The most important relationship in DC? Biden and McConnell have a history

Power Dynamic in Washington DC next year Is centered on two men In the 80 years of work between them, the history of deals and sparring and sometimes even called each other friends.

Into His administration, Relationship between Joe Biden elected President And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R.C., taking the center stage. With a closely divided Senate, their personal affairs are crucial if the new president is to achieve anything on the agenda.

They both deal with their confidence as they choose to embark on their play activities. But those familiar with the couple – and the current political-hyper-partisan situation – say it’s going to go so far.

Chuck Hagel, a former senator led by former President Barack Obama, and later Secretary of Defense told NBC News that Biden-McConnell hopes the dynamic can “work for the good of our country.”

“They both know how to compromise,” Hagel said. “They both know how to do things. And they trust each other, they like each other, and boy, this is very important. And if you start there as a baseline, you can work together. They work together.” Not everyone agrees, though, but they can do things and move this country forward. “

McConnell, the only Republican senator to attend Beau Biden’s funeral in 2015, That At the end of the Obama administration, Biden was a “true friend” and a “loyal partner.”

Biden, who appeared at the McConnell Center in Kentucky in 2011, distanced himself from his relationship with McConnell during his presidential campaign and promoted the ability to reduce deals with top Republicans, while at the same time referring to him as “the biggest pain in my neck in a long time.”

During the Obama administration, when negotiations between Senate Republicans and the White House stalled, Biden, who had served in the Senate for more than 30 years, was frequently tapped to reach an agreement beyond the finish line.

“I hope you find a way to an understanding and agreement with the President-elect in a friendly and mutual respect manner,” said Dan Graves, then Country and Economic Policy Director for then-Vice President Biden since 2014. Until 2017. “At least at that point, I know, they left saying they were worried later.”

The two looked closely at negotiations, as Bush had previously reached agreements to extend tax cuts, increase the debt limit and pass the 21st Century Prevention Act. Those discussions often took place over the phone and there were only two men and staff, sources familiar with their relationship told NBC News.

While the two men may not be the same, a former senior McConnell aide told NBC News that their personality differences are actually conducive to making deals.

“If you know anything about Sen. McConnell, he’s not a particularly verbal person. He’s very good at listening and, as he has repeatedly said, allows for the luxuries of unexplained thinking,” said the former aide. “Therefore, he was very quiet in these conversations. Listening too much, interfering where he felt he needed to be interrupted, but otherwise, taking all of this inside.”

“But Biden, who was elected president – or, at the time, vice president Biden – was very opposed,” the man continued. “He’s very talkative, he’s a great person by nature. And it’s a useful type of yin and yang relationship, because his passion for talking has found us potential compromise places.”

McConnell and other Republicans have made clear over the years their preference for dealing with Biden over Obama. In 2016, McConnell said, “The person negotiating in the administration is not the vice president and the president.”

“What is clear at the senior level in the Congress leadership is that President Obama has done nothing – because he has always been kind and accommodating with them – but some have been unable to accept him as president,” Phil Shiliro, Obama-led White House Director of Legislative Affairs, told NBC News. “And that coolness is always evident, not with Vice President Biden.”

Reflecting on his dealings with Republicans, Obama expressed amusement this month about the relationship between Biden and McConnell.

“I enjoyed reading now that Joe Biden and Mitch have been friends for a long time,” Obama said. Atlantic says. “They are Known To each other for a long time. I have quotes from Biden about his interactions with Mitch McConnell. “

Yet by dealing directly with Biden, McCannell is likely to get a good boost. A source who knew about the engagement with both Biden when he was vice president and President Donald Trump, is completely at odds with McConnell’s behavior after returning from negotiations with each person. Biden had realistic expectations of what McConnell could and could not do when Trump did not.

“Everyone saw him coming back from those talks,” the man said of McConnell’s colleagues after talks with Biden. “They looked at how he was when he returned from those phone calls with the current president.”

Yet while Democrats and Republicans may not be equally warm and messy, Biden and McConnell are pulling backroom deals.

For Biden, the Democrats sometimes took him on his dealings with McConnell, a senator he thought was good for him – Biden tried to clap during the Democratic primary. Speaking to NBC News recently, Waleed Shahid McConnell, a member of the progressive group Justice Democrats, warned Biden not to make “any toxic deals”. And Some Senate Democrats call Biden They aggressively use executive action to accomplish more progressive items on his agenda, bypassing McConnell altogether, because they believe he will be a roadblock to what the party wants to achieve legally.

On the flip side, McConnell’s caucus will have many senators who want to run for president in 2024 and are unlikely to be interested in making deals with Biden and handing over any victories to the Democrats. McConnell will weigh their needs with his members seeking re-election in 2022 and see if they can bring home bilateral victories, while others will be more open to a bilateral agreement like Sense. Susan Collins, R. Maine and Mitt Romney, R. Utah.

There are still other variables as to which party will control the Senate after the Georgia runoff election on January 5, as well as what role it will play in Republican politics after Trump retires.

If Obama looks back at the presidency, the Republican Playbook is laying the railroad as far as possible on the president’s agenda. Some people can’t see the change because the old friend is in power now.

“The Senate has changed drastically since Joe Biden became senator,” said former senator Claire McCaskill, de-Mo, and NBC News and MSNBC political analyst, referring to more collective time and reaching across the aisle. “And I think he’s constantly reminded of it.”

With Trump Refusing to accept The Election results, McConnell has not yet publicly nominated Biden as the winner. When it comes to their future affairs, Biden underestimated the importance of McConnell siding with Trump after the election.

Current dynamics lead observers to doubt the possibility of passing any transition law, but they are in a more systematic process for bills that must be passed where they can pay the Biden-McConnell personal relationship, which reduces the risk of government shutdowns. Democrats and Republicans who spoke with NBC News ulated that the relationship could be effective in areas such as infrastructure, tech, broadband expansion and new coronavirus mitigation.

Speaking to NBC News about the future talks between Biden and McConnell, a former aide to the Senate Republican leadership, “there are probably going to be some tough punches.” However, I think both of these were very prepared to throw the punch and move forward. And part of it is that they are both legislators and they understand the game. “