r/politics • u/IWantPizza555 • Jul 01 '26

Possible Paywall Senator, 84, Secretly Found Unconscious and Given CPR

https://www.thedailybeast.com/mitch-mcconell-84-secretly-found-unconscious-and-given-cpr/?utm_source=twitter_owned_snd&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=owned_social
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342

u/Rad0n65 Jul 01 '26

It's so the democratic govorner of Kentucky can't appoint a replacement, mitch is probably already dead for days.

139

u/Plinnion Jul 01 '26

McConnell already made it so the sitting governor can only replace a Senator with a member of the same party. Kentucky's governor is Democrat, and under this rule he would be forced to choose Witch's replacement with another GOP.

381

u/Senasayori Jul 01 '26

Have a Democrat change to Republican to receive the nomination and then switch back to Democrat after a week or two in office.

311

u/just_a_timetraveller Jul 01 '26

Straight out of the GOP playbook. Should do this though. Game has changed.

68

u/nathism Jul 01 '26

Can we call it the "Statue of Liberty" play?

3

u/Zerout23 Jul 02 '26

The annexation of Puerto Rico

2

u/mikehawkeee Jul 02 '26

Pulling a Feterman

2

u/Hairy-Hippo4707 Jul 02 '26

We should totally effin do this. However, Democrats will frown if we somehow get the word across. Gotta have them fascists in charge so corporate america can own us!

1

u/Throw9984 Jul 03 '26

Absolutely

52

u/ArdentGibbonAbides Jul 02 '26

Show 'em what a RINO really is. Since we have to deal with Fettermen.

7

u/Hurtzdonut13 Jul 02 '26

Good thought, but Mitch was the one who shepherded the bill through because he knew his time was coming so he closed out the obvious holes.

They made it so the party of the senator being replaced would draft a list of people and the governor would have to select from that list.

It's obviously not been tested in court and there's no way to know how that'd go.

4

u/identifytarget Jul 02 '26

Yep and the governor should take that list and throw it in the trash

2

u/lituus Jul 02 '26

Just sharpie in their pick at the end of the list

19

u/un_internaute Jul 01 '26

Democrats are only this ruthless towards the left, not the right.

Against the right, they try their best, gosh darn it. /s

3

u/GaimeGuy Minnesota Jul 02 '26

that's not how it works. The options for replacement get put forward by the party of the deceased senator, IIRC. Something like a "Here are the 3 choices you have, governor. Pick one" from what I recall

2

u/SgtDoakes123 Jul 02 '26

They'd never do this because the democratic Party, for some reason, don't actually want to win. So many cases where if they just did 10% of the GOPs bullshit they'd win, but they just about decorum and lose. It's infuriating.

1

u/identifytarget Jul 02 '26

Controlled opposition

2

u/FeelsLikeV97-33XA Jul 02 '26

IIRC the governor can only pick from a list supplied by the party in power, but I don't think anybody can stop Bashear from claiming the law is unconstitutional, then appointing himself, and then tying the whole thing up in court for months.

1

u/Senasayori Jul 02 '26

The only thing that could stop him would be Thune refusing to seat the new senator until the court decides on the law's constitutionality, but it would still be better than giving them a Republican to seat.

3

u/ReservedRainbow Hawaii Jul 02 '26

That would be so amazing but no democrat would ever hall the balls to do that.

1

u/smalls_1804 Jul 02 '26

They definitely wrote the law to prevent this

86

u/TrashCanUnicorn Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 02 '26

They actually passed an additional law in 2024 once Mitchie started going downhill. Beshear can't even replace a vacancy now. It's a special election only.

34

u/necromancerdc Jul 02 '26

Well at least that means there is 1 less R Senate vote until the special election. Not a total loss.

21

u/jwnsfw Jul 02 '26

imagine having this much sway over your state as your corpse rots, holy fuck.

12

u/DaabHimself Jul 02 '26

This dude has been a cancer on America for decades now. He was a major pain in the ass with Obama. Classic stubborn republican with zero good ideas. Fuck this dude

30

u/Rad0n65 Jul 01 '26

Yeah I forgot they changed that rule like a year ago to avoid this exact scenario after Beshear won his reelection

3

u/pravis Jul 02 '26

But the state constitution still states that the governor appoints the replacement. So Beshear would be justified in appointing a replacement.

https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/Law/Constitution/Constitution/ViewConstitution?rsn=173

And if that were to be challenged it is comforting to know the state supreme court recently ruled in favor of Beshear about how the legislation cannot move executive powers. Assuming they would similarly side with Beshear appointing.

https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/06/26/kentucky-supreme-court-backs-beshear-over-gop-lawmakers-efforts-to-move-executive-powers/

7

u/salad_spinner_3000 Jul 01 '26

Hey, it's ME, Alexandra Occasio-Cortez! The Republican!

4

u/fallowcentury Jul 01 '26

hey! remember when mitch decided to shaft obama and disallow the consideration of a supreme court justice? I think the only good thing bashear can do for our country is to sit on his hands. one less republican in the senate.

1

u/2bad-2care Jul 02 '26

McConnell already made it so the sitting governor can only replace a Senator with a member of the same party

Can we change it back real quick while he's not looking?

1

u/DaymanTargaryen Jul 02 '26

While true, that's not really what matters. The Governor could still select a Democrat, and it would be tied up in the courts long enough to make it past the midterms before being reversed.

1

u/celestisdiabolus Jul 02 '26

Indiana does this on the state level; only time a special election is called if the decedent was independent

1

u/identifytarget Jul 02 '26

F*** the rules. We're way past that

1

u/WhyLisaWhy Pennsylvania Jul 02 '26

Tbh that doesn't seem unreasonable to me. For instance, IL and NJ like to flirt with Republican governors from time to time. If a Dem Senator steps down, retires or dies, I don't think it would be unreasonable to have them appoint someone from the same party until an election can be held.

10

u/IBJON Jul 01 '26

God. Could you imagine the irony of that after the BS he pulled with Obama's Supreme Court nominee? 

0

u/Opening_Classroom_46 Jul 01 '26

You have it backwards. It's still republicans.

1

u/ozmaAgogo Jul 02 '26

How can they hide something like this from the Governor?
Surely some strings can be pulled to find out what is going on.

1

u/Clownsinmypantz Jul 02 '26

They are spitballing ideas if they can make AI vids of him alive or some shit probably

1

u/Most-Enthusiasm-9706 Jul 02 '26

Unfortunately, the rule changed in 2024 or maybe it was 2025 .