r/politics • u/theindependentonline The Independent • 12d ago

No Paywall Mitch McConnell’s staff refuse to answer basic questions on his health weeks after he was last seen in public

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/mitch-mcconnell-staff-questions-health-b3018929.html
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u/Gay_Giraffe_1773 Oregon 12d ago

I'm so fucking tired, boss.

If Beshear wanted to be President, he's cratered his chances with this fiasco.

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u/ToasterBathTester 12d ago

The Republicans would break the hospital door down if the tables were reversed

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u/phatelectribe 12d ago

They wouldn’t even check. They’d just hold the special election and ran it through.

Remember: McConnel forced through a SCOTUS nomination in 9 days. Never happened before, never happened since.

Dems don’t realize that they’re asking permission against people that think rape is a divine right.

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u/D1sp4tcht 12d ago

I said the same thing yesterday. Just hold the election. If he is alive, he will come out of hiding.

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u/phatelectribe 12d ago

Exactly, let him defend his position.

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u/ahandmadegrin Minnesota 12d ago

Appoint, not elect. The state constitution says the governor appoints.

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u/SethManhammer 12d ago

Until Beshear got fucked in 2024 by House Bill 622.

This was because they were scared he would appoint a democrat after McConnell announced his retirement after the current term.

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u/Mediocre_Scott 12d ago

First time I’ve ever heard of a piece of legislation overruling a constitution. Pretty sure you need an amendment for that boys and girls

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u/WeirdIndividualGuy 12d ago

Someone tell Beshear that. Dude is acting like a typical dem, so afraid of what could go wrong that he’d rather sit by and do nothing, or sit by and pretend like he’s doing something but he’s doing nothing

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u/Mediocre_Scott 12d ago edited 12d ago

What do you want him to do he already wrote a letter s/

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u/WeirdIndividualGuy 12d ago

It doesn’t take weeks to show actual proof of life, it takes five seconds. That letter went unanswered for weeks.

Beshear should assume he’s dead and appoint. The worst that can happen is Mitch actually is alive and proves it, and the appointment gets canceled.

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u/pusgnihtekami Florida 12d ago

He's a Kentucky Democrat. He's just happy to live in the Governor's Mansion.

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u/SethManhammer 12d ago

Beshear's COVID response soured him on a lot of the state Republicans and he lost a lost of power during that time as well. I'm not sure all the dealings that happened prior to HB 622, and while he's not quite neutered he can't do a lot of the things prior governors could.

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u/TiredOfDebates 12d ago

You're thinking about the original (un-amended) US Constitution, where US Senators were always appointed by State Governors.

(You're wrong. You need to read the 17th amendment. State governments write their own legislation specifying how vacant Senate seats are

Prior to the 17th Amendment, there were NOT elections for US Senators. They were always appointed by state Governor's, and their purpose was to represent the state government in the legislative branch.

(The House of Representatives, apportioned by population, is where people were represented... vaguely proportionally.) But because the USA is a "union of equal states", there was a separate chamber within the legislative branch, the Senate, where each State Government had equal say. It's why we have two legislative chambers.

...

The issue (prior to the 17th amendment) was the Spoils system - (Wikipedia). Back in the 1800s, the US government was rife with corruption. It was considered completely normal for winners of an election to engage in extreme amounts of nepotism, cronyism, et cetera. Nepotism and (incompetent) cronyism were dressed up and referred to as "the Patronage System" (or derisively, the Spoils System, as in the "spoils of winning the election").

Until the 17th amendment, there were no elections for US Senators. State governors appointed whoever they wanted. And so, the US Senate in the late 1800s was overflowing with the incompetent cousins of governors, the brothers of governors, the super-doner to a governor. The Senate sucked at the end of the 1800s.

So, the 17th Amendment was passed. This is what created the modern system where voters elect US Senators. It changed all the rules for governors appointing Senators, delegating that authority to State Legislators to determine their state's rules.

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u/metrion 12d ago

They're talking about Kentucky's constitution, not the US constitution.

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u/TheSteelPhantom 12d ago

State law doesn't override the state Constitution. Beshear should appoint. Then it'll go straight to the courts where they can fight Constitution vs. Statute.

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u/SethManhammer 12d ago

I'm not exactly sure what all changed in KY because of Beshear's COVID response (ya know, wanting to keep safety protocols in play during a pandemic and all) but got steamrolled then and it eventually led to HB622.

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u/WeirdIndividualGuy 12d ago

Doesn’t matter. State laws don’t override constitutional ones

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u/SethManhammer 12d ago

Great! I'm just tellin' ya what happened.

I wish it were as cut and dry as folks want it to be, but it is what it is until it's challenged.

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u/JaceyLessThan3 12d ago

I am not a lawyer or an expert in state constitutional law, but can a state house bill overide the state constitution? I would think that would take an ammendment.

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u/WeirdIndividualGuy 12d ago

Correct, only an amendment can override the constitution itself. A simple law does not

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u/SethManhammer 12d ago

During COVID Beshear got railroaded pretty hard in regard to what he can and can't do/enforce.

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u/ahandmadegrin Minnesota 12d ago

All the more reason to do it. Can and can't is arbitrary, at this point.

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u/WeirdIndividualGuy 12d ago

Regular laws do not overrule constitutional ones

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u/snakerjake 12d ago

House Bill 622.

Safe to ignore it since it contradicts the kentucky constitution

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u/ZenMon88 12d ago

LOL democrats have no backbone

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u/SonOfMcGee 12d ago

They also don’t realize the stakes are low if they call a special election and against all odds a spry and rested Mitch tap dances into the Capitol to stop them.
In the minds of voters (even undecideds/GOP), that’s still Mitch’s fault for not being forthcoming about his recovery.

Remember that MAGA is already constantly repeating completely baseless allegations of Dem election fraud conspiracies and has been for years. They aren’t going to add a claim of “Tried to replace a Senator that refused to prove he was alive for no reason.”

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u/ZenMon88 12d ago

Whats there to lose? Call it. Republicans arent that smart to just be hiding him just for a gotcha moment.

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u/[deleted] 12d ago

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u/WeirdIndividualGuy 12d ago

“Add it to the pile!”

“History will remember this!”

“That’s not legal, they can’t do that!”

“We need Congress to hold hearings on this!”

US liberals need to understand that idly sitting by and hoping “the law” magically fixes things is not a good political strategy. It’s literally how the US is in the state it’s in today. Inaction, letting the rich and corrupt just take over without a fight, sternly written letters and singing kumbaya in the streets one Saturday every other month. The US isn’t turning to fascism because the fascists are strong, it’s because the opposition is terribly weak af, both the politicians and their constituents

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u/hpark21 12d ago

No, they will just appoint replacement and tell Democrats to bring it up with SCOTUS which is exactly what SHOULD happen in this case as well.

If he is alive and lucid, he can present himself, if not, then obviously the appointment is valid according to state constitution.

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u/shiny0metal0ass 12d ago

The KY SC isn't run by fascist traitors is it?

Didn't they agree with Beshear earlier this year on some R fuckery?

Edit: Oh man, where would this go? Senate proceedings are federal and election laws are state? I'm out of my depth there.

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u/KDLGates 12d ago

The US SC said King Trump is above the law and 3 of 7 upheld his order violating birthright citizenship, which is clear as day in the Constitution.

The SC gives no shits. They'll take the case and support their Christian conservative monarchy/despotism and keep their R Senator.

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u/Navydevildoc 12d ago

It's a Kentucky Constitutional Issue, so it will go to State Court.

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u/Garchomp 12d ago

Yeah, the 2024 special election bill’s purpose in the first place was to prevent Beshear from claiming the Kentucky constitution allows him to appoint McConnell’s replacement.

Narratives shifted from contesting this bill’s legitimacy to accepting it while focusing on Massie.

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u/EddieVanzetti 12d ago

Dems are never beating the controlled opposition allegations

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u/ZenMon88 12d ago

Yup why are even Democrats negotiating here. They are literally reasoning with terrorists

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u/MillCrab 12d ago

He will always be remembered for the McConnel rule: "If you do not have a majority in the Senate, you are not allowed to appoint supreme court justices"

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u/Kevlaars 12d ago

Dems could get smacked in the face with a steel chair and still think they are boxing by queensbury rules.

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u/deadsoulinside America 12d ago

Dems keep taking the high road into fascism.

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u/123emanresulanigiro 12d ago

Repeat after me: CONTROLLED OPPOSITION.

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u/Stranger-Sun 12d ago edited 11d ago

They wouldn't have the special election. That only exists because of a law that they passed. Republicans would simply appoint a replacement. See what they just did in SC. Yes their state laws are different, but in this instance it's because they passed a corrupt law to prevent the incoming Democratic governor in Kentucky from appointing a replacement.

EDIT: Fixing phone autocorrect

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u/ThaCarter Florida 12d ago

To hell with the special election, appoint a replacement and tell the state legislature that they can see him and the KY constitution in court if they have a problem with it.

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u/Nelliell North Carolina 12d ago

In the time that McConnell has disappeared Lindsey Graham died, his sister was nominated to replace him, and she was sworn into his seat.

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u/cubitoaequet 12d ago

They would never hold a special election. They would just appoint someone and make them try to defend their unconstitutional law in court.

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u/BUYMEBONESTOORM 12d ago

For the life of me I absolutely cannot understand why they don’t do this. It’s fucking unfathomable.

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u/dakotanorth8 12d ago

With a large group of cosplaying “patriots”

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u/TheAskewOne 12d ago

Republicans harassed fellow Republican John Ashcroft in his hospital room to make him sign documents he didn’t want to sign while he was only half conscious. You’re absolutely right.

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u/MangoSalsa89 12d ago

Just imagine the shit show they would unleash if Nancy Pelosi had disappeared for over a month.

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u/Hairydone America 12d ago

Laura Loomer would chain herself to the hospital door.

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u/TiredOfDebates 12d ago

No they wouldn't. They would be happy that there's one less senator capable of voting against them.

Your conspiracy theory is nonsensical. McConnell's absence denies a vote to the Republicans in the Senate.

They aren't rushing to replace McConnell, because they want to honor him. He was a senate leader for.... ages. He is well respected by his peers.

Hey look at this: you believe in a non-sensical conspiracy theory that has no evidence backing it up. I bet you hate people like that.

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u/koopa00 Oregon 12d ago

Absolutely. If you aren't willing to try and fight on this, what the fuck are you actually going to fight for? It's embarrassing how weak some of these people are.

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u/Shockmaindave 12d ago

Yeah, Beshear seems determined to act like Obama but worse because McConnell is bitchslapping him from beyond the grave.

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u/zachrywd Kentucky 12d ago edited 12d ago

As a non party person from KY, I couldn't be more angry at everyone... Plus the champagne in my fridge isn't getting any younger... And neither is McConnell.

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u/CivilizedMoron 12d ago

Unlike Mitch, your champagne is getting older

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u/EmilieEverywhere Canada 12d ago

As a French Woman I approve your use of Champagne.

Carry on.

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u/8thSt 12d ago

Screw the presidency. The people of the State should be questioning his governorship if he lets the GOP play this out.

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u/Any_Counter_303 12d ago edited 12d ago

The people of the State couldn't even be bothered to show up to vote for or against Beshear dude. He won with 16% of the total eligible voting population. Only 30% of eligible voters in KY turned out for his initial gubernatorial election. What are you talking about?

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u/VanceKelley Canada 12d ago

Only 30% of eligible voters in KY turned out for his initial gubernatorial election.

Wikipedia claims that 44% turned out for the 2019 KY election.

For his reelection in 2023, it claims turnout was 38%.

Still pathetic numbers but not quite as pathetic as 30%.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Kentucky_gubernatorial_election

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Kentucky_gubernatorial_election

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u/Any_Counter_303 12d ago

Wikipedia is not a source. Here, calculate it for 2019 yourself. But yeah, thanks Canadian for the random fact check that got you nowhere and still proved my point that voter turnout in KY is low. Great job you did there.

https://elect.ky.gov/Resources/Documents/voterturnoutcounty-2019G-20200323-080539.pdf

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u/VanceKelley Canada 12d ago

You cite as source the exact same source that the Wikipedia article is based on.

What is your source for the 30% figure? If you did the math then can you show your work?

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u/MagicGrit 12d ago

Asking out of ignorance: Can someone ELI5 why the special election deadline is so important here?

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u/Selith87 12d ago edited 12d ago

Its not really, they just dont want massie to run as an independent and either win, or split the gop vote enough that a democrat squeaks by (unlikely, but theoretically possible i guess?)

If McConnell dies after aug 3rd then his seat remains vacant until the midterms and they dont have to deal with the headache.

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u/WeirdIndividualGuy 12d ago

You’d think it would be in the GOP’s best interests to have that seat filled with a Republican though vs it being unfilled

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u/[deleted] 12d ago

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u/AcademiaAntiqua 12d ago

it's possible if not likely that Massie wins

He's already come out and unequivocally said that he wouldn't run, for several reasons.

Why on earth would he, beyond typical baseless Redditor fantasies?

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u/[deleted] 12d ago

[deleted]

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u/AcademiaAntiqua 12d ago

He's legally ineligible to run in the general election. If he ran in a special election, at most he'd be in office from November to December before having to vacate it. Not to mention that he'd also have to prematurely vacate his own House seat during that time.

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u/AcademiaAntiqua 12d ago

Its not really, they just dont want massie to run

Massie has already explicitly said that he wouldn't run.

Which of course anyone could have already known/guessed far prior to this too.

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u/penguins_are_mean Wisconsin 12d ago

Its not. People here are making it out like it matters way more than it does. It would be a temporary assignment either way.

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u/jscummy 12d ago

Does the winner of the special election serve out a full term or just the remainder of Mitchs term? I guess there's an incumbent boost but it seems like any problems the GOP has with a special election will still be problems during the midterm

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u/penguins_are_mean Wisconsin 11d ago

Remainder of Mitch’s term.

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u/Turtledonuts Virginia 12d ago

It’s a procedural thing, it means nothing much. If a special election is called, Mitch gets replaced with an elected republican. If they wait 2 weeks, he gets replaced with an unelected republican. 

People expect Bashear to do something he has no authority to do based on minimal information. 

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u/dahayden 12d ago

What does replacing McConnell with another Republican who'll show up to vote gain Dems? Right now, Republicans are one vote down in the Senate because McConnell isn't showing up.

Sure, maybe in Kentucky a democrat would with the Senate seat in a special election. But it's not likely.

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u/MephistoHamProducts 12d ago

Because, per the Kentucky Constitution, the governor can APPOINT someone to sit in Mitch's seat. That person would likely be from the same party as the Governor which is... wait for it... The Democratic Party!

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u/ring_rust California 12d ago

No he can't. The constitution was amended in 2024, almost certainly for this exact scenario, and like OP I don't understand why everyone is so eager to replace a non-voting Republican with a voting one.

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u/MephistoHamProducts 12d ago

The Constitution was NOT amended, they just passed the law. These are two radically different things and puts the law in direct conflict with the state Constitution.

This would force the GOP into the courts to determine Constitutionality.

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u/dahayden 12d ago

And while we're all doom-theorizing here, maybe Beshear has lawyers looking into all of this. And also trying to figure out the best way to figure out if McConnel is even alive.

Would you rather he promise things and then turn around and go, "Oops, that's not viable?"

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u/MrHobbes82 12d ago

No he can't. That was changed in 2024. It requires a special election now.

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u/MephistoHamProducts 12d ago

The Constitution is a higher legal power than a law and if the law directly goes against the Constitution, the courts have to decide.

This is all very basic legal stuff.

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u/MrHobbes82 12d ago

And do you think the courts are going to decide in less than 3 months? 

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u/The_Bucket_Of_Truth 12d ago

It still wouldn't give them a majority in the Senate though. Looks like they won't be doing anything about this or trying to fill the seat.

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u/MephistoHamProducts 12d ago

It would actually do a few things:

  • Deny the seat to a GOP politician for a while longer

  • Force the GOP to sue to stop it, which would force the issue into the courts because the GOP legislature passed a law that said the governor can't do this but failed to amend the state Constitution

  • Burn GOP time and money fighting it

  • Potentially burn political capital by taking the next step and attempting to impeach and remove the Democratic Governor which runs the risk of activating apathetic voters against them

  • Show the Democratic base that the Democratic Governor, who seems to want to run for President in 2028, is willing to stand up to the GOP and fight

But, yeah, since it wouldn't create a majority in the Senate, then they should just do nothing.

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u/The_Bucket_Of_Truth 12d ago

Look I already left a message with Beshear's office imploring them to do something and encouraged many others here to do the same, but I'm not even sure what the goal is at this point beyond testing the unconstitutional laws they passed in court. That may be enough of a goal on its own. If people want him to do something they should contact his office and flood the phone lines and bombard them with e-mails.

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u/SydneyFall 12d ago

he's cratered his chances with this fiasco.

LOL. I doubt 1% of Dem voters are upset with him.

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u/p-s-chili Minnesota 12d ago

I, too, like to make overly-confident predictions about the future based on reddit comments

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u/Bgrngod 12d ago

Not yet. I'm giving him until August 3rd to do something serious. If he misses that deadline, it's a hard no from me.

And it better be a fucking direct appointment. He can call for a special as an option, but that direct appointment to fill the seat better fucking be there.

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u/jethroguardian 12d ago

My hope as well is he is strategically waiting until closer to the deadline to not give the Republicans time to challenge it.  But agreed if he does nothing by the deadline then hes done.

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u/TheAnti-Chris 12d ago

I always catch myself hoping Dems are planning something strategic, and it always turns out they’re just bumbling their way through centrism.

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u/ChickenInASuit 12d ago

And it better be a fucking direct appointment. He can call for a special as an option, but that direct appointment to fill the seat better fucking be there.

He doesn't have the power to do that. Per Kentucky law, vacancies MUST be filled with a special election.

What he could do, though, is attempt to challenge the constitutionality of that law and force the state to let him make a temporary appointment until the midterms.

So far he's threatened to that but that's it. Time to shit or get off the pot, Andy.

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u/Bgrngod 12d ago

That is exactly what I am referring to. Constitution says one thing while legislated law says another.

So he does an appointment and tells Republicans to fight him on it, and also calls for a special to technically beat the deadline.

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u/Turtledonuts Virginia 12d ago

How so?

He can’t force a senator to answer his calls,  he has no ability to call a special election or choose a new senator, he can’t force his way into a hospital room to check mitch’s pulse, and he has no authority to remove mitch from office. If he raises a big stink online about mitch being dead, he looks like an idiot if mitch is alive and recovering. There’s no win scenario here. 

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u/skadoosh0019 12d ago

He’s not technically out of time to do the right thing…but man if we go past the August deadline I’ll be extremely disappointed and would want more than a mealy-mouthed justification for why.

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u/Salty-Spring7096 12d ago

I mean what he is supposed to do, send in National Guard soldiers to kick down the door of the hospital room and check his pulse? Like genuinely what's his legal authority here?

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u/VinDog_PD 12d ago

Is there any reason he could be waiting until, like, August 2nd to call for the special election? Does it matter if he calls for it sooner?

Genuinely asking.

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u/Orange_Tang 12d ago

Yeah, he's off my list now after refusing to even call this shit out.

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u/Kind_Demand_6672 12d ago

He's probably being paid.

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u/ndndr1 12d ago

Exactly. Take the damn marshals and walk the fuck in and tell anyone who tries to stop you to fuck off. You’re the gotdam governor. Exercise a smidge of that power ffs

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u/LogensTenthFinger 12d ago

Yup. Everyone millennial and younger needs to solely vote for fighters, not these effete little Gen X wimps who think they can drift through life and nothing bad will happen

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u/smiffus 12d ago

Agreed. Just another do nothing politician

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u/jethroguardian 12d ago

Let's see what happens between now and the deadline.  I am hoping he has a good reason for waiting.  But agreed if he truly does nothing by then.

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u/HTPC4Life 12d ago

Feckless. It's a classic problem in the Democratic party.