Democrats Must Fight Like McConnell — Or Keep Losing

Stop playing by rules your opponents abandoned years ago. Mitch McConnell blocked Merrick Garland's Supreme Court nomination for nine months using a tradition he invented, then reversed course within hours of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death to seat a Trump nominee. He wrote the playbook on using every available lever of power without apology. Democrats need to read it. McConnell has missed at least 30 Senate votes, been silent since his June 14 hospitalization, and ignored Governor Beshear's July 8 letter requesting proof he can serve — no email, no call, no video. A McConnell-style Democrat would already be invoking Senate Rule VI, citing Section 152 of the Kentucky Constitution, and demanding sworn testimony from anyone claiming he's fit to serve. Instead, the response has been cautious and legally deferential while Kentucky Republicans have twice rewritten state law — overriding Beshear's vetoes both times — to strip him of any appointment power. Republicans like Josh Hawley and Tommy Tuberville are already pushing for action, not out of concern for Kentucky constituents, but because they want a 52nd Senate vote. That's the difference: they treat politics as a power game. Every time Democrats treat it as a good-faith fight, they lose ground. Match the aggression. Use every tool available. That's what the moment demands.