Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called upon his Democratic colleagues to slow down the health care reform process, pointing to the lengths of time it took the Senate to tackle other crucial issues.

“Some would argue that [health care reform] is a bigger issue than No Child Left Behind. We sent seven weeks on that,” McConnell said. “Some would argue that this is a bigger issue than Energy, we spent eight weeks on that.”

 

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Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Thursday that he would support the recent announcement by the White House to provide senior citizens with a check for $250 if the move was payed for with Recovery Act funds.

“The stimulus bill is not working,” said Boehner during a press briefing. “If we’re going provide this benefit to our seniors, why don’t we take it from stimulus funds that clearly aren’t getting the job done?”

The White House suggested the $250 early Wednesday to counter the lack of a cost of living increase in funds received by Social Security recipients.

Boehner was joined Thursday by Senate Minoirty Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who disparaged the direction the health care debate has taken.

McConnell called upon his Democratic colleagues to slow down the health care reform process, pointing to the length of time it took the Senate to tackle other crucial issues.

“Some would argue that [health care reform] is a bigger issue than No Child Left Behind. We spent seven weeks on that,” McConnell said. “Some would argue that this is a bigger issue than Energy, we spent eight weeks on that.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says the Republicans have plans for healthcare like the Democrats. He says he would start with doing something about the serious problem of junk lawsuits against doctors and hospitals, then equalize the tax code and incentivize wellness programs. (0:57)

 

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says he doesn’t think Congress should raise taxes on anybody, but Congress should try to reduce the cost of health care. (0:26)

 

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By Laura Smith, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Friday declined the opportunity to comment on the scandal facing GOP Senators John Ensign (R-Nev.) and Tom Coburn (R-Ok).

“I don’t have any observations to make about the Ensign matter today,” McConnell said.

The Minority Leader’s refusal comes after the revelation that Ensign had a relationship with the wife of a former aide. Coburn has also been accused of advising Ensign to give the aide money in order to relocate to Colorado.

McConnell also touched upon the America’s Healthy Future Act, the markup of which concluded early Thursday morning.

“What we know for sure about this proposal, the core of it, is that it will include half a trillion dollars in Medicare cuts over 10 years and hundreds of billions of dollars in tax increases on both individuals and businesses,” he said.

McConnell said these are the issues the American people were responding to during the townhall protests in August.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch Mcconnell (R-Ky.) explains how Guantanamo Bay has been successful as no detainees have escape and it keeps them off American soil. This is the main reason why he favors it being kept open. (0:20)

 

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By Jonathan Bronstein, Talk Radio News

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

The Republican ship is sinking and Senator Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) is first to jump off the boat. While to some experts the recent defection of Specter to the Democrats marks the end of an electable Republican Party, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) said they were far less concerned.

“This was simply, nothing more and nothing less than political self-preservation,” said Cornyn, adding that “(Specter’s) own pollster told him that he could not win the Republican primary in Pennsylvania, so his only options were to leave the Senate or join the Democratic Party.”

Additionally, McConnell downplayed Specter’s decision as a Pennsylvania problem, and not a national problem for the Republican Party.

“This is a Pennsylvania story about his inability, according to his pollster, to be renominated by the Republican Party,” said McConnell.

But one aspect of Specter’s decision could not be denied, as he, coupled with Al Franken’s election in Minnesota, would give the Democrats the necessary votes to block any Republican filibuster.

“But it sets up the potential for the majority, if it chooses to, to run rough over the minority. To eliminate checks and balances and the kind of restraint that Americans have historically wanted from their government,” said McConnell.

Nevertheless, while the loss of Specter lessens Republican power, McConnell tried to lessen the blow by saying, “He (Specter) made a totally political decision.” and that the decision was not symptomatic of other underlying issues within the party.

After a trip to the Middle East, Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says Afghanistan is “clearly an area where we need to keep the pressure on to prevent another attack on the homeland.” And he went on to say that “over in Afghanistan, I think the surge that the President has ordered is the right thing to do,” said McConnell pertaining to President Obama’s decision to send additional troops to boost Afghan efforts. (0:33)

 

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