r/politics • u/IWantPizza555 • Jul 08 '26

No Paywall Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear requests update on Sen. Mitch McConnell's health

https://www.whas11.com/article/news/politics/national-politics/kentucky-governor-andy-beshear-requests-update-senator-mitch-mcconnell-health/417-b9252baa-29ab-489e-94f1-147aa41e78ed
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143

u/WeirdIndividualGuy Jul 08 '26

Also, it's almost a sure thing that McConnell is dead. If he were alive, they would've shown proof of life by now, even if he was in a coma

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u/King_Kung Jul 08 '26

Pretty sure if he is in a Coma, this would trigger a special election by Kentucky law.

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u/Suckage Jul 08 '26

It would not. There is no mechanism for a state to replace a sitting US senator.

Even if he spends the rest of his term in a coma, the state can’t hold a special election unless he dies, resigns, or is expelled by Congress.

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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '26

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '26

It was more important to address the incapacity of our leaders promptly in the past when America had dignity, and at least hid its underlying greed better.

Now, it’s just all out there. A statement from the Senate right now that said “the guy is dead or as good as, but we’re gonna keep him on ice for political reasons” wouldn’t even make the top headlines in today’s news.

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u/MarcusAurelius68 Jul 08 '26

In the past…

…like Woodrow Wilson?

“President Woodrow Wilson suffered a severe stroke in 1919, after which his wife, Edith Wilson, effectively took over running the executive branch of the government for the remainder of his term. 

She acted as a strict gatekeeper, deciding which matters of state were important enough for her bedridden husband's attention and communicating his decisions to government officials. This period of functional stewardship lasted for roughly 17 months, leading some historians to refer to her as America's first unofficial "woman president".”

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u/King_Kung Jul 08 '26

Kentucky law would trigger the special election if he is brain dead and being kept on life support.

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u/Suckage Jul 08 '26

There is no such law, as it would violate the 17th Amendment.

A special election can be held to fill a vacant seat. His seat is not vacant until he is pronounced dead, he resigns, or 2/3 of the senate votes to expel him.

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u/King_Kung Jul 08 '26

Kentucky considers being brain dead, legally dead. You can keep someone who is brain dead on life support. Not sure what else to tell you.

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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '26

Based on that election a couple months back, which Massie was bought out of, “brain dead” seems to be the “relationship status” on FB for 51% of KY.

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u/King_Kung Jul 08 '26

In that case, I guess Mitch is the best person to represent the commonwealth.

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u/got-trunks Canada Jul 09 '26

Terri Schiavo still in the running

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u/SouthPhase9300 Jul 08 '26

Wrong lmao.   That will never happen.

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u/umop_apisdn Jul 08 '26

Under Kentucky law, brain dead is dead.

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u/MissCreeAunt Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 09 '26

Or being kept on life support until the end of the year.

Edit: until August 3rd

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u/Ralph--Hinkley Jul 08 '26

Yeah, but now congresspeople are coming out talking about having twenty-minute conversations with Mitch, so IDK what to believe.

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u/WeirdIndividualGuy Jul 08 '26

Notice how none of those people are even providing audio proof or even a text transcript, or any evidence of their conversation

Liars tend to not provide evidence, especially in cases of suspected deaths

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u/Ralph--Hinkley Jul 08 '26

I'm fully in the "He's gone" camp, but I'm just trying to figure out why they're lying. Is it to prolong until the 3rd? Because that would be way too fucking long to hide a dead senator.

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u/WeirdIndividualGuy Jul 08 '26

Prolonging until the KY governor can’t call for a special election would make the most sense for delaying the news. Otherwise, the GOP has nothing to gain from hiding his death. Plus, it’s not like they have a razor thin majority in the senate, it’s still pretty red even if a dem was elected to replace McConnell

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u/Federal_Secret92 Jul 08 '26

They are liars and bad people. It’s all about power for them. They don’t give a fuck about the people.

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u/SatinSaffron Washington Jul 08 '26

If they were to acknowledge Mitch being dead then it would trigger a special election. Right now Thomas Massie is in a good spot to run as an independent. This means he would either win as an independent, or he would split the R vote so that a Democrat could win. This is what they're trying to avoid.

And don't forget, Thomas Massie was the republican rep who was recently primaried because he teamed up with the Democrats and started going anti-Trump over the botched Epstein files release.

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u/Expensive-Sundae-831 Jul 08 '26

Talking to someone ain't the same thing as talking with someone.

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u/tnoy Jul 08 '26

They have also said they talked with him.

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u/Expensive-Sundae-831 Jul 08 '26

Cool. Then have them on record as to what he actually said. Or, pin them down with, “okay then, please confirm that he spoke to you with words coming out of his mouth.”

Not that the American media would ever be so specific in an interview with people making the assertion that they’re communicating with Mitch, but that’s what needs to be done for proper clarification to avoid the lies.

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u/tnoy Jul 08 '26

The statement from Barrasso's office:

“Senator Barrasso and Senator McConnell had a lengthy conversation early this afternoon. Their phone call lasted roughly 20 minutes. They caught up about the latest news impacting Senate races, the Graham Platner scandal, and the recent Supreme Court ruling on coordinated spending limits. They also discussed the Senate’s July work period, including the need to pass the NDAA and confirm President Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence. Senator McConnell was fully engaged and is eager to get back to the Senate.”

Statement from Thune's office:

"Leader Thune spoke with Sen. McConnell yesterday by phone. They had a lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security."

Scott Jennings talks about McConnell calling him and them talking:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d-TxFBVJBs&t=83s

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u/Expensive-Sundae-831 Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 09 '26

There's plenty lying wiggle room in that statement.

"Engaged" in what? It's not specifically mentioning that Mitch is being engaged in the conversation. No, that's the context of the previous sentence; the statement puts an assumption on it, but it can also be segregated from that assumption.

These details, semantics, and nuance matter with politicians that argue in bad faith all the time.

That's why, as a reporter, I'd demand to have the person relaying this info commit, unambiguously, to whether or not Mitch made full coherent vocal sentences in response to questions and answers.

As someone that lost a loved one after a long coma, there's were long "conversations" I had with them before they passed.

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u/tnoy Jul 09 '26

It's clear that you didn't bother looking at the video, which is pretty much expected for the dumpster fire of modern journalism that you'd expect from someone claiming to be a "reporter". It wouldn't be surprising for a "reporter" in the modern world to just flat-out ignore anything that doesn't fit their initial narrative that they're trying to push.

Jennings said that it was good to hear McConnels voice and that it "sounded strong." He could very well be lying, but he's not leaning on ambiguity there.

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u/thespaceghetto Jul 08 '26

I don't necessarily disagree but a counterpoint would be that they don't need to prove anything. What would they gain by showing him intubated? IMO that might trigger some R voters to start calling for a special election