the war.

 Christian Science Monitor
Jul 26, 2006 Senate Removes Abortion Option for Young Girls

QUOTE: The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would make it a federal crime to help an under-age girl escape parental notification laws by crossing state lines to obtain an abortion...could result in criminal charges against close relatives or clergy members who interceded to help in a time of personal crisis.

 New York Times
Apr 05, 2006 Democracy In Iraq Not A Priority in U.S. Budget

QUOTE: While President Bush vows to transform Iraq ...his administration has been scaling back funding for the main organizations trying to carry out his vision...The shortfall threatens projects that teach Iraqis how to create and sustain political parties, think tanks, human rights groups, independent media outlets, trade unions and other elements of democratic society.

 Washington Post
Oct 10, 2004 Senate Approves Bill On Victims' Rights: Both Chambers Tackle Busy Agendas

QUOTE: The [Senate--Ed.] bill seeks to ensure post-conviction access to DNA testing for death row and other prison inmates who claim innocence and authorizes $350 million in new funds to improve the quality of legal defense in capital cases. It also authorizes $755 million over the next five years to help clear the backlog of more than 300,000 rape kits and other crime scene evidence awaiting analysis.

 Washington Post

22 Articles and Resources. Go to:  [Next 2]