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If you no longer wish to receive emails, please visit here or write to: RewardsFlow, LLC., 128 Court Street, 3 FL, White Plains, NY 10601 *Participation required see offer for details | | e relationship between Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell has always been more a marriage of political convenience than heartfelt bromance, and it is being tested now like never before. The two Republican senators represent divergent flanks of the Republican Party, often pulling in different directions, most recently over what to do with the nation's domestic telephone surveillance program. Paul is the libertarian-leaning firebrand who temporarily shut down the government's bulk of Americans' phone records. McConnell, the Senate majority leader, is the establishment elder who believes surveillance is not infringing on privacy and should be preserved to catch terrorists. Rand Paul U.S. Sen. Rand Paul does a live interview with FOX News in the Russell Senate Office Building rotunda in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) Paul sports blue jeans and Ray-Bans, and cannot seem to run fast enough to keep up with his political pursuits. McConnell, in starched collars and cuff links, moves so deliberately he has been compared to a turtle. Their shared desire to elect more Republicans, including themselves, to public office has created an unusual alliance. But their flare-up over the spy bill caused such public and private displays of hot tempers and cold glances that it's hard to know if this match made of political expediency can survive. Paul repeatedly and publicly defied McConnell, first seizing control of the floor for a 10 1/2-hour filibuster-like talk-fest last month and then blocking the leader's plans to prevent the spy program from shutting down Sunday night. lRelated NSA shuts down its controversial phone data : So now what? NATION NOW NSA shuts down its controversial phone data : So now what? SEE ALL RELATED 8 McConnell, in unusual bouts of exasperation and then anger, lashed out at the "demagoguery" and "campaign of disinformation" being spread about the spy program – as he glared at Paul's spot in the Senate. Paul skipped a special Sunday evening Republican strategy session because, as he put it, "I didn't think it was going to be that collegial." He was right. "It was a vigorous discussion," said the even-keeled Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. "People were not happy," said Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Longtime political observer Al Cross in Kentucky evoked financial meltdown language to describe this moment in the relationship of his home-state senators. NSA bulk of phone data stops; Senate fails to act before deadline NSA bulk of phone data stops; Senate fails to act before deadline "I guess Tim Geithner would say it's a stress test," said Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, referring to the former Treasury secretary's measure of banks' ability to survive a crisis. "These guys are not cut from the same cloth, but they have a symbiotic relationship," he said. "Any political relationship only goes so far, and we have seen the limits." Advisors and those who know the senators downplayed the trouble in their union, saying both men have long realized that ideological differences would not prevent them from being productive partners in the business of politics. cComments Just a regular day in Kentucky, infighting amongst the inbred. SWAMIS AT 7:00 AM JUNE 02, 2015 ADD A COMMENTSEE ALL COMMENTS 3 Five years ago, McConnell set a skeptical gaze on Paul, an ophthalmologist who ran as one of the first tea party candidates for Senate. After Paul upended the the leader's handpicked candidate in the Republican primary for the open seat, McConnell swiftly tacked to support Paul's campaign. Rather than fight the newcomer, the leader showered him with funding and establishment clout to beat the Democrat. Paul returned the favor last year, lending McConnell tea party credibility and grass-roots support to help the leader survive a primary challenge and go on to win not only reelection to a sixth term, but the Senate majority. As McConnell was poised to become majority leader, the job he always wanted, he immediately endorsed Paul for president. Rand Paul pulls 10 1/2-hour talk-a-thon on Senate floor over NSA spy program Rand Paul pulls 10 1/2-hour talk-a-thon on Senate floor over NSA spy program "They actually like each other personally and they've both done so much for each other politically," said Jesse Benton, a longtime senior advisor to Paul, who worked with McConnell's campaign and now heads a "super-PAC" backing Paul's presidential bid. "Even when giving him a little bit of a pain in the rear, there's a lot of understanding and forgiveness," he said. "It'll be over in a matter of days." McConnell, too, is often so detached from the emotional realm of politics that not much can interfere with his ability to conduct business -- even the bold affront these last few weeks from Paul, according to those familiar with his thinking. Some political conspiracy theorists have speculated that McConnell has allowed Paul to have this moment in the national spotlight to boost his sagging presidential campaign, but others dismiss such a notiion. The two were chatting about local Kentucky politics Monday on the Senate floor. If this really is the beginning of their uncoupling, it's hard to envision who would walk out on whom. Would the established leader shun the presidential contender at a time when Republicans are still sorting out which wing of their party will be dominant? Or would the younger rebel part ways with the man who is arguably one of the most powerful elected officials in Congress? Neither seems likely at the moment. "When you think of shotgun weddings, Paul shot himself into the family," said Cross. "It complicates McConnell's life. But he's a pro, he can handle stuff like this." | |
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Keep a civil tongue.