Sen. McConnell gets fourth term as U.S. Senate minority leader

U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell was unanimously re-elected today to serve as the Republican Leader in the U.S. Senate for his fourth two-year term.

In a press release, McConnell thanked the senators from his party for re-electing him and said:

“We have an energized leadership team that is committed to finding solutions to the critical issues facing our country. I will also use my leadership post to work on behalf of all Kentuckians to ensure they have a strong voice in the Nation’s Capital.”

So with McConnell re-elected, it appears leadership in Washington will be exactly the same as Nancy Pelosi announced her intent to remain Democratic House leader today and Sen. Harry Reid, and Rep. John Boehner almost certain to return as leaders of their respective chambers.

And with that return of leadership, Politico wrote an article today about McConnell and Boehner with the headline “Good Cop, Bad Cop”. The two are playing different roles to achieve the same overall goal, the article said.

Politico says that McConnell’s job now after the re-election of President Barack Obama is to show the president and the party base that the Republicans are not willing to compromise on their principles.

Boehner, meanwhile, has sought to seek some middle ground with the president on fiscal issues, most notably taxes. Boehner has played “good cop” by saying he would be open to raising revenue by changing the tax code but not by raising taxes.