Deck Chairs On The Titanic:  GOP Senate Fighting Over Leadership Spots
April 15, 2016

The Republican "Leadership" in the US Senate is having term-limit problems. And not the obvious kind, like they are likely to be completely booted out of the majority in November.

Like the daytime soaps of old, the story is a bit convoluted. Turns out the Senate decided to "reform" themselves by setting three term, term limits for all leadership except the Majority Leader. But one of their leaders resigned mid-term in 2012, so that term, for the leadership currently holding office, is claimed as a "doesn't count."

Teabagger and Ted Cruz ally Senator Mike Lee of Utah says "Oh no you don't, Vanessa, it's my turn, John Thune or no John Thune." And he starts to make phone calls to lobby his colleagues to vote for him for the new leadership role.

Not so fast, Teabagger. The Hill takes the saga from here:

Senate Republicans piled on conservative Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) during a private meeting Thursday, rebuking him after he pressed several GOP leaders earlier in the week to step down from leadership because of term limits.

Colleagues scolded Lee for lacking collegiality by trying to enforce a GOP conference rule that allows lawmakers to serve only three terms in the elected leadership, according to lawmakers who attended the heated discussion.

Lee has argued their time is up while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says they should be allowed to stay in leadership through the end of 2018.

Now, regardless of whether they are in the majority or minority party next January, the Republicans in the Senate will have elected "leadership," so it's not out of line that they should be planning an election of those offices.

But hey, Republicans, maybe the stakes aren't so high given that we are "allowing the FUTURE voters to decide" in the case of Supreme Court nominees. Those same voters are expected to kick your majority out with even more gusto, now that things like Doing Your Job seem hard for the existing office holders.

You gotta love their pearl-clutching claim that Mike Lee's coup attempt was "lacking collegiality," too. Everybody knows that in today's Republican-run United States Senate. lack of collegiality is reserved for the sitting President of the United States of America.

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