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While Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is not as prolific on Twitter as the man he serves, President Donald Trump, the Kentucky Republican took to the social media platform today to do a little gloating.
Shortly after the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) upheld Trump's Muslim targeting travel ban, McConnell's reelection campaign shared a photo of McConnell with Justice Neil Gorsuch.
https://t.co/Dl65egD9Qv— Team Mitch (@Team Mitch) 1530022953.0
But how is this gloating?
The ban was upheld by the narrowest margin possible: 5-4. The deciding vote could be placed with Neil Gorsuch, Trump's appointee to the Supreme Court.
Trump's appointee who was only appointed because McConnell refused to allow hearings for Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland, to fill a position vacated well in advance of the 2016 presidential election by almost 9 months. The vacancy, created by the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016, existed almost a full year before Trump took the oath of office in January 2017.
The obstructionism by McConnell served to block President Barack Obama from appointing another member of SCOTUS. The move was widely criticized since previous presidents had filled vacant SCOTUS seats closer to the ends of their terms of office.
While gloating on Twitter that he was responsible for the appointment of Gorsuch might have seemed like a good idea for his reelection campaign, it also reminded people how much McConnell knowingly obstructed progress in his capacity as Senate Majority Leader.
Openly stating your claim to fame is not doing something, but rather doing nothing is not a good look. McConnell's reelection campaign provided an image and a rallying cry for his opposition with their message.
And the Twittersphere is letting McConnell know.
People have taken to Twitter to let McConnell know they'll be voting against the GOP in November.
The Supreme Court upholding the Muslim Travel Ban is a direct consequence of Congressional Republicans unethically… https://t.co/ymDpAhTiZQ— Eugene Gu, MD (@Eugene Gu, MD) 1530023212.0
@eugenegu This is a good time to mention #civility. Over and over again, Barack Obama reached an olive branch out t… https://t.co/MItvbYUd0d— Adam Best (@Adam Best) 1530027591.0
@eugenegu Yes https://t.co/Tw6zdMR7RN— Lillee Smouse (@Lillee Smouse) 1530023523.0
Mitch McConnell criticizing the Muslim ban, then getting Gorsuch on the Court to uphold it, and then celebrating th… https://t.co/guB9FLlXQc— Isaac Chotiner (@Isaac Chotiner) 1530028238.0
Gorsuch has been the swing vote in a LOT of big cases this month. McConnell's repugnant gamble—and Trump's nominati… https://t.co/X8G1lOBNZI— Angus Johnston (@Angus Johnston) 1530021955.0
In light of the Supreme Court decision to uphold trump's travel ban, aka Muslim ban, it bears mentioning that ELECT… https://t.co/Cxe9epH5b0— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@BrooklynDad_Defiant!) 1530030982.0
Want to know how Mitch McConnell stole a Supreme Court seat and gave us Neil Gorsuch? Democrats thinking that civility still mattered.— Denizcan James (@Denizcan James) 1530025189.0
What really changed: Mitch McConnell & the GOP stole a Supreme Court seat for Neil Gorsuch. If Merrick Garland were… https://t.co/xpzSyIjVWY— Stephen Wolf (@Stephen Wolf) 1529970224.0
I will NEVER forget that Gorsuch is occupying a stolen seat, that Mitch McConnell and his cronies refused to hold c… https://t.co/cwfTjMvfx3— s.e. smith (@s.e. smith) 1530023290.0
And tomorrow Gorsuch guts the unions. I imagine McConnell’s social media team will have another pic to tweet out.— Sam Stein (@Sam Stein) 1530025414.0
Oh my God the Supreme Court found Trump's travel ban, which gravely abuses presidential power and puts forth no nat… https://t.co/5565fHvVmc— America Resurgent (@America Resurgent) 1530023494.0
Today's 5/4 SCOTUS decision puts Sotomayor, Kagan, Breyer & Ginsburg in dissent, all Dem appointees Roberts, Thoma… https://t.co/u6K0tJOvkg— Kaz Weida (@Kaz Weida) 1530027436.0
While Neil Gorsuch, who was gifted a SCOTUS seat by McConnell, may be a fan, Twitter is trending very anti-Mitch at the moment. Hopefully he has a thick enough shell to withstand the criticism.