POLITICO Nightly: Life after Mitch

 

BY CHARLIE MAHTESIAN Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. | Francis Chung/POLITICO THE BIG SUCK — The stunning announcement that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will not seek another term as Republican leader has predictably triggered a succession battle that’s rife with intrigue. Texas Sen. John Cornyn is already in. So is Senate Minority Whip John Thune of South Dakota. The third of the “Three Johns” in the hunt, Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, is talking to colleagues about it. There could be other candidates. But there’s a bigger question here that isn’t being discussed — why would anyone want the job? Cornyn acknowledged “the Senate is broken” in his statement announcing his bid. It was a tacit admission that this isn’t the Senate of lore, the storied institution at the heart of Robert Caro’s classic, “Master of the Senate.” Rather, it is a diminished chamber, inhabited for the most part by small, easily cowed figures and polarized to the bone. In one measure of that polarization, only five states now feature senators of different parties — the smallest number of split delegations since the direct election of senators more than a century ago. And it’s poised to get worse — it’s not out of the question that after November, every state but Maine could have two senators from the same party. Americans don’t respect their work: According to one recent poll , the approval rating for Congress is 17 percent, compared to 77 percent who disapprove of its job performance. McConnell knows that better than most. In that same poll, just 6 percent approved of his performance, while 60 percent disapproved. He has served as party leader since 2007, the longest run in Senate history, and he literally built the modern Kentucky Republican Party that now dominates the state. Yet at home, McConnell isn’t exactly beloved or venerated for his long service. Here’s how his Republican colleague, Rand Paul, the state’s junior senator, described McConnell’s popularity in Kentucky in a nationally televised interview earlier this month. “His approval ratings in Kentucky are almost below zero . They are the lowest of any elected official in the United States,” Paul said dismissively. McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984, during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. But Paul is among the class of senators elected in 2010 or later, which means they’ve never known the chamber under anything but partisan wartime conditions. For a majority of the Republican Conference, there is no frame of reference other than gridlock, bitter partisanship and party line votes. The Senate they know is no hallowed club of 100 engaged in high-minded debate. There is no reward, only pain, for compromise. It is a world of non-stop fundraising and social media attacks, accompanied by the constant threat of being primaried. The only Republican president they’ve ever served under despised McConnell, hounded several of their party colleagues out of office and abused a handful of them for sport. And that president, Donald Trump, might be back for another go-around next year. It’s frequently said that every senator looks in the mirror and sees a president. Never was that more true than today, which is among the reasons the job is so awful. McConnell leads a conference where six of its members have run for president before and a handful of others are thought to have similar aspirations. That level of pervasive personal ambition doesn’t make for a productive or team-oriented workplace. McConnell, who will step down from his leadership post in November, has said he plans to serve out the rest of his term through Jan. 2027. So at least his successor as the top Senate Republican will have someone to lean on for counsel, and to commiserate with. But the next GOP leader will not have access to the dealmaking skills of retiring Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, one of the last voices for moderation and compromise. Yet even though he will be gone, Manchin may have already provided the best piece of advice to those considering a bid for McConnell’s job. As a frustrated Manchin contemplated retiring in 2018 before running for and winning one final term, he reportedly told colleagues , “This place sucks.” Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s authors at cmahtesian@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @PoliticoCharlie .   SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW.   WHAT'D I MISS? — Alabama House passes bill to protect IVF: Alabama’s GOP-controlled House voted today to give doctors who provide in-vitro fertilization civil and criminal immunity for any death or damage to embryos . The chamber’s vote comes nearly two weeks after the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children, igniting a national debate over how IVF is performed in the U.S. and putting pressure on Republicans grappling with how to convey their views on abortion ahead of the 2024 election. — Judge blocks Texas law that gives police broad powers to arrest migrants who illegally enter US: A federal judge today blocked a new Texas law that gives police broad powers to arrest migrants suspected of illegally entering the U.S., dealing a victory to the Biden administration in its feud with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott over immigration enforcement. The preliminary injunction granted by U.S. District Judge David Ezra pauses a law that was set to take effect March 5 and came as President Joe Biden and his likely Republican challenger in November, Donald Trump, were visiting Texas’ southern border to discuss immigration. Texas officials are expected to appeal. — House sends two-step government funding punt to Senate on shutdown eve: The House passed a stopgap bill this afternoon that kicks Congress’ two government shutdown deadlines further into March , as top lawmakers work to pass final versions of half of the dozen annual funding measures next week. Now the spending patch awaits action in the Senate, where leaders are hoping to lock in unanimous agreement to fast-track final passage as early as this evening. Senate approval will head off a partial government shutdown that would begin after midnight Saturday if Congress doesn’t act, pegging the next funding deadlines as March 8 and March 22. NIGHTLY ROAD TO 2024 BORDER SPLITSCREEN — Joe Biden and Donald Trump held dueling visits to the nation’s southern border today , as immigration ascends to a top concern for Americans and the president seeks to dull his leading 2024 opponent’s political cudgel, POLITICO reports. While Biden, donning a baseball cap, stood on a gravel road as he was briefed by Border Patrol agents, law enforcement and local leaders in Brownsville, Texas, Trump was stationed over 300 miles away in Eagle Pass, Texas, the site of the state-federal standoff over border security. Trump — whose plans were announced before the White House trip — will also sit for an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity during his drop-in. The competing appearances set the opening scene for the general election, as both candidates ramp up their attacks and set their sights on the November rematch. And the venue of the showdown is no accident, as Biden and Trump seize on what’s likely to be a top issue in the 2024 race — the president emphasizing his recent efforts to solve the problem and blaming Trump for getting in the way, and his predecessor and likely challenger stoking fears and blaming Democrats. ‘WHOLE BALLOT’ QUESTION — Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib urged Michigan voters to look at the “whole ballot” in November rather than stay home in protest of President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war while declining to say if she would back the president in the general election, POLITICO reports. “Don’t stay home,” she said when asked whether voters who cast “uncommitted” protest ballots should sit out the November elections. “One thing that I know about staying home is you’re making us more invisible. I want you to exercise your right to vote, I really mean this. But also think of the whole ballot.” Asked if she’d be voting for Biden in November, Tlaib did not respond. She did not endorse Biden in 2020, though she campaigned against Donald Trump. IN A TAILSPIN — The ousted former leader of the Michigan Republican Party lost a key court ruling today in her effort to regain the top post, The Associated Press reports. The Michigan Court of Appeals said it won’t suspend a lower court’s order affirming Kristina Karamo’s removal by party members. Karamo was hoping that a stay would clear the way for her to lead a meeting Saturday in Detroit to select presidential delegates for the party’s national convention. AROUND THE WORLD Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, on Feb. 22, 2024. | Fatima Shbair/AP WALKING BACK — President Joe Biden walked back his assessment that a hostage deal to pause fighting in the Gaza Strip could be reached by Monday , POLITICO reports. “I was on the telephone with the people in the region,” Biden told reporters on the South Lawn this morning, adding: “Probably not by Monday, but I’m hopeful.” The president said earlier this week he hoped a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas could be in place in roughly a week at an ice cream shop in New York as part of an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers. “We’re close, we’re not done yet,” Biden said. U.S. representatives, including several from the CIA, have worked with Israeli and Qatar officials in Doha in recent days to try and reach a cease-fire and hostage deal by Monday, but that effort is unlikely to come to a close this weekend, said a person with knowledge of negotiations granted anonymity to describe sensitive conversations. The U.S. and Israel are still waiting to hear back from Hamas on whether it will agree to a six-week pause in fighting and a new proposal for a prisoners-for-hostages exchange, that person said. Biden’s reassessment comes as he faces mounting pressure on the campaign trail to demonstrate to voters that he’s pushing the Israeli government to minimize civilian deaths in Gaza while also maintaining support for Israel, Washington’s staunchest ally in the Middle East. He has pushed harder for a pause in the fighting in recent weeks to enable more humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza and to allow for the release of Israeli hostages. GRIM MILESTONE — More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 70,000 wounded in the Gaza Strip since Israel’s war on Hamas began nearly five months ago , health officials in the territory said today. The bloody milestone came as Palestinian witnesses say Israeli troops opened fire on a crowd of people scrambling for aid in Gaza City. More than 100 people were killed and at least 700 wounded, according to Palestinian witnesses and Gaza’s Health Ministry, reports The Associated Press. Israel said many of the dead were trampled in a chaotic stampede for the food aid and that its troops only fired when they felt endangered by the crowd.   YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics.   NIGHTLY NUMBER Up to 10 feet The amount of snow headed for the mountains around Lake Tahoe by the weekend, weather forecasters say. Widespread blowing snow with winds gusting up to 100 mph (160 kph) over Sierra ridgetops will create blizzard conditions with white-out conditions and near-zero visibility. RADAR SWEEP ‘VIRGIN BIRTHS’ — A crazy thing is happening to some female animals in captivity that seems to defy the laws of nature — they’re getting pregnant without coming into contact with males . Earlier this month, a stingray in an aquarium in North Carolina got pregnant without encountering a male for more than eight years. Scientists believe this could be due to a phenomenon known as parthenogenesis, which results in an egg developing into an embryo without being fertilized. It can happen to insects, including mayflies, fairly regularly, but it’s much more rare among vertebrates. So what should we make of the stingray pregnancy and ones like it? Frankie Adkins reports for the BBC. PARTING IMAGE On this date in 1960: President Dwight D. Eisenhower waves to the crowd from car as his motorcade passes a banner welcoming him in English and Spanish in Santiago, Chile. | AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .   Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh Mia McCarthy @Reporter_Mia   FOLLOW US

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