Mitch McConnell is the leader of the Republican majority in the US senate, and in Australia he is known, if at all, for two things:
One, being a difficult and at times obstructionist force for Republicans, notorious during the Obama years for taking up hours of senate time on “filibusters” designed to run out the clock and prevent legislation being voted upon.
And two, looking like a wizard turned a cartoon turtle into a real boy.
Sorry. That’s unfair. Apologies, Mitch.
Anyway, it might be a little hard to do spicy social media content when your employer is a socially conservative 77 year old whose major achievements are childishly preventing the world’s largest democracy from functioning.
And thus his social media team have been forced to try other things, like Parks and Recreation gifs.
Hence, “Team Mitch” posted this gif of Ben Wyatt on Twitter:
…and it went down very, very badly with the man who played him, Adam Scott, who had a few conditions on the use of his image.
Even so, it’s also a really weird flex for a serious political figure to evoke Ben Wyatt since one of the main things the character was known for in the show was his dismal political career.
In the character’s backstory Wyatt became the youngest ever mayor of Partridge, Minnesota and spent the entire budget on a citywide winter-themed sports park called Ice Town, for which he was impeached immediately afterwards.
Still, if McConnell wants to show solidarity with another terrible politician that’s presumably his business.
Also: why is no-one in Canberra building us an Ice Town? Come on, clowns: get down with the town.