With the 82-year-old Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell announcing that he will step down from GOP leadership after the November general election, it marks a significant moment. McConnell is the longest-serving party leader in the history of the Senate, having held the post since 2007. An institutionalist, McConnell's term has been characterised by his strategic use of parliamentary procedure's more opaque tactics.
I will be interviewing author Ira Shapiro on his newly updated book, "The Betrayal: How Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans Abandoned America." Pulitzer-nominated author Ira Shapiro completes what Brookings scholar William A. Galston calls “an epic trilogy” charting the Senate’s rise and its subsequent decline. He sharply focuses on McConnell and his enablers for their catastrophic failure to uphold their fundamental duty of checking a president who was undermining our democracy. This interview will be recorded on Zoom on Monday, 4 March at 3 PM Eastern Time / 8 PM London Time, and you are invited to join the audience. This will provide you with the opportunity to pose a question to Ira. Here is the link: [Zoom Meeting Link].
This week's episode of "Mid Atlantic" delved deeply into American politics. I was joined by Tonye Altrade, Aram Fischer, Logan Phillips, and Zee Cohen Sanchez, dissecting the potential US government shutdown and internal GOP conflicts, along with Lee Anderson's controversial comments about Sadiq Khan and Islamophobia. The discussion begins with a detailed analysis of the imminent threat of another US government shutdown, emphasising the critical deadlines Congress faces. Speaker Mike Johnson's role is scrutinised as he contends with conservative criticism within his party, striving to overhaul the budgeting process. The panel debates whether these developments indicate broader GOP dysfunction and question its governance effectiveness.
Logan directs the conversation towards the implications of the uncommitted vote for Biden in Michigan, while Zee discusses Nikki Haley's chances of remaining in the Republican primary race.
The focus then shifts to the UK, where Lee Anderson's remarks about London Mayor Sadiq Khan have ignited a political controversy, provoking discussions on race, religion, and rhetoric within the Conservative Party. The panellists assess the fallout of such statements and the party members' hesitancy to denounce them as Islamophobic, exploring the deeper societal and political divisions they expose.
The episode explores the wider impact of these political dynamics across the Atlantic. In the US, the looming government shutdown has been overshadowed by global events like the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as the internal discord within the Republican Party and its implications for governance and foreign policy. Conversely, in the UK, the tension within the Conservative Party and its effects on the British political landscape are analysed, considering how Anderson's comments and the party's reaction might shape public opinion and political affiliations. The discussion also considers the relevance of these issues in terms of democracy, governance, and public accountability.
Lastly, next week, I will visit the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce, which is organising an event to commemorate Super Tuesday – a pivotal date in the United States presidential primary cycle when the largest number of states conduct primary elections and caucuses. The guest speaker will be Dr Steve Hewitt, Associate Professor of North American History at the University of Birmingham. I will release an episode about the event by the end of the week.
GOP dysfunction, Islamophobia and Mitch McConnell