Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell doesn’t mince words on his Democratic counterpart in his new memoir.
“Harry is rhetorically challenged. If a scalpel will work, he picks up a meat ax,” McConnell wrote of Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in an excerpt of his forthcoming book, “The Long Game: A Memoir.” “He also has a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality. In person, Harry is thoughtful, friendly, and funny. But as soon as the cameras turn on or he’s offered a microphone, he becomes bombastic and unreasonable, spouting things that are both nasty and often untrue, forcing him to then later apologize.”
The Kentucky Republican noted a few instances of this behavior, including calling then-Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan “a political hack and later decided to enlighten a group of 60 students by calling President Bush a loser during a speaking engagement at their high school” in 2015.
“This lack of restraint goes against what is expected from a party leader, and I was skeptical, at best, about the direction of the Senate under his leadership,” McConnell wrote.
The book, due out May 31, is available on Amazon pre-order for $18.12, per Thursday’s Politico Playbook.
“‘The Long Game’ is the candid, behind-the-scenes memoir of a man famous for his discretion. For more than three decades, McConnell has worked steadily to advance conservative values, including limited government, individual liberty, fiscal prudence, and a strong national defense. But he has always cared much more about moving the ball forward than about who gets the credit,” the book’s online description reads.
