You can argue that all day long, but the fact of the matter is that there is limited time and a bill that has zero chance of passage is wasting everyone's time and not getting the actual business of congress done.

That's how both parties have done business for decades, it's not a new thing from McConnell. Most of GW's nominees were never brought to a hearing or vote by a Democratic senate. The senate can bring any bill or nominee to the floor if they have enough support -- the majority leader can't keep anything from a vote if it has enough support to pass.