Besides Donald Trump, there is no politician I would rather see out of office forever than Mitch McConnell. I'm sure he sees that as a compliment.
And no one here is criticizing him having a few tears as a long-time staffer retires. McConnell is 77 years old, his staffer has been with him since he, McConnell, was 65.
When are people supposed to retire in Washington?
And this begs the question: how will McConnell run for re-election as his staff is reaching retirement age? Senators tend to think of their position as a job for life and it's a damn shame. Blame for this belongs to the political parties and power of incumbency, not to mention the exorbitant cost of running for Senate. The cheapest race is always in the seven figures.
I've been railing about needing more retirements in Congress, not less, since at least 2010. In my opinion, when your staffers are so old they decide to spend their remaining days enjoying their grandchildren, that's a clue for the MoC to do the same.
I also wonder if McConnell's wife, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, has done the math on the 2020 election and figures her "forced" retirement (she's 65 anyway) is imminent. And since being in office means they can't go out to eat without being reminded their so-called president puts babies in cages, looking forward to a day where the only thing on their day planner is "count our money" might be attractive.
Go for it, Mitch and Elaine!