A letter to Mitch McConnell, who needs to watch out for sinkholes

And while the museum remains open as structural engineers assess the damage, the Corvette Museum isn’t the only thing in the “bluegrass state” that’s in danger of sinking.

That’s why this week’s letter goes to the Kentucky politician whose career may be sunk by his own D.C. colleagues.

Dear Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell:

It’s me, Joy.

I know it’s been a rough week for you, senator. I mean if you can’t trust the people in your own party, who can you trust?

Republican Senator Ted Cruz really corked things up for the Republican leadership this week. No, he didn’t take to the floor and start reading Dr. Seuss again. This time, instead of allowing the Senate to quietly pass the House bill for a clean debt ceiling increase, with a simple majority, your friend Ted objected. Which meant the bill needed 60 votes to advance. Meaning at least five Republicans needed to vote with democrats to meet the 60-vote threshold.

So you and Senator John Cornyn of Texas, who like you is facing a primary challenge, plus 10 of your GOP colleagues, had to join Senate Democrats and advance the bill with a 67-to-31 vote to stop a filibuster.

All 12 of you opposed final passage, but the damage was already done. You voted to raise the debt ceiling before you voted against it.

Your Tea Party endorsed primary challenger, Matt Bevin, jumped on your vote immediately, releasing a statement that said:

“I wish I could say I am surprised that Mitch McConnell voted to hand President Obama another blank check … Sadly, I am not, because this is more of the same from a career politician who has voted for bigger government, multiple bailouts, and now 11 debt ceiling increases.”

Unfortunately for you, Senator McConnell — that wasn’t all.

There was also this ad:

“His ideology is power. It’s why McConnell has voted to raise the debt limit 10 times and why he worked with Joe Biden to pass a $600 billion fiscal cliff tax hike. McConnell even joined Harry Reid in opposing Ted Cruz’s effort to defund Obamacare. Send a message to Mitch McConnell today. If he wants to vote like a Democrat, he can become a Democrat.”

Yikes.

Ted Cruz may tell you he was just standing up for his conservative principles by insisting on a 60-vote threshold, but he also ripped the curtain off the continued rifts inside the Grand Old Party, which had been kind of rowing together lately. And he put you and other republicans who are facing tough primaries at risk.

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So much for the olive branch that the senator from Texas extended to his Senate colleagues back in October when he pledged not to get involved in Tea Party primary fights to defeat Republican incumbents.

But that is exactly what he has done — intentionally or not. And it could affect gop chances of grabbing a majority in the senate. Not only do Republicans need to keep the senate seats they already have — they have to gain an additional six seats for the balance of power to change.

And senator, in your race, you’re not exactly sitting in the cat-bird seat. Right now, your likely Democratic opponent Alison Lundergan Grimes is beating you in the polls! And that “for it before you were against it” debt ceiling vote — courtesy of Senator Cruz — has given some life to your primary challenger’s campaign to make sure you don’t even make it to the general election.

Ted Cruz may not be the only supposed friend who’s looking more like a “frenemy.” When asked by Glenn Beck last week why he’s supporting you, Paul —  your fellow Kentucky senator — said:

“Because he asked me… He asked me when there was nobody else in the race. And i said yes.”

Wow, Rand. Your passion is really touching. Don’t go getting all teary-eyed on us!

Senator McConnell, from here on out — you might want to watch your back. Because right now it looks like its every politician for himself. And if you don’t watch out — your political career could wind up joining those corvettes in that Kentucky sinkhole.

Sincerely,

Joy