Biography of Mitch McConnell

The biography of Mitch McConnell begins in Tuscumbia, Alabama. He was born on February 20, 1942, to Addison Mitchell McConnell and Julia Shockley. McConnell was a victim of polio at the tender age of two. Till the age of four, he could not walk or run around like other children his age. However, under the dedicated care extended by his mother, he soon overcame the challenge and groped with normal life. McConnell attended duPont Manual High School in Kentucky. In 1964, he graduated from the University of Louisville, with honors. In 1967, he graduated in law from the University of Kentucky.

Mitch McConnell joined the United States Army Reserve and offered six months of active service in 1967. However, he was released from military duty with 'honorable discharge', on account of the onslaught of optic neuritis. McConnell's association with the senate began in 1967. He served as an intern under Senator John Cooper, and an assistant to Senator Marlow Cook, prior to taking on the responsibilities of Deputy Assistant Attorney General under President Ford. He relentlessly served as Jefferson County Judge and Executive till his election to the Senate.

McConnell ran for senate election in 1984 against Democratic Senator Huddleston. McConnell won, becoming the only Republican Senator that year. His first success story was the result of a series of well planned and executed television-based campaigns and the Reagan 21-point win that year. Mitch McConnell's wins thereafter were against:

• Harvey I. Sloane, Louisville mayor, in 1990.
• Steve Beshear, in 1996 and 2002.
• Democratic opponent Bruce Lunsford, in 2008.

McConnell's achievements include his tenure as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the first elected Majority Whip. He has been an integral part of the following committees:

• Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
• Committee on Appropriations.
• Committee on Rules and Administration.

McConnell is known for manipulative parliamentary tactics and as the 'King-maker' of Kentucky Republican politics. Even as a staunch conservative, he does not waver in his opposition to the Flag Desecration Amendment and argument against the United States Constitution modification that addresses 'political and social ills of the nation'. McConnell is an active member of the opposition that addresses the campaign finance regulation specified by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. He has led the movement against the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act between 1989 and 1994, and is responsible for the Protect America Act of 2007. The latter allows the monitoring of electronic communication between entities within and outside the United States by the National Security Agency, without a warrant.

McConnell openly supports:

• American invasion of Iraq.
• Testifying 'under oath' of all White House aides.
• Opposition against President Barack Obama's decision to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, Cuba.

McConnell is an active member of the Baptist Church. He has been married twice. His first wife, Sherrill Redmon, is also the mother of his three daughters, Elly, Porter and Claire. Sherrill Redmon is the current director of the Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History Archives. Mitch McConnell's second wife, Elaine Chao, is the former Secretary of Labor. She served under the George W. Bush administration. McConnell founded the McConnell Center in 1992, a venture partnered by the University of Louisville. As Kentucky Senator and the current Republican Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell has proposed a plan for fixed, low-interest (4%) and government-backed mortgages to be extended to any credit-worthy borrower. He is a strong opponent of the President Barack Obama 'stimulus package' and believes that the package does not fix America's main problem, housing.