Senate Leader To Protesters: Winners Make Policy, Losers Go Home

By Susan Wright | 5:00 PM on February 21, 2017

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. gestures during an interview with The Associated Press, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015, in his office on Capitol Hill in Washington. McConnell talked about the work to complete a compromise package that would fund the government through the 2016 budget year. McConnell also talked about the realities of divided government, working with new House Speaker Paul Ryan and his relationship with long-time Democratic nemesis Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) is apparently feeling like a boss, these days.

About 1,000 protesters decided to pile up in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, where McConnell was scheduled to speak.

They had the super-catchy protest chant, “No ban, no wall, Mitch McConnell take our call.”

I’m impressed. It has a nice rhythm to it.

What is unimpressive is that these are more of those, “We’re gonna just disrupt any Republican, anywhere, for anything, because of Trump” crowds.

A handful of dissidents were able to RSVP for a seat to hear McConnell’s speech. One woman, 54-year-old Rose Perkins of Georgetown, stood and wagged her finger at McConnell as she asked him about the thousands of coal jobs that have disappeared in eastern Kentucky.

“If you’ll answer that, I’ll sit down and shut up like Elizabeth Warren,” Perkins said, a reference to McConnell invoking Senate rules to silence the Massachusetts senator during her speech opposing Jeff Sessions’ confirmation as U.S. attorney general.

After a brief pause filled with gasps from the mostly friendly crowd, McConnell replied: “I hope you feel better now.”

McConnell was there to speak about the future of the Affordable Care Act, some of Trump’s Cabinet picks, and what amounted to a mixed bag of policy points.

Of course, there were boos, and McConnell largely kept his cool, even saying he was proud of the people on the outside, protesting, because they were expressing themselves.

But he also told his mostly friendly audience that the protesters “had their shot,” adding: “Winners make policy and the losers go home.”

We won, you lost?

McConnell also touched on Trump’s blood feud with the media.

McConnell distanced himself from Trump’s stated war with the media, telling reporters after the speech that “I like you guys” and “we need to have people looking at us and raising tough questions.” He acknowledged Trump would be well served to tone down some of his tweets, but said: “He’s not going to take my advice.”

Love him or hate him, McConnell knows how to play the game.