Article snippet: Majority Leader MORE (R-Ky.) is leaning hard into his role as a top progressive foe as he gears up for his reelection campaign and a battle for control of the Senate. As the GOP leader turns his attention to 2020, he and top allies are touting his authority to block votes on measures such as "Medicare for All" and an election reform bill as a crucial reason for Republicans to hold on to their Senate majority. "I think his point is that as long as you have a Republican Senate … you are preventing any capacity to turn America into a Western European country. I mean, basically, they are the firewall against socialism," said Josh Holmes, a former chief of staff for McConnell. He added that the Senate GOP leader uses "the tools that he has in his toolbox to prevent some of what he sees as the worst ideas." The latest high-profile example came when McConnell, speaking at multiple events in Kentucky during Congress’s recent two-week recess, touted himself as the "Grim Reaper" of progressive policies. With control of the White House and Congress on the line in 2020, McConnell is positioning himself and his caucus to be a fail-safe for Republicans if MORE loses and Republicans fail to take back the House. "If I'm still the majority leader in the Senate, think of me as the Grim Reaper," McConnell said at one of the Kentucky events. "I guarantee you that if I'm the last man standing and I'm still the majority leader, it ain't happening." McConnell is juggling multiple prior... Link to the full article to read more