Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) hasn't gone out of his way to partner with Mitt Romney. A few weeks ago, when the Republican presidential hopeful condemned the debt-reduction deal McConnell personally negotiated last year, McConnell "grinned widely, if not sincerely," and told reporters, "You'll have to ask him why he said what he said."
With this background in mind, McConnell was asked over the weekend about his caucus' odds of claiming a majority next year. Joe Sonka noted the senator's interesting response.
"I'm pretty confident the American people are not going to go back to 2009 and 2010 and let the other side have total control of the government," McConnell said.
In context, this was in reference to McConnell's expectations for Democratic congressional gains. Left unsaid, however, was the implicit assumption -- McConnell seems to believe the White House will remain under Democratic control.
This is worth keeping an eye on, not just because McConnell offers worthwhile insights into the mind of the Republican establishment, but also because his assumptions may soon be built into his party's pitch -- if GOP donors and leading officials start to assume Romney will lose, it will be that much more tempting for McConnell to argue, "Let's focus on competitive Senate races to help check Obama's second term."
