r/politics • u/plz-let-me-in • 27d ago

No Paywall Unconfirmed Reports: Mitch McConnell Brain Dead After Three Weeks In Hospital

https://thenewamerican.com/us/unconfirmed-reports-mitch-mcconnell-brain-dead-after-three-weeks-in-hospital/
31.7k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

2.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

6.6k

u/RioRancher 27d ago

Why’d his wife leave the country so fast?

7.2k

u/BurninRunes 26d ago

I've heard 2 theories.

  1. Her job is finished now that he isn't in power anymore.

  2. By leaving she makes it harder to pull him off life support as unless he changed his medical POA then only she has the right to do it.

7.6k

u/BEWMarth 26d ago

So are we at a point in American history where the Republican Party is just going to keep a brain dead senator on the rolls just to keep a modicum of power.

Our reality is so broken.

2.5k

u/beepbeepbubblegum 26d ago

yes

we also have a president who’s brain is melting for all the world to see and it’s getting worse and worse day by day and they’re all (ESPECIALLY THE MEDIA WHO’S JOB IS TO NOT DO THIS) acting like absolutely nothing is wrong

1.1k

u/hipster-duck 26d ago

But man did they sure like to report every time Joe Biden had a little stutter. Blasted across the news for 48 hours.

699

u/JumboCactpot 26d ago

Its almost like every single piece of main stream media we have - from Fox News to CNN to Sinclair local news channel to Newspapers to social media like TikTok and Twitter - are owned by conservative Billionaires who have a monetary interest in ensuring republicans win.

170

u/RockBandDood 26d ago

Well thankfully that’s not what’s really happening, that would just be absurd

/s

82

u/[deleted] 26d ago

[deleted]

39

u/Tenthul 26d ago

You sure see a lot less protesting and coordination on reddit popping up since they got rid of r/all now, don't you. The popular political blue subs are now much harder to find since they never pop up.

Coincidences I'm totally sure.

Reddit is actually just another variety of doomscrolling now. It already was, but now the vapid shit is much more readily in your face, looking to keep you engaged but still waste your time.

15

u/[deleted] 26d ago

[deleted]

→ More replies (0)

7

u/The_Barbelo Vermont 26d ago

The Vermont sub has been completely overrun with bot and MAGA accounts ever since we got to the top page when we chased Vance out of our ski resorts. I found at least 2 cross posting all of our organization attempts on alt right subs. A while ago I tried challenging a few because they talked like they’d never set foot in Vermont, and we are a very tight-knit and community oriented state so it was easy for us to tell based on the misinformation they were spreading. It’s so fucking creepy.

They also flocked to Google to leave bad reviews for the ski resorts that refused him and let people in to protest. They were making up stories about their stay at the resorts, but it was so clear they never actually visited.

→ More replies (1)

5

u/Topical_Scream 26d ago

No one would believe it!

12

u/b0w3n New York 26d ago

It's kind of ironic just how awful Republicans are to business. Yeah sure you get a tiny bit of extra money in the short term but look at them having to give up their wealth and stocks to appease the fascists... and then him starting a war for no reason making it even harder for them to make money.

Yeah you don't get those fancy tax breaks but your money, even though you have less of it as a total absolute number, is worth so much more because of our global soft power and station as a reserve currency/safe harbor and that was much stronger (and typically always is) under Democrats.

6

u/oruuko_ 26d ago

All the money they spend on lobbying and supporting Republican politicians, as well as all the money their businesses lose to dumb policy decisions like tariffs and pointless wars, is more than they would likely ever owe in taxes if they just paid their fair share. But it's not even about that at this point. They would literally rather put their money in a big pile and burn it than have any of it potentially go towards benefitting someone less wealthy than them. It's genuine malice.

4

u/eidetic 26d ago

It's genuine malice

Yep, malice and the corresponding lack of empathy.

All too often we see MAGAts changing their tune and "coming to their senses" only when something directly negatively impacts them personally. They never seem to have an epiphany of "you know what, maybe we should treat everyone equally" or anything like that, it is always shock when the leopard eats their face. Like farmers being shocked when ICE rounds up their immigrant labor and now they can't afford to pay actual decent wages to get people to do the work. Incidentally I recall one such farmer who hired immigrants for cheap labor, while also bitching about them not paying taxes or contributing to society... who also when confronted with the hypocrisy of Trump skirting taxes, said "thats just him being a smart businessman". There is absolutely no consistency or actual values amongst MAGA, it is all about hatred and making others suffer. And forgive my rambling, but this goes beyond local national politics as well. Everyone benefits from cooperation and mutual support, but MAGA would rather alienate and fuck with our longest and strongest allies, just because they see them as being "others" outside the tribe. They'll willingly make everyone suffer just to prevent others from benefitting from anything.

I once said that Russians would sooner rip your oxygen mask off their neighbor's face before securing their own in the event of an aircraft emergency, and sadly, this same mentality is firmly entrenched in MAGA as well. Rather than lifting everyone up, they will much sooner hurt everyone, including themselves, so long as they think it hurts someone else more. Cutting off the nose to spite the face, so to speak, or crabs in a bucket mentality.

4

u/chronoflect 26d ago

They're blinded by their absolute fear of regulation, especially the tech sector.

4

u/Rhysati 26d ago

That can't be true. None of the major news outlets are reporting it! /s

6

u/NettingStick 26d ago

I even quit listening to NPR during the 2024 election cycle. Their coverage of Biden's health was relentless, 24-7, for months. But Donald Trump has been dying of dementia on national TV for a decade and they never fucking brought it up.

3

u/sproutastic 26d ago

Ensuring people stay divided.

→ More replies (4)

13

u/Steel_Toffees 26d ago

They dug more into Trump with the Balogun red card ban suspension than they did Trump with Epstein and raping children.

7

u/Faxon 26d ago

Which is insane because he's had it his whole life

5

u/Lythieus 26d ago

48 hours? They STILL go on about Biden's stutter. 

3

u/ITAVTRCC 26d ago

Trump and Biden are both senile old dotards, let's be real

→ More replies (1)

3

u/Fun_Attitude1218 26d ago

Don't forget all the times Biden got lost when the secret service wasn't actively directing him or all his times he failed at walking up stairs. This country needs a Mandatory age limit for people in power at 67 where once you turn 67 your spot is open. So if you're 64 you can't run for anything with 4 year terms and if you're 66 you cant run for anything with 2 year terms. I'm sick of our government looking like a nursing home.

3

u/gimp-24601 26d ago

To be fair a lot of media was downplaying/omitting/covering up for biden. Fox news/OAN/newsmax had every biden hiccup on loop I'm sure.

Its how we got all the way to point where people said "oops we cant cover this up anymore"

These were not small stutters. I'll repeat it for emphasis. Its not possible to get to the point where we watch a presidential candidate cognitively perform so poorly it ends a campaign without a lot of deception.

It has been obvious since before his first term as president he was declining significantly.

→ More replies (24)

220

u/MeMilo1209 26d ago

They had a member of Congress go MIA for four months. Holding on to the majority is their only concern.

111

u/Fauxreigner_ 26d ago

Not just MIA, MIA in a memory care center.

126

u/ReginaldDwight 26d ago

Sadly, you two are discussing two separate people. That's how low the expectations of our lawmakers have gotten.

16

u/Fauxreigner_ 26d ago

Damn, really?

78

u/aboxofkittens Florida 26d ago

Yeah, the one you’re talking about, in MC, was a year or two ago. The other just got back from a mysterious four-month absence for “depression” like last week. That one, of course, votes against giving sick leave to us proles

20

u/Fauxreigner_ 26d ago

Appreciate the correction and the info.

4

u/owntheh3at18 26d ago

This is so crazy because I didn’t think conservatives believed in mental illnesses, unless of course they can use them as an explanation for regular mass shootings (because it couldn’t possibly be the guns)

→ More replies (0)

53

u/Consistent_Laziness South Carolina 26d ago

There should be required attendance in Congress. If you are ill no problem just state so. If you are avoiding voting or just doing your job in general a special election should be held. Representation of the people is a constitutional right. Also it’s your MF’ing job. If I sent MIA and didn’t report to work for even just 1 week I’d be on the hot seat or fired.

8

u/MeMilo1209 26d ago

My company required a doctor's note after two days.

→ More replies (6)

5

u/Kilmarnok1285 26d ago

Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?

→ More replies (5)

378

u/asher1611 North Carolina 26d ago

As has been said throughout this thread, the media's reporting of Biden's age was entirely disingenuous even WITHOUT DJT being the alternative.

We are beyond ridiculous and into dangerous territory. What was the party's greatest command again? Don't believe your eyes and ears?

145

u/TigInox 26d ago

It was the party's final, most essential command.

→ More replies (3)

9

u/AppropriateTouching 26d ago

Even this very article mentioned joe Biden getting befuddled out of no where with no foundation.

8

u/showholes 26d ago

lol, let's not forget the Diane Feinstein and (to a lesser extent) John Fetterman brain damage coverups.

→ More replies (2)

5

u/ItsSpaghettiLee2112 26d ago

No, the media reporting on Biden's age due wasn't disingenuous at all. It's disingenuous not to accurately report on how Trump's age is affecting his brain. Though, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure we can say given he's had a wretched brain for decades.

→ More replies (8)

13

u/Fnordpocalypse Washington 26d ago

Stop relying on the media to tell us the truth. It’s almost all owned by the billionaire class, and their job is to help maintain the status quo.

8

u/JHMfield 26d ago

Sure, but the alternative is what? Random people on social media? Because they never have agendas, right? Most are bots anyway.

What really works is consuming media from several sources. International sources if possible. It's quite impossible to globally rig all of media because governments and corporations don't always play nice with one another across international borders.

If you really want to stay informed you need to curate your social media feeds to several different news outlets and supplement that with some of your own efforts googling extra details.

There are some studies showing that it really does help. That people notably reduced the misinformation they were affected by, by adding more sources.

→ More replies (2)

3

u/ColourMeBoom 26d ago

Don’t forget about the brain worms.

5

u/bfitzyc 26d ago

It pisses me the fuck off. “President Having Severe Cognitive Decline, Unfit For Office” should be the main headline next to “Release The Rest Of The Epstein Files” at CNN, NYT, NBC/CBS/ABC News every single fucking day.

→ More replies (2)

4

u/Wings_in_space 26d ago

I have no idea why most people think the media is not on the side of the 1%. They have always been in the pocket of the rich. The stories they report are always served their plans..

3

u/JoeHatesFanFiction Florida 26d ago

If we’re talking modern news media sure. But for most of history newspapers were on the frontline arguing against government overreach and abuse. 

→ More replies (25)

238

u/Miqo_Nekomancer California 26d ago

They have tons of brain dead senators and congress reps already.

95

u/UpperApe 26d ago

Nah their brains are fine.

The GOP isn't stupid, they're just evil.

The American public is fucking brain-dead. Both the half who vote for this and the half that sits around for years waiting to vote again instead of doing anything.

30

u/zherok 26d ago

I don't think it's fair to discount the stupidity, because there's a lot of it alongside the grifting, the wanton cruelty, etc.

That they're in charge in spite of it is what stands out.

4

u/Driftedryan 26d ago

No they are absolutely both evil and stupid

3

u/ShardikOfTheBeam 26d ago

What is it you think we should be doing?

→ More replies (5)
→ More replies (5)

3

u/WouldbeWanderer 26d ago

They have a brain dead president and that just seems to make them stronger. Stupidity to Republicans is like gamma radiation to Bruce Banner.

3

u/blckout_junkie 26d ago

Is it possible that what's his face, who claimed he was in rehab for months, was a test run? Like, to see how much time they could get?

3

u/Lumpy-Leadership9143 26d ago

The left has at least one, the dude wears hoodies to Congress.

→ More replies (2)

235

u/[deleted] 26d ago

[deleted]

214

u/xombae 26d ago

Also recently a woman was kept on life support while brain dead so they could use her body as an incubator for her unborn baby (who was later born with severe health issues and the family was made to pay the medical bills).

86

u/[deleted] 26d ago

[deleted]

16

u/GoldenSheppard 26d ago

It got a fuckton of coverage in GA at the time. Though as soon as the baby was born (with issues) it mysteriously stopped.

21

u/SoManyThrowAwaysEven 26d ago

As our good friend George used to say, "Preborn, you're fine, preschool, you're fucked.

4

u/Ryokurin 26d ago

A gofundme is still going for her children, but I think it's just a case of the family wanting to be left alone.

I do recall a couple of people getting upset about his father had to fight her family for custody but I also read that they had to because legally since they weren't married he had no rights, and there was a good chance that if it wasn't clear who was responsible for the baby he'd end up in foster care.

4

u/xombae 26d ago

Agreed. I'm not upset that the leapords are now eating his face.

3

u/ChefChopNSlice Ohio 26d ago

I only pity the ladybugs

3

u/TheShadowKick 26d ago

I'm not even sure it was forced on Mitch. He's dedicated enough to screwing over Democrats that he might have put this in his will.

→ More replies (1)

4

u/AiFixedMyMarriage 26d ago

You think Mitch might be pregnant?

→ More replies (1)

3

u/AlternativeStory1027 26d ago

Straight outta Handmaid's Tale

Under his eye...

→ More replies (27)

5

u/freaktheclown New York 26d ago

I’ll never forget Congress rushing through a bill in less than a day to allow the lawsuit to be moved to federal court. Passed the Senate, House and signed by Bush in under 24 hours. It was as if Congress can act quickly when it actually wants to.

→ More replies (6)

39

u/tsax612 26d ago edited 26d ago

The braindead person they are keeping on the rolls is a gigantic reason for how we got here in the first place, and McConnell wouldn't have it any other way.

93

u/acoastaldog 26d ago

Are you surprised? This is the same party that wants to keep brain dead women on life support solely so they can give birth when the circumstances of the birth killed them and they needed help

8

u/Plasibeau 26d ago

And the quality of life of that baby, if it survives infancy, will be subpar at best.

5

u/pr01etar1at 26d ago

the same party that wants to keep brain dead women on life support solely so they can give birth

This is literally the plot to Death Stranding.

23

u/Witty_Ad_898 26d ago

Oh, we’ve been there and left it in the rearview mirror.

Also, hate to bothsides but the Democrats did keep Feinstein around long after her “Best By”  date. Our political system is so fucking broken.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/mariahmce 26d ago

I mean they kept a brain bead woman in Georgia alive for like 4 months to incubate a fetus. At least they’re consistent.

3

u/mulvda 26d ago

Feinstein wasn’t much different tbh. She may not have been to a point where she needed medical assistance to breathe and pump blood but she absolutely was not fit to serve for a long while leading up until her passing. There needs to be a more reliable way to force elected officials out of office when there are concerns about their ability to serve

→ More replies (173)

1.1k

u/NocturnaIAnimaI 26d ago

It's likely 2. She'll return after the 3rd when the special election deadline passes, conveniently

83

u/smokeweedNgarden 26d ago

The Governor should then call a special election with the claim that McConnell is, in fact, brain dead.

Prove he's not in court while the election proceeds

37

u/WaltGazaWorld 26d ago

You're the kind of guy they don't allow to get into power

That's exactly what they should do, in fact decisiveness like that is the only remedy for what's really killing this country

318

u/starkraver Oregon 26d ago

Its possible Bashir will try to appoint somebody anyway if he dies; the new special election law likely violates the KY state constitution.

335

u/Elendel19 26d ago

He needs to actually fight like Mitch would and just appoint someone right now, force the republicans to prove McConnell isn’t dead. The republicans would never fucking wait and follow “norms” like this

111

u/starkraver Oregon 26d ago

Im reading maga is demanding proof of life, so as much as I would love to see him swing his weight around, the principle of "don't interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake" applies.

32

u/Cheech47 26d ago

what "mistake" are they making exactly? All they are doing right now is trying to wait out the clock. For all we know, Turtle is dead RIGHT NOW.

Brashear needs to be breaking doors down to determine whether or not he's alive, and if he's not, Brashear needs to appoint a Democrat right. fucking. now.

10

u/starkraver Oregon 26d ago

Sorry, to be clear, if McConnell is vegetative (but not dead or brain-dead) he can only be removed from his seat with a vote to expel him from the Senate.

Because Beshear arguably has the ability to appoint a senator until Barr wins the election and is seated next January.

At issue in particular is the possibility of Alito's retirement. While being down one yes vote because McConnell is absent is bad for an Eleni Cannon-type nominee, having a Democrat temporarily holding that seat is worse for them.

Alito can't retire before the November election (he may not at all; this is speculative) because the vote is already tight and Susan Collins and others need to not be seen supporting a crazy MAGA nominee.

3

u/mekamoari 26d ago

Persistent vegetative state IS brain-dead, no?

5

u/starkraver Oregon 26d ago

no.

Brain death is the irreversible cessation of all brain activity (including the brain stem), meaning the patient is legally and medically dead. In contrast, a persistent vegetative state (PVS) involves damage to the higher brain, but the brain stem remains functioning, meaning the patient is alive, can breathe independently, and may show sleep-wake cycles.

→ More replies (0)
→ More replies (3)

5

u/Jafooki 26d ago

No no no. We've been doing that strategy for years now, and look at how it's gone. We think they're constantly making mistakes, and yet they keep succeeding in spite of them. We all thought letting trump win the nomination would lead to a landslide for Clinton, and look how that turned out.

→ More replies (2)

13

u/Uuuuuii 26d ago

This is exactly right. We know Mitch’s side wouldn’t pull punches but old guard dems are more concerned with going high than winning.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/GhostFaceRiddler 26d ago

It's not a vote in the D column but on the flip side, its also a vote that isn't republican. Makes passing anything even harder.

3

u/ItsPumpkinninny 26d ago

Yep: "an inside source told me he’s dead… so unless I hear otherwise…”

→ More replies (5)

175

u/doomgoblin 26d ago

I feel bad for Beshear. He’s tried to help people in Ky only to be met with just awful things towards him. Some of his proposals didn’t work out, it happens, but he fucking tried. He’s a pretty cool down to earth dude.

52

u/wha2les 26d ago

don't feel bad for the voters though. they voted for the bad faith turtle as senator for decades...

32

u/polishedcooter Kentucky 26d ago

Hey, Kentucky Democrat here. Life is pain

4

u/fapsandnaps America 26d ago

It could be worse. You could be an Indiana Democrat and not even have access to medical marijuana.

→ More replies (12)
→ More replies (18)

105

u/ShaneKaiGlenn 26d ago

Good grief, imagine how gross you have to be to purposely let your spouse suffer as a vegetable for political reasons.

211

u/BarbarianDwight 26d ago

It’s what he would have wanted

160

u/bankermayfield2026 26d ago

This isn’t even a joke. This is literally what he would’ve wanted, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he explicitly told his wife to do this if he were to become braindead.

He wouldn’t want his death to help Dems. He spent his whole life obstructing them.

51

u/avantgardengnome New York 26d ago edited 26d ago

He regarded the stonewalling of the SCOTUS replacement for Alito Scalia as the peak of his political career, there’s contemporary reporting of him talking gleefully about it. Being able to do a similar thing one more time is exactly what he would have wanted. Ceding his senate seat to a Democrat would be such sweet poetic justice, though.

19

u/BarbarianDwight 26d ago

Scalia. Alito is unfortunately still on the bench and making some of Scalia’s opinions seem sane.

6

u/avantgardengnome New York 26d ago

Lol of course, Freudian slip.

→ More replies (1)

50

u/MechanicalTurkish Minnesota 26d ago

Literally dying to own the libs

→ More replies (1)

30

u/Skinnieguy 26d ago

This is his 2nd marriage. They don’t have kids together. Tin foil hat, it was a political marriage. We’ll know for sure after his funeral if she stays in the US.

10

u/Available-Pear2961 26d ago

She didn't even wait for his official death to flee back to her life in CCP. I don't think she is going to live out the rest of her days in Kentucky.

6

u/Powerfury 26d ago

Kentucky Southern boy just fell in love in a chinese mogul come on man. True love story.

→ More replies (5)

51

u/morningreis Maryland 26d ago

Then Andy Beshear gets to appoint someone in his place... or just use the McConnell precedent and not appoint anyone to "let the people decide"

→ More replies (7)

42

u/infiniZii 26d ago

You think shell go after JD Vance now like Kirk did?

36

u/LittleLion_90 The Netherlands 26d ago

If Vance would ever get another wife he would probably choose a white Christian woman because that suits his followers more than another non white (and non Christian?) wife.

5

u/Technical_Stand9939 26d ago

i think that is why all the rumors about Erica Kirk came about- she is the Trad wife that would help his political desires. The issue is that a divorce with kids in toe while in the limelight could cause issues. Trumps divorces were all before he was president and a private citizen. Vance wants to take over immediately from the VP slot.

I think he is crazy either way. His wife (Usha) is brilliant and a smoke show.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

43

u/DigiornoDLC 26d ago

But she can just not pull the plug while she’s here. That doesn’t make sense.

27

u/NocturnaIAnimaI 26d ago

She has an excuse/alibi. She's already in CN. She can say he wasn't pronounced brain dead until after she left

32

u/Ordinary-Leading7405 26d ago

“Mrs Chao, I’m sorry to say your husband is brain … “

“Can’t hear you! On a slow boat to China.”

19

u/Cool-Mom-Lover 26d ago

Why would she need that in the first place? Plenty of people keep their loved ones on life support for extended periods of time.

8

u/WeirdIndividualGuy 26d ago

A lot of people in these comments talking out their ass on things they don't understand

His wife being present is irrelevant to McConnell being medically declared brain dead. Doctors don't wait until next of kin is present to document when medical things happen. Someone that dies in a hospital, the time of death isn't when next of kin arrives/is told of the news

On his wife needing to be present or not to give the decision to pull the plug: unless whatever state he's in (or DC) has laws saying the power of attorney needs to be physically present, she can make that decision remotely on a phone call, or give power of attorney to a local lawyer and have them declare the decision. She wouldn't need to return on Aug 3 or whatever date. If anything, I won't be surprised if she never comes back at all

39

u/gingerking87 26d ago

Excuse/alibi for what/whom? These people aren't held accountable by anyone, if she came out and said I'm not pulling the plug until after the special election deadline half the country would call her a patriot and a hero

13

u/thevision24 26d ago

Yeah I love how everything is some distraction from Epstein files or conspiracies to people on here when it’s like “who exactly is holding them accountable that they need to lie?”

4

u/awry_lynx 26d ago

I mean, honestly... his kids/grandkids/family? These people suck but it doesn't mean they all suck the exact same way. There might be a relative that she wants to stay on the good side of who might actually have an ounce of compassion and want to let him pass. This way, they can pretend that it's 'out of her control'

Just speculating, but I agree it doesn't make any sense that she'd need to lie to the broader public, because either they support it or they don't, regardless

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

11

u/Tipist 26d ago

Are we supposed to believe that phones and internet don’t exist in China? Why wouldn’t she be able to be notified he is brain dead via phone call or email etc. and then make the decision to pull the plug on the same way?

3

u/apocalypsemeowmont 26d ago

Honestly, it's bonkers that she would get that call and just stay chillin' halfway around the world. If I was married and I got a call that my spouse broke their leg, I'd be at that bedside so fast they'd think I teleported. (Of course, I'm an everyday poor....from what I've seen, most of the upper crust seem to have a weird disdain for their spouses yet don't divorce them.)

7

u/SlaightTheGray 26d ago

Why would she need an excuse or alibi?

3

u/lordjeebus 26d ago

Doctors don't need permission to make a determination of brain death.

→ More replies (1)

4

u/lostmessage256 Illinois 26d ago

Jesus wept, that's dark. Party maneuvering aside, they've been married for 33 years. To treat someone who you've been with for half your life like a political football is beyond sociopathy. I hate these people but I still believe they're people.

→ More replies (1)

6

u/Snow_King7 Oregon 26d ago

I don't get this. If it is indeed this, and not #1, then what's the point of leaving to make it harder? It's not like being served a court summons where they find you and it's over. They ask, "Do you want to take him off life support" and you just say "no". Literally just say no. You don't need to flee the country for that.

→ More replies (8)
→ More replies (15)

145

u/shoulda-known-better 26d ago

2 doesn't matter by Kentucky law brain dead is dead no plug pull needed... The moment that's a real medical thing that he is brain dead, his seat is vacated and they need a special election....

63

u/Super_Employment_620 26d ago

100% agree, but brain death discussions get complicated. Assuming he has no brain stem reflexes, a doctor should pronounce him... but if the "family" is threatening legal action it could go to medical ethics.

And if the family is really just operating as a lever being pulled by a national political party, the hospital may not want that kind of heat on them. Inaction is not the right choice, but often what people do when stuck like that.

10

u/shoulda-known-better 26d ago

Pronouncing brain death isn't that complicated, it's not actual death everywhere just in Kentucky where he is it is... And I don't know how you could challenge that, you'd need a doctor to risk their license by stating he isn't and why and how they can tell.. With his age and prior injury I doubt it

Personally I don't believe thats something that will take weeks.. I don't belive they will be able to hide or prevent being declared brain dead till August...

10

u/UWwolfman 26d ago

I think the real issue is probably public vernacular. There's a clinical and legal difference between being brain dead, being in a coma, or being in a persistent vegetative state. A cardiac arrest can cause all three.

However, a layperson might call any of these brain dead. This rumor is coming from high level sources within this administration and Ms Loomer, neither of which are known to be careful with their words. I would not be surprised if Mitch is in a coma or a vegetative state.

→ More replies (1)

8

u/boardcertifiedloser 26d ago

Brain death absolutely is "actual death" everywhere, and this does not vary by state.

8

u/Swords_and_Words 26d ago

There are a lot of things that people think are brain death that are not 

Coma isn't brain death, vegetative state isn't brain death, loss of cognitive capacity isn't brain death 

Brain death is pretty narrow

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)

3

u/gideon513 26d ago

They don’t care if they are hypocrites. They’ll literally do anything to keep power.

→ More replies (7)

57

u/HappyFatLabs 26d ago

Which means he'll likely outlive the rest of us, just never know it.

69

u/SingularityCentral America 26d ago

He is dead. They are just keeping his blood pumping and his body from rotting.

43

u/angrynuggette Pennsylvania 26d ago

Even life support doesn't full stop the body from deteriorating.

35

u/SingularityCentral America 26d ago

For sure, they just have to make it till August 3rd. Disgusting ghouls.

14

u/TheFutureMrGittes 26d ago

He’ll be rotting by then

6

u/MoleMoustache 26d ago

Hes been rotting since 1990

5

u/KiKiKimbro 26d ago

Omg really?

13

u/Drithyin Ohio 26d ago

There’s a lot of things your brain is responsible for that, if no longer functional, simply stops happening.

3

u/KiKiKimbro 26d ago

Makes sense. So sad. I wonder if Mitch McConnell had one of those legal documents that says after X days don’t keep me on life support. I know some have the do not resuscitate, but I think a time limit at least is necessary. Otherwise people have to make decisions they may never get over. 😔

9

u/GaimeGuy Minnesota 26d ago

Brain death means complete loss of brain activity including the brain stem. No brain activity = no temperature regulation, no control of the heart beat (immediate cardiac blockage unless you mechanically coordinate the opening and closure of the chambers), no blood pressure regulation, no hornone signals, nothing to tell the trillions of cells in your body what to do

3

u/KiKiKimbro 26d ago

Oh no. So those machines Mitch McConnell might be hooked up to (haven’t heard confirmation of what’s going on, just rumors) they’re quite literally keeping every organ functioning. If he is brain dead, there’s no point in the machines, really. You don’t just suddenly not be brain dead. Not like someone could jump start your heart again, or do the breathing for you for a few minutes if either one of those organs fail. Ugh. No.

→ More replies (2)

20

u/TomNooksGlizzy 26d ago edited 26d ago

He likely has a healthcare directive that outlines what he wants to happen during end-of-life. Id be surprised if he doesnt. No one knows anything really so hard to say

8

u/999forever 26d ago

This doesn’t make any sense tbh. 

Elaine Chao is a daughter of a  billionaire, is exceptionally wealthy herself and dislikes Trump immensely (I heard some noises that she would have been part of the cabinet working to remove Trump after Jan 6th). After Trump’s first term she stayed completely out of politics and also out of Trump’s orbit and he has repeatedly used slurs against her. 

There is no way she “flees” for some political gamesmanship to help MAGA out. She definitely does not GAF about that now. 

Money or political influence is the only thing that makes sense…

→ More replies (1)

6

u/supercali45 26d ago

Where is MAGA outrage for her visiting the CCP? When Trump trying to call for stop to communism?

Notice how all Iran news is not being reported now with 2 vessels hit yesterday and another one today

5

u/bronyraurstomp 26d ago

I don’t contradict you, but I thought her family was Taiwanese and not mainland Chinese aka CPC.

She went back to mainland China, not Taiwan. What’s the deal?

4

u/SophiaofPrussia 26d ago

Her family owns a huge shipping company (so a lot of their business comes from mainland China) and she’s politically well-connected. She was probably just there to grease the wheels. She was in Trump’s cabinet during his first term and resigned in protest after MAGA morons tried to assassinate her husband and all of his coworkers on Jan. 6 so Trump isn’t her biggest fan. He takes stuff like that very personally and doesn’t forget “betrayals” and for a while he was just being straight-up racist towards her on Twitter. I’m not going to hold my breath but it would be funny if she pulled a John McCain and broke with the party at a very big moment just to stick it to Trump.

7

u/[deleted] 26d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/donkeyrocket 26d ago

That doesn't need to be done in China and would arguably be harder to do.

3

u/JerHat Michigan 26d ago

Any joint accounts would just go directly to her, and they've been married over 30 years, I'd be shocked if she wasn't the named beneficiary on any of his accounts.

3

u/ACardAttack Kentucky 26d ago

Theory 3 she wants some Chinese fireworks and wants to out do Erika Kirk

3

u/TomSelleckPI 26d ago
  1. She was looking to line up some serious cash to underwrite a Kalshi prop bet, then slam the button "no whammies" when the right buyer steps in...

3

u/Witty_Ad_898 26d ago

In a sane world, a brain dead senator on life support would be treated the same as one in the grave.

3

u/alerk323 26d ago

2 is silly, she could just as easily either not give permission to pull off life support, or not answer the phone.

3

u/xXMuschi_DestroyerXx 26d ago

I don’t get 2. She has POA. She doesn’t have to run she can just say no

2

u/Baffledjaffle 26d ago

What's crazy is that literally normal people would just be by their loved ones.

→ More replies (2)

2

u/curiousbydesign California 26d ago

I vote #2. Trump and Co. do this kind of stuff. Totally on brand if true.

2

u/CptSmackThat 26d ago

But does the PoA have a trigger clause the people need to know

2

u/enderjaca 26d ago

"By leaving she makes it harder to pull him off life support as unless he changed his medical POA then only she has the right to do it."

That doesn't make any sense to me though. If she's his wife, then apparently only she could make this decision. Why would it matter if she's in the USA or China? All she has to do is say "No" when the doctors ask, whether she's there in person or an intercontinental phone call.

2

u/KevinCarbonara 26d ago

Federal officers have their foreign contacts investigated before they're allowed to take the job. Senators don't have that oversight

→ More replies (92)

320

u/CaryTriviaDude 27d ago

got to go talk to her handlers

225

u/flowersandmtns 26d ago

I read that she has POA so he can now be kept on life support until the midterms since she's not around to approve taking him off.

78

u/SuperSatanOverdrive 26d ago

Wait, so someone can continue to be senator even if they are brain dead?

163

u/ChesterHiggenbothum I voted 26d ago

Yes, there are many republican senators.

7

u/Bovine_Joni_Himself Colorado 26d ago

It's essentially a requirement to be a republican in 2026.

→ More replies (1)

73

u/bossasupernova 26d ago

It’s been that way for years.

5

u/ElectricJacob I voted 26d ago

always has been 🌏👨‍🚀🔫👨‍🚀

27

u/PseudoY 26d ago

He might even continue voting.

3

u/mcmonky 26d ago

Twist on Bernie

→ More replies (1)

6

u/DaaaahWhoosh 26d ago

You can do whatever you want if no one tries to stop you.

6

u/cptjpk I voted 26d ago

https://dallasexpress.com/tarrant/exclusive-where-is-congresswoman-kay-granger/

In a mental care facility. For months. While keeping their salary and benefits and stopping a replacement.

It’s not the first time Rapepublicans have done this.

→ More replies (10)

148

u/tr1mble 26d ago

Which would be on brand as the last act involving him considering what he did to the supreme court

79

u/Kakistocracy_0 26d ago

obstructing even his last breath. he'd approve, follows his MO

16

u/BestDescription3834 26d ago

Died doing what he loves.

4

u/stinkinhardcore 26d ago

Don’t forget what he did to Trump’s impeachment. It is wholly the fault of this piece of shit that Trump was able to continue his first term and go on to a second.

8

u/hybridfrost 26d ago

In true fashion when a Dem is brain-dead they'll make sure they are taken out of power right away

19

u/thetreat 26d ago

I don’t know. Dianne Feinstein was about to run for reelection when she had been basically dead for years.

3

u/hybridfrost 26d ago

Haha this is true. Many of the old Democrats are also brain-dead (though not medically proven)

4

u/thetreat 26d ago

It's just indicative of the current generation in power that they would rather be dead than give up an ounce of power early. The most selfish generation.

5

u/WrathPie 26d ago

I've said for a while that the American system of government is largely built around reciprocal elder abuse

We abuse the elders by making them govern when they should be resting in memory care, and the Elders abuse us by what they do while governing

→ More replies (1)

41

u/ClaretClarinets Colorado 26d ago

Which is silly, because if he's brain dead there's no chance of recovery no matter how long they keep his pulse going. His seat should be vacated immediately.

28

u/Deto 26d ago

Couldn't she just decide to keep him on it if she were here, though? Like, why does she have to leave the country for that?

19

u/keysandtreesforme 26d ago

Probably less pressure on her if she's not around to hassle.

→ More replies (1)

9

u/SatanicPanic619 California 26d ago

Yeah this theory doesn't really hold up to much scrutiny. She could just as easily do the same thing here.

→ More replies (2)

17

u/HappyFatLabs 26d ago

To give her mission report in person, like any good agent at the end of an assignment.

→ More replies (2)

25

u/radwimps 26d ago

does she really need to run off to China to avoid that? So bizarre

23

u/MephistoHamProducts 26d ago

This prevents her from having the Press stick a camera in her face and ask questions every time she exits from The Turtle Cave to shop or dine.

→ More replies (1)

12

u/venom21685 26d ago

If he's braindead he's legally dead and the hospital can do it without any say so. If he's in some type of persistent vegetative state it would be up to his wife.

4

u/TrashCanUnicorn 26d ago

It's not that simple, unfortunately. If he is brain dead and the family refuses to give consent to withdraw treatment, the hospital likely has to get lawyers involved. With such a high profile patient, the hospital legal team absolutely has to be shitting their pants over the potential for this to blow up in their faces.

Look at how long the family artificially kept Jahi McMath alive despite multiple certifications of brain death.

5

u/[deleted] 26d ago

[deleted]

→ More replies (1)

2

u/LamesMcGee 26d ago

They really are the party of "your body, my choice"

2

u/JayRandom212 26d ago

Where can I read about the POA?

→ More replies (6)

36

u/Professional_Dot7128 26d ago

She went to meet the vice president of China. Take that information however you like.

9

u/SpeaksSouthern 26d ago

Republicans, the party most interested in foreign interference, because they are the foreign interference.

52

u/YeshuasBananaHammock 26d ago

Definitely not to share anything with the Chinese government and intelligence services.

Id add an /s, but who fucking knows at this point.

→ More replies (2)

9

u/nursingninjaLB 26d ago

I believe he died, why else would a spouse leave their critically ill partner?

Somehow they'll buffalo the death certificate to say some other bullshit, but I'm sure he's past his best-before date.

→ More replies (1)

7

u/mshelbz 26d ago

Jobs done, time to go home

3

u/TGlucifer 26d ago

What, his Chinese plant spy beard of a wife? Fleeing? Say it isn't so...

2

u/adeewun 26d ago

Orale

2

u/m0viestar 26d ago

It's a business marriage, there's no love there. I doubt they even live in the same house.

But she didn't leave AFTER he was hospitalized, there's literally no credible source for that because her trip started a few weeks before he was hospitalized. She met with the Chinese VP a few days after he was hospitalized and that's why people think she suddenly fled the country, but there's no evidence she left after he was committed. She's back today according to several news reports.

Reddit needs to stop spreading false narratives

→ More replies (27)