An MSNBC "Morning Joe" panel on the Republican-led Senate's struggle to come up with a COVID-19 relief package turned into a discussion on the fact that several embattled Republicans need something to happen quickly -- and they are getting no help from the GOP leadership.
According to co-host Joe Scarborough senior Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY), Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) are blocking bills because they are trying to enhance their prospects to replace Donald Trump as the face of the party after he's gone and they're ignoring their colleagues' plight.
"Right now, Mitch McConnell is more than just a majority leader who is worried about where he, you know, where the caucus is," Scarborough began while also noting that McConnell has been returning to his home state because his re-election is not assured. "He's got to worry about his own race. Look at Martha McSally (AZ) who's in a lot of trouble politically. Look at Cory Gardner in Colorado. Joni Ernst in Iowa is probably in trouble. Susan Collins in Maine in big trouble."
"Yesterday in North Carolina this poll came out on Thom Tillis, and Thom Tillis is getting beaten by nine points in North Carolina -- the deep south," he continued. "I'm sorry, it seems the Republicans are just sitting on their hands, not doing anything about voting, economic relief for working-class and middle-class Americans in many states like Arizona, Colorado, Maine, North Carolina. Can Mitch McConnell and the Republicans really sit back and let Donald Trump rig the election and let Donald Trump basically tell millions of Americans, let them eat cake?"
"The real challenge, if you look at middle-class Americans, is Republicans coming up with a plan to help these vulnerable senators, it's Tom Cotton, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz," Morning Joe contributor Jason Johnson offered. "The guys who want to run in 2024; the safe Republicans who think that, hey, 'Donald Trump may be out of here and I want to set myself up to be one of the new leaders of the party."
"They're also the people standing in the way of creating the kind of relief that would help Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, Martha McSally and Joni Ernst," he added. "The Republicans are in the vulnerable position of having to defend what the president is doing and they don't know how to come up with a valuable plan. You know, it's not just that we had the Susan Collins of the world and the Cory Gardners of the world, the fields they're in is more competitive than six weeks ago. I don't think Mitch McConnell realizes how tenuous his position of power is, that's the reason everyone is scrambling for the doors."
Watch below:
