Thread by @StevenTDennis

McConnell helped nix:
Roe
Campaign finance reform
Individual mandate
Medicare dental & vision
Dream Act
$35 insulin cap
Minimum wage hike
Flag burning amendment
Making Election Day a holiday
Public option
SCOTUS filibuster
Pro Act
1/6 Commission
Oil export ban
Cap&trade
Tax hikes

Vast majority of laws since 2007 have had either the acquiescence of McConnell or his outright support, with notable exceptions, like the Affordable Care Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, Obama stimulus, Biden Covid relief, Dodd-Frank, Lilly Ledbetter, USA Freedom Act, Paygo.

One way to look at McConnell is that he has often had the role of editor of Congress. Empowered by the filibuster and his conference, he had a key veto point in Washington; spending, taxing and legislating had to pass through his filter.

McConnell said no so often for so long that when he would on those fairly rare occasions say yes, things could happen lightning fast. Like that time he decided to raise the age for buying tobacco products to 21 *and it just happened.* Don't even remember any real debate.

McConnell started saying yes more often under Biden: Bipartisan infrastructure, chips, and so on created a burst of legislating. (That dealmaking also had another effect: They helped preserve filibuster for future and stalling BBB by bolstering Manchinema-ism).

This Congress McConnell is no longer the filter. The House has been paralyzed.

McConnell two years ago was able to wave a wand and double the size of Ukraine aid packages. Now...