The Misadventures of Moscow Mitch: Forward Kentucky: McConnell doesn’t care to hear message from Kentucky: ‘I’m scared to death of losing everything’ Kos:
DAILY KOS
Kentucky’s local leaders, business leaders, labor groups, and safety net providers are running out of patience with their senior Sen. Mitch McConnell, who as Senate majority leader is arguably the most powerful man in the government. They’re meeting a brick wall with their pleas for him to help save the state during this coronavirus crisis, The Washington Post reports: “In more than two dozen interviews, out-of-work residents, struggling restaurant owners, and other business leaders, as well as a cadre of annoyed food, housing, and labor rights groups, all said they are in dire need of more support from Congress — the likes of which McConnell has not been able to provide.”
“I’m not sure why he didn’t listen to his constituents when we organized sign-on letters, we organized calls with his staff,“ said Adrienne Bush, the executive director of the Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky. “[W]e had another virtual lobby day on July 21. […] The response was, ‘We’ll take your concerns to the leader.’” The leader apparently doesn’t feel the need to respond to his constituents or to the Post, as he declined to comment on this story. He passed on hearing from people like Lexington resident Michael Holland, a 59-year-old electrician who has been off the job since February. “The $600 a week has been a lifeline,” he told the Post, speaking about the enhanced unemployment insurance (UI) benefits that McConnell allowed to expire last month, after diddling around for a few weeks trying to negotiate with his own squabbling Republican senators on a replacement and then abandoning the effort completely.