Sen GOP Leader Mitch McConnell: ‘Ready to Work With Obama’

In last November’s midterm election, the Republican Party won in a historic landslide, but in an op-ed, Mitch McConnell, the Senate’s new Republican Majority Leader, has proclaimed himself “ready to work with Obama.”

The midterm elections put the Grand Old Party in control of more governors’ mansions and state legislatures than it has controlled for decades. Also, for the first time since 2006, and for the first time since Barack Obama entered the White House, the elections gave the GOP control of the U.S. Senate. As the new Congressional session began, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was elected as GOP majority leader and will have control of what goes on in the upper chamber.

In a nationally published op-ed, Senator McConnell laid out his plans for the future. McConnell repeatedly called for a strong bipartisanship but also said he stands ready to work hand-in-hand with Barack Obama on “historic achievements” as the GOP takes control.

After celebrating the history of Senator Henry Clay and one-time Senate Majority Leader and later Vice President Alben Barkley, both great Senators from Kentucky’s past, McConnell laid out his goals for the 114th Congress.

McConnell said that in his estimation the voters “want a government that works again” and wants Congress to focus on jobs and the economy.

With that in mind, McConnell said that Congress should take up the jobs proposals that have “strong bipartisan support.”

Some of those proposals include “simplifying our broken tax system, opening more markets to American-made products, and approving bipartisan infrastructure projects like the Keystone Pipeline,” McConnell said.

The new Majority Leader harkened back to the times when Presidents Reagan and Clinton worked closely with the leaders of opposing parties to do big things and then stated that he is ready to work in such a manner with Obama.

“If President Obama is interested in historic achievement, this can be his time, too,” McConnell insisted. “But bipartisan progress can only be achieved if he wants it. He’s the only one who can bring his party on board or sign what Congress passes.”

The Senator also called on Obama to reject the “militancy” from his party and promised to look for areas where he and Obama could agree.

McConnell wrapped up his proposition saying that he won’t shield the president from “good ideas” but promised to “get the Senate back to work and focused on passing serious ideas designed to boost jobs for the middle class and help restore our nation’s promise for future generations.”

“That’s just what we intend to do, starting now,” McConnell promised.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.