“Cocaine Mitch” graphic. Image via Team Mitch.

Like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Congressman Jim Himes (D-CT) is frustrated that so many bills passed by the Democratic-controlled House have stalled once they reach the Republican-controlled Senate. He blames one man: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

In an interview this week, Himes talked about how the House has not been “distracted” by the impeachment inquiry process that has escalated over the last two months, and says Democrats have taken care of a lot of their other priorities in the House, too. But McConnell’s focus on confirming judges has ruined their hopes for ramming the left’s agenda through:

“We’re getting plenty of stuff done,” Himes said. “There’s some 400 bills out there that have passed in the House of Representatives. The reason that they are not going anywhere has nothing to do with distracted Democrats because every week we pass bills. It has to do with the fact that Mitch McConnell has converted the United States Senate into a machine to approve judges.

“So, Americans need to understand that half of the Congress is a machine to approve Donald Trump’s judges. And that, of course, takes up all the time and energy in the Senate and doesn’t allow us to take up bills,” he continued. “Many of which are, by the way, bipartisan.

Watch Himes speak on the “problem” of McConnell confirming judges below:

Rep. Jim Himes: "Mitch McConnell has converted the United States Senate into a machine to approve judges." pic.twitter.com/Mva89YR3iD

— The Hill (@thehill) December 5, 2019

The McConnell campaign caught wind of Himes’ complaint, and posted this hilarious gif in response:

https://t.co/Rx0TAmpqeh pic.twitter.com/V04oOwHwZI

— Team Mitch (Text MITCH to 47360) (@Team_Mitch) December 5, 2019

The numbers don’t lie. McConnell has indeed turned the Senate into a judge-confirming “machine” since Trump was elected president:

(That number is higher if you include courts of international trade, tax, bankruptcy and others.)

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) December 5, 2019

It gets a tiny fraction of attention compared to other stuff he does but this is the Trump legacy that'll echo for generations after he's gone.

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) December 5, 2019

Team Mitch’s reaction? As you might expect:

https://t.co/VqEksOZZb5 pic.twitter.com/HG7EBAgZoq

— Team Mitch (Text MITCH to 47360) (@Team_Mitch) December 5, 2019

And per The Hill, McConnell is not done having judges confirmed this month. There are two more on deck for consideration next week:

McConnell has already teed up two circuit nominations for next week: Patrick Bumatay and Lawrence VanDyke to serve on the Ninth Circuit.

Stay tuned!

Flashback –>> “He Counts Judges”: Conan O’Brien Asks How Cocaine Mitch Sleeps at Night, Gets Brilliant Response

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— Based in North Carolina, Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 16+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter. –