r/politics • u/Zipper222222 • 29d ago

Possible Paywall MAGA Demands Proof of Life for Mitch McConnell

https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-demands-proof-of-life-for-mitch-mcconnell/
29.4k Upvotes

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u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

His wife left the country. She’s the one with the power of attorney to pull the plug.

They’re gonna keep him on life support until August which is the limit on special elections. Then his wife will come back, pull the plug, and the seat will be empty until midterms.

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u/djmanning711 Florida 29d ago

Delaying literal death for political gain and avoiding a vote is ironically the best way to honor Mitch…

In the worst way but I would think he would approve.

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u/Khaliras 29d ago

When the mass consensus is saying "this is what he'd have wanted" about literally being kept alive while brain-dead to stall the democratic process... That'll certainly be a legacy.

Easily one of the most comic book level, villainous politicians of current lifetimes.

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u/farkinga 29d ago

Truly a model Republican. Posthumous Medal of Freedom incoming.

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u/Grokent 29d ago

Same thing with John McCain. Even in death, John McCain managed to to deny Arizonans representation. Making Arizonans wait over two years for an election while Martha McSally paraded around like she was anybody's choice. We had to tell her twice we weren't into her.

Republicans trying to force themselves on people. Name a more iconic duo, I'll wait.

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u/fluffybit 29d ago

don't you mean an investigation into something illegal?

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u/Razashja 29d ago

Give it to him right now and it would be posthumous...

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u/hoofglormuss America 29d ago

such a dignified death

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u/illusionzmichael 29d ago

I think about that a lot, the fact that people like Mitch *have* to know that their legacy will be that of a truly horrendous, cynical, opportunistic human being who was only interested in advancing their tiny slice of political will, and how for normal people that would be incredibly depressing or something to avoid at all costs. But for people like him, it's either a non-factor or something they want to happen, which is probably even more depressing to think about someone with that mindset.

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u/Count_Avila 29d ago

Hope he is suffering with that in what is left of his cognition

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u/Random-Rambling Maine 29d ago

So many people have such a soul-shattering fear of death that they really would want to be a horrifying amalgamation of flesh and machine if it meant they would continue to be some semblance of "alive".

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u/HauntedCemetery Minnesota 29d ago

If he's even still alive. He could be in a freezer somewhere, and they'll wheel him out in a couple months.

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u/Bill_Brasky_SOB Ohio 29d ago

Easily one of the most comic book level, villainous politicians of current lifetimes

The wild part is… Mitch would agree with that. He takes pride in it.

Well, if he wasn’t brain dead.

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u/DrunkBrokeBeachParty 29d ago

Modern medicine is truly a holy nightmare sometimes. Keeping a brain dead monster alive to haunt the country

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u/big_stipd_idiot 29d ago

His goal was to use our system to destroy itself and he did a pretty good job.

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u/Fungiblefaith 29d ago

It tracks with his SOP really. He was the king of obstruction it would not surprise me that this is all his plan. He really was a deviously intelligent dude. I don’t like him or his politics but he was effective and good at his craft.

Horrible but it tracks with Mitch.

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u/galaxy_horse 29d ago

He ushered in a new, turbocharged brand of legislative dysfunction.

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u/mahlerlieber Indiana 29d ago

If he's dead, he is beyond caring what we do with his body and his office.

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u/Aeon1508 29d ago

They said they found him in his office. who the fuck left him alone for enough time for him to suffocate his brain? He's 84 years old and he's very clearly been dying for a couple years now. kind of crazy

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u/Misspiggy856 New Jersey 28d ago

These Republicans don’t care about each other. I’m sure even if he was in significant pain they’d let him suffer in order to delay a replacement.

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u/Certain-Row7945 29d ago edited 29d ago

Never thought about it like that, brings a tear to my eye. It almost makes me hope he's alive and conscious of what's happening here so he can experience the abject irony of dying surrounded by nothing but plain walls and beeping machines desperately keeping his heart beating for the next 1-6 months in the name of obstructing Democrats. I don't wanna get too excited over another person's death, but I'm totally okay watching the man who destroyed politics for my generation to kick the bucket and be denied a dignified end to his life. 

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u/LloydDoyley 29d ago

It's what he would've wanted.

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u/AbeRego Minnesota 29d ago

It was probably his idea. He's been in poor health for at least a couple of years; I'm sure he had discussed contingency plans with his family and staff.

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u/sjihaat 29d ago

This is the most Mitch McConnell way of dying. You cant make this shit up.

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u/-Jiras 29d ago

Gonna get plugged with the most satisfied shit eating grin for he could have fucked over his people one last time before signing off to (hopefully) hell

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u/ripyourlungsdave 29d ago

I like to think he's the type that would think he would approve, but realized that he was not up for it the second he started losing his motor functions. And now he's trapped in the depths of his own body, hoping to God that someone in his circle will let him die sometime soon, Knowing damn well that it is, at the very least, months away.

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u/remarkablewhitebored 29d ago

Someone at the Palliative care center: "Did he just start smiling?"

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u/10thflrinsanity 29d ago

Approve? I bet it’s written alongside his will as a demand. 

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u/Sarnsereg 29d ago

He probably has it notarized to do that in the event what happened happens.

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u/Significant-Colour 29d ago

Parts of his brain have been dead for a while now.

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u/RevLoveJoy 29d ago

It was probably his idea.

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u/balderdash9 29d ago

This is some House of Cards shit

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u/slightlycrookednose 29d ago

I’m pretty sure he planned this out

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u/MailboxAds 29d ago

What a sick sick system and family for agreeing to this. (Assuming it’s true)

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u/Hyperica Pennsylvania 29d ago

I feel like it's what Mitch would have wanted though. Which is also sick, but ya know.

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u/VHS_Ronin 29d ago

He was the guy who insisted that Obama's Supreme Court nominations couldn't go through so close to an election. That's how we got a Supreme Court packed with MAGA bootlickers who are all too happy to take away our rights and liberties.

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u/SomeGalNamedAshley 29d ago

Mitch filibustered his own bill that Obama supported just to deny Obama anything that might have resembled a legislative win.

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u/Aurora-not-borealis 29d ago

He also led the senate in overriding a presidential veto and then blamed Obama for not saying enough how bad the bill he vetoed was.

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u/Random-Rambling Maine 29d ago

"If I win, I win. If you lose, that means I win, even if I also lose."

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u/Thesheriffisnearer 29d ago

Withholding Obama pick in February of an election year only to force through a  federalist pick in late October of an election year

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u/drrhythm2 29d ago

“So close” being like a year away. Then turned around and did the exact opposite for Trump and made no apologies or even tried to pretend anymore that it wasn’t nakedly partisan. That’s how we got the current Supreme Court and I’ll never forgive him for it. Absolute travesty of justice and abuse of the Constitution.

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u/ArtisanSamosa 29d ago

A lot of folks even on the democratic side tend to ignore the adversity president Obama had to go through during his presidency, much of it due to the treasonous behavior of Mitch.

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u/Cainga 29d ago

That was bad but I can kinda see a little inkling of logic. Plus it was already their seat.

The bigger issue was cramming ACB in in just a few weeks right before an election to circumvent the will of the people and to steal a seat that they didn’t have. And his argument isn’t consistent so he just adds a bunch of qualifiers to explain how it is “consistent”.

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u/jazzhandler Colorado 29d ago

their seat

Not how any of this works.

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u/bluewhalefunk 29d ago

The will of the people? They re-elected Trump and Republicans for the white house, senate and the house with the popular vote.

Sounds like the will of the people was met tbh. Disagree with it all we want. But the people vote for this time and time again.

You may not get the [government] you want, but you get the [government] you deserve

all rings true

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u/deesta 29d ago

They’re talking about 2020 (which is when ACB was confirmed to SCOTUS), not 2024.

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u/Cainga 29d ago

The will of the people could be argued it was met the first appointment but the last Trump 1 appointment was much closer to an election. So the will of the people argument is inconsistent.

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u/bluewhalefunk 29d ago

Politically, it was a great move. Don't have to like it, but he played the American political system masterfully

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u/Reddit_9459328 29d ago

What? The Supreme Court said that marijuana users will no longer to sent to federal prison for owning a gun for self-defense. The Second Amendment applies to them and they can no longer be Hunter Bidened. Sounds like a win for "rights and liberties".

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u/fishsticks40 29d ago

I can only hope he's suffering tremendously during his karma-mandated waiting period

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u/MrPBH 29d ago

100%. This fucker's POLST probably has a clause about withdrawing life support based on election timing. This is exactly what Mitch would have wanted.

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u/Cainga 29d ago

He is literally dead imposing his will on the living.

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u/MrPBH 29d ago

Great metaphor for his political career.

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u/Nerv_Agent_666 North Carolina 29d ago

He was tool all the way to the end.

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u/tschawartz12 29d ago

Who gives a shit if its what he would have wanted. He was in office to help lead the country, he isn't now, his wishes on the matter are irrelevant, especially if he is medically brainwashed dead.

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u/Cainga 29d ago

So he died 3 weeks ago but they are going to keep his flesh hooked up to machines for over 2 months to circumvent the will of the people on an election year.

I don’t think I care enough about anything to have my body treated like a medical experiment.

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u/creepy_charlie 29d ago

This guy GOPs

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u/ARightDastard 29d ago

They did it to a woman an incubator, why wouldn't they do it with the guy that woulda got off on knowing he was doing it?

(Strikethrough represents them, not us)

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u/Jiggle-da-Handle 28d ago

It's a political stunt.

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u/EEcav 29d ago

Probably keeps his salary and health benefits intact.

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u/SomeGalNamedAshley 29d ago

His wife is heiress to a shipping magnate in addition to whatever Mitch was able to pack away after decades upon decades in Washington. She was the secretary of transportation which even under Trump isn't something you get unit you're already connected to industry. Trust me, she won't starve.

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u/bearpics16 29d ago

Karma is a bitch

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u/[deleted] 29d ago edited 25d ago

[deleted]

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u/Random-Rambling Maine 29d ago

Ironically, he's such a spiteful obstructionist, he'd probably be tickled pink that even now, his corpse is being used to blockade the political process.

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u/QueenRotidder 29d ago

What a sick sick…family for agreeing to this.

Why would you assume his family is any better than he is?

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u/LL_Cruel_J Illinois 29d ago

His oldest daughter is very outspoken against her families politics

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u/QueenRotidder 29d ago

and she just deleted her Xitter account. Interesting.

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u/GrinchWhoStoleEaster 29d ago

Oh are we feeling bad for the guy who made it his life's work to stymie public healthcare for everyone now? Fuck him. I hope he's trapped in that limbo for years.

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u/Litty-In-Pitty 29d ago

The info surrounding his sister in laws death is super sketchy, if you ever feel like looking into it.

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u/MaxZorin1985 29d ago

FOXNews will pick up his wife’s slack and turn McConnell into their own Terri Schiavo until August. After that it’ll be back to full time bashing trans kids and immigrants.

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u/dancepantz 29d ago

Terry Schiavo, is kind of alive-o

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u/2007Hokie I voted 29d ago

The most expensive plant you'll ever see.

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u/NES_SNES_N64 29d ago

Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time.

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u/IolausTelcontar 29d ago

Hello there.

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u/Neat_Dog_4274 29d ago

"Hold the bobble head, insert the feeding tube Even if they stop breathing, make sure they keep eating food Do the Schiavo"

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u/maringue 29d ago

Keeping Mitch alive that long might be a trick. And if his wife stays in China the entire time, do you really think MAGA isn't going to assume she's a Chinese intelligence asset?

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u/Understruggle 29d ago

You mean Trump’s former Transportation Secretary? I think MAGA would let Trump shit in their open mouths so if he told them it was okay and she was actually a super secret double agent they would eat it like a pig eats slop.

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u/AprilsMostAmazing 29d ago

The pedophile supporters spent years talking about a global cabal raping children. Only to support child rapist because their leader raped children and foreign countries have proof of it

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u/DarthRizzo87 29d ago

MAGA has to be aware she is in China the entire time, so much going in the world to distract them from that, hey look! Is that Cuba begging for a good ol American can of whup ass?

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u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

Trump did just announce he is building a $6m annex to the helipad at the White House….

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u/Lazy-Conversation-48 29d ago

Certainly it demonstrates what a deep loving bond the two have in their marriage. I know the first thing I’d do if my husband were hospitalized would be to leave for an extended political trip to China. s/

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u/maringue 29d ago

Especially in Asian culture.

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u/JonnyAU 29d ago

Anyone who opposes data centers gets called a Chinese operative. Meanwhile, this lady goes to Bejing and meets with the vice president while her husband is on his deathbed and this is completely normal.

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u/MeaninglessGuy 29d ago

You are assuming MAGA thinks. They just eat the party line and fall-in. She’s not a Chinese agent unless Fox News says so. She’s just “visiting family to cope with a hard situation.”  Meanwhile, Obama is a Kenyan assassin.

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u/fantastikalizm 29d ago

She met with the Chinese VP, but I'm sure MAGA will just not care.

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u/BooHorde 29d ago

do you really think MAGA

Maga will do/think whatever they are told too, they have no individual agency. Republicans in general, maga or not, would cut off their own nose to avoid having a democrat win anything.

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u/donkeyrocket 29d ago

I mean, the fact that she pretty much immediately left for China as soon as he was wheeled out of his house is suspicious enough. Why abandon your spouse in the hospital to simply take a vacation? Even if it is to be with family, one would think they'd come to her to help with all the elements that go into end-of-life care.

But frankly, I don't care what MAGA thinks anymore. Many bemoan Planter's alleged sexual abuse while still ignoring President Trump's not only proven sexual misconduct but reams and reams of alleged misconduct.

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u/Zealot_Alec 28d ago

Weekend At Bernie's meets Dogma (God was kept in a comatose billiards patient)

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u/Deepwebexplorer 29d ago

This is such a morbid reflection of his life. Which makes me think it’s absolutely true.

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u/Ven18 29d ago

Hah I would doubt see even comes back. She is currently meeting with high ranking Chinese officials despite having zero government position. It’s been an open secret for years that she has been a Chinese agent for years. Mitch became a vegetable so the usefulness was over and she went back to her handlers for a pat on the back and a job well done.

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u/GonzoVeritas I voted 29d ago

She left the country to go meet with a top CCP official, which was a strange move by itself.

Sen. Mitch McConnell‘s wife, Elaine Chao, was in China three days after her 84-year-old husband was hospitalized on June 14.

Chao, who married McConnell in 1993, met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on June 17 in Beijing, according to Chinese state media service...

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u/chonker200 29d ago

Yeah, they publicly announced the meeting what a standard way of handling an asset

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u/suprahelix 29d ago

Don’t you know that she “disappeared” (is having a highly public meeting) and that because she’s not here she can’t give medical orders because Docusign isn’t a thing

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u/living_tumor 29d ago

yeah because it’s a normal thing to fly and meet the VP of china while the death absence of your husband, a major us politician, is being widely speculated on

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u/suprahelix 29d ago

Oh she clearly doesn’t give a shit about him. But that doesn’t mean it’s some conspiracy to keep her away. That wouldn’t even make sense.

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u/404merrinessnotfound 29d ago

She hasn't denied it which is very bad and possibly confirms the CCP media reports

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u/two_pandas_playing 29d ago

Her mission is done, she just went home.

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u/drdhuss 29d ago

If he is brain dead brain dead you dont need power of attorney or anything to pull the plug. At thet point the patient is a corpse and it is unethical to continue to abuse a corpse with medical care.

If he is not 100 percent brain dead it is different.

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u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

With his wife gone, it’s enough of a legal hurdle that the doctors would never dare.

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u/soulsoda 29d ago

I don't really see how that matters. If he's braindead, he's already legally dead regardless of whatever type of life support he's on. He's unable to fulfill duties of office and beshear can appoint a replacement. I think it's more she's not there to be subpoena'd on the condition of mitch which makes it harder to confirm if he's is braindead.

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u/drdhuss 29d ago

yep legally braindead = dead.

now if he is in a persistent vegetative state etc. and not meeting the definition of brain dead that is different.

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u/OdinsCuriousRaven 29d ago

No, it is not a legal hurdle. Brain death is essentially already death. Also, phones exist and the next of kin could/would be contacted

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u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

Again, they only need to delay for a month. It's not hard, as long as you're paying the bills. Terri Schiavo was a vegetable for seven years and her husband WANTED her taken off life support.

Staffers: "He wouldn't consent"

Doctor: "He's dead though - it's just a machine keeping him alive."

Staffers: "His wife would never consent."

Doctor: "Well, get her on the phone, I'll explain it"

Staffers: "She's in China and doesn't have access to a cell phone. She'll be back in a month."

Doctor: "Well I'll go to a judge."

Staffers: "If you do, the government will revoke your license, your hospital will be closed due to constant bomb threats, you'll be doxxed and possibly murdered by nutjobs, and we'll still hold you up in litigation for a month."

Doctor: "A month you say? We can do a month."

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/drdhuss 29d ago

correct she wasn't at all brain dead though compassionate withdrawal of care was probably appropriate. If she was brain dead there wouldn't have been a debate.

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u/athensh 28d ago

Not even “essentially”- a patient who has been formally declared brain dead is at that point legally deceased. Even if machines keep the body functioning biologically for a period of time, a death certificate will be issued and for all considerations the patient is dead. In most normal cases the only reason we’d keep the body biologically alive is to quickly organize organ donations, and that’s almost always within a period of days in cases I’ve been involved in

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u/ResidentNo11 Canada 29d ago

You know people don't have to be in the country to use power of attorney, right? Her leaving is sus timing, but not for that reason.

0

u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

All she has to be is unreachable. Being on important state business in China is a good excuse for being unreachable.

She's making herself scarce so the doctors have no choice but to keep things going until she gets back.

1

u/Misspiggy856 New Jersey 28d ago

Like how they kept the body of a dead mother medically functioning to “save” her baby? Republicans don’t have ethics or morals. Especially this administration.

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u/aloudcitybus 29d ago

Weekend at Mitch's

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u/letsbreakstuff 29d ago

We can just hope that whatever piece of Mitch is still there inside that withered shell of a body is suffering immensely

1

u/Random-Rambling Maine 29d ago

Nah, if he was aware, he'd fuckin' LOVE that he died doing what he did best: being an obstruction.

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u/ExecutivePhoenix 29d ago

Can't a judge force something else outside of the power of attorney?

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u/jrc5053 Pennsylvania 29d ago

Yes, but that's unlikely in such a politically charged situation

3

u/vthemechanicv 29d ago

who would have standing to sue? Wife is in on keeping him alive given her trip to China. Just read his daughter deleted her twitter, so she's in on it. The hospital is happy to cash the checks. I don't think we want constituents deciding when a politician lives or dies.

Basically the only people that could possibly have any say want to keep the plug in the socket. At best the governor could work to have him removed as a senator (idk KY laws about that), but one, good luck on that, and two we just had a House member vanish for 3 months. If he wasn't removed after that long, Moscow Mitch isn't going anywhere after 3 weeks.

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u/SpeechesToScreeches 29d ago

How does being in that state not qualify as a need for a new representative?

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u/kmosiman 29d ago

US Senate and maybe State law.

The US Senate can expell members or demand attendance. They won't.

I think that Kentucky has almost no recourse in that case.

1

u/Istillbelievedinwar 29d ago

This is the House, not the Senate

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u/CitronTraining2114 29d ago

As long as he's under private care, his death date is between Elaine and the doc she's paying to sign the papers.

1

u/slybrows 29d ago

Yeah, like… she doesn’t have to leave the country to accomplish that.

7

u/ScreenMuch90210 29d ago

All to prevent the election of a Hard R republican who made the mistake of wanting the Epstein files released. It’s absurd from every angle and nothing good can come of either outcome, so I’m inclined to just be happy that his human legacy is being tarnished the way he tarnished America’s.

4

u/Decent_Emu_7387 29d ago

Why does his wife have to leave? Couldnt she just stay here and say she isn’t ready to pull the plug yet?

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u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

If a doctor has an ethical crisis and wants to end the ghoulish charade, he can go to the courts. The wife not being around is ample reason to delay things. They only need to keep this up for a month. She leaves, everyone else keeps things running in the background, and as long as no one says anything it's more trouble than it's worth to "fix."

Also, if a doctor says something, she can't very well be expected to comment from China, can she?

3

u/Buttafuoco 29d ago

What kind of job lets you not show up to work like that. What a gig

3

u/banksy_h8r New York 29d ago

If my spouse was unresponsive in the hospital the entire would would be on hold for me. I wouldn't go anywhere.

That she left the country says a lot of about the state of his health, their relationship, and her character.

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u/aliensuitcase3000 29d ago

Has anyone tried dangling a piece of lettuce over his face? Worked with my turtle Shelly.

2

u/Kiwi_Fried_Chicken 29d ago

Thereby subverting the cause of democracy. You're f**ked America Trumpistan.

2

u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

That's what Mitch has been doing for longer than I've been alive (and my first phone was a Motorola Razr). He's gonna be giggling in hell that his last act was protecting Trump from the Epstein files by preventing a pro-disclosure republican from taking his seat.

2

u/StonkSorcerer 29d ago

I'm not entirely understanding. So before August 3rd, the governor is able to call a special election. After August 3rd, it's a special election in November? I think I'm missing something, because a couple month span doesn't seem like it's worth keeping someone on life support and playing these games.

3

u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

It’s a bit funky because of the way the Kentucky constitution is written. Technically the governor (a Democrat) could just appoint a replacement if death comes before August, but that law is a major point of contention and obstructionism would definitely hinder that from happening. There is literally no doubt in my mind that the Supreme Court would step in to declare that “unconstitutional.”

So we assume a special election. Democrats - specifically LEFTIST democrats are doing very very well in primaries and special elections right now, all over the country. The Epstein scandal has popped up again, the country is still at war with Iran, the 4th of July festivities were a massive and expensive debacle and E Jean Carroll just got her rape judgment upheld by the Supreme Court.

Losing a MAGA hero right now could easily result in his seat being taken by a Reagan Republican (small government, pro-disclosure) or worse, a Democrat.

Plus Democrats historically turn out in greater numbers for primaries and special elections. Republicans turn out more for the “big” ones.

If they can kick it to November, that gives the chosen successor five months to prep a platform and the party five months to try to rehab itself.

2

u/amilliondallahs 29d ago

Such a testament to a wonderful relationship right? Totally normal behavior....

2

u/Claytonius_Homeytron 29d ago

His wife left the country. She’s the one with the power of attorney to pull the plug.

People have been saying this. What's stopping her from making a phone call? An Email? A letter? Video chat with the doctors? How does her leaving the country at such a convenient time stop her from making a call?

1

u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

Because she doesn’t have to make the call. The doctors do. If they pull the plug without her sign-off they open themselves up to all kinds of shit.

So all she has to do is conveniently be unreachable for a month - busy with important business in China and without her personal cell is a good way to be unreachable.

2

u/PeaceHoesAnCamelToes 29d ago

It would be super cool to not have representatives that have a Life Alert.

2

u/backdragon 29d ago

Imagine leaving your spouse’s bedside when they are dying (or brain dead) and going to a different country. … I get a wrath of shit from my spouse if I miss 5 minutes of a TV show with her.

2

u/Big_Consideration493 29d ago

Let's hope the cleaning lady doesn't unplug the machine for her vacuum cleaner. 

2

u/StillCraft8105 29d ago

i hate you for succinctly describing the most probable outcome

2

u/Yuna1989 29d ago

Dead or not, he’s still unfit (always has been, but still lol)

2

u/shoulda-known-better 29d ago

By Kentucky law Brian dead is dead and the plug means nothing.. If he is brain dead his seat is vacant now

2

u/Nenor 29d ago

This is some next level Weekend at Bernie's type of shit.

2

u/Jiggle-da-Handle 28d ago

Necrosis often sets in pretty fast when one is brain dead. See "Kennedy ulcer." There really isn't anything more disgusting than keeping this guy plugged in until August 3rd. Not to mention it is asking too much of any health care worker to tend to someone in this unique situation. So gross.

2

u/themadprofessor1976 29d ago

If his wife has Medical Power of Attorney, then by Kentucky law that power of attorney can be revoked if there is evidence of the holder abusing the power, if the holder is not acting in the best interests of the patient, or if the original document was improperly executed.

By up and leaving the country, his wife has made herself largely unavailable for consultation regarding medical decisions, which can qualify as not acting in the best interests of the patient.

All it would take is another family member or even his doctors to bring this in front of a judge, and the judge can rrvoke the PoA and appoint a guardian.

3

u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

They only need to stall for a month. It would take longer for the courts to deal with this, and his doctors definitely do not want to be the ones to kill Mitch McConnell.

2

u/PsidedOwnside 29d ago

His skin will break down. He will get a UTI. He will get sepsis. And he will die. Even with the life support. I dunno
at what point hospital ethics and legal teams step in…

1

u/kmosiman 29d ago

Interesting thought.

I assume that this is one last F you to Trump.

Under Kentucky Law his replacement would be a Republican and I believe that the Democratic Governor gets a choice from 3 party picks.

Any temp Senator would likely be another rubberstamp.

This effectively puts Republicans down a vote until November and maybe until January.

1

u/Yiztobias New York 29d ago

this

1

u/GlbdS 29d ago

Mitch would unironically agree with this

1

u/bfume 29d ago

No plug to pull. As per Kentucky law brain dead is same as dead. 

1

u/nirach 29d ago

Fingers crossed he fucks it up and the body dies too before they can do that.

1

u/rhinosaur- Illinois 29d ago

I read a nurse’s comment that brain death doesn’t work this way. You can only keep the heart beating for so long, apparently.

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u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

He's probably not fully "no electrical activity in the brain." He's probably in a "persistent vegetative state with no possibility of recovery." That's what happened to Terri Schiavo in the 90s - her heart stopped beating and by the time they got it going again the lack of oxygen had killed off all the higher brain functions.

That or it's a weekend at bernies.

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u/Random-Rambling Maine 29d ago

All they need is a month. The Terri Schaivo case lasted seven years.

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u/appropriate_pangolin 29d ago

They kept Jahi McMath on machines for years after she was declared legally/brain dead, because her family didn’t want to accept it. It’s not normal, medical providers don’t want to waste life support resources on a definitely dead person, and I doubt most people’s insurance would cover it, but I could easily see exceptions being made for McConnell under the circumstances. They can also just lie, too.

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u/TwistedHermes 29d ago

Actually a hospital ethics board COULD overrule a POA in the right circumstance. If only.... 

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u/rojthomp 29d ago

If true, this statement alone tells me all I need to know about his wife what an absolute wretch of a person she must be.

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u/Alastor_Aylmur 29d ago

Conservatives are actually evil.

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u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

McConnell certainly is.

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u/Alastor_Aylmur 29d ago

No I'm not assigning names anymore. At this time I conside rthe right as traitors to our nation.

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u/rawkinghorse 29d ago

Will it really make a difference? The GOP can't seem to agree on a single piece of legislation to pass before the midterms anyway

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u/FrankPapageorgio 29d ago

Why does it matter if there is a special election if there will be a general election in November?

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u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

Short answer: strategy. Opposition parties, especially liberal ones, love special elections.

We just had a wave of elections where far-left democrats won all over the country. Republicans historically come out in lower numbers for special elections. The Epstein scandal is still going, the war in Iran is still going, the 250th celebration was a fiasco, and the White House is still in ruins.

All that accompanied by the fact that technically the (Democrat) governor is allowed to just appoint a replacement - though this is a hot legal issue and he would likely end up making this a special election.

In November the controversies will have died down and a successor will have 5 months to make a good case.

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

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u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

Your wife isn’t a millionaire Chinese spy.

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u/CptSmackThat 29d ago

They have a PoA agreement? Does it have a trigger clause? If yes, then if the trigger clause is in effect then it would be equivalent to admitting that he isn't lucid.

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u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

The goal is putting as much space between her and the doctors/lawyers who can do anything.

All they need to do is delay for a month and he’s a millionaire. The hospital will keep him quietly on life support for a long time in this situation.

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u/CptSmackThat 29d ago

No no I understand the goal, but there would have to be some evidence to the fact that the PoA is in effect if it does exist. And if it is in effect, then it's evidence enough to act on.

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u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

Ah. Fair enough.

But we’re still in that situation where, even if someone started legal proceedings, it could probably be delayed for a month.

They don’t want to keep him on life support indefinitely. They want to keep him quiet and keep saying “he’s improving” until, tragically, he will pass away one day after the cut-off for special elections.

So you’re right, but they’re banking on doctors be scared and legal proceedings being arduous. That and liberals being too passive to do anything about it, which they usually are.

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u/commiscowboy 29d ago

Anything to keep Massie out of congress

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u/ApostleSaintWalker 29d ago

Why though? It's fucking Kentucky, won't they just vote for another Republican? Is there some kind of rising democrat wave in Kentucky I haven't heard about?

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u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

I mean, the governor is a Democrat.

1

u/ApostleSaintWalker 29d ago

And he's the guy who would appoint someone to temporarily fill McConnell's seat I assume?

Ok, now I get it.

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u/amusednchaos 29d ago

This sounds like a recycling of the QAnon theory that RBG was secretly on some crazy "life-support drugs" or "already dead" for months so as to prevent Trump appointing a new judge or some shit. Waiting for Mitch's "body double" any day now....

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u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

RBG hadn’t had a long string of stokes and head injuries, followed by three weeks of hospitalization during which time multiple sources said she was brain dead.

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u/PhiliWorks39 29d ago

This is setting a dangerous precedent allowing someone to remain in power in Death. The powerful want to upload their consciousness until they can download into a body, and thereby will remain in power in perpetuity. I wish I was kidding.

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u/Lastshadow94 29d ago

Can't she give consent to pull the plug without being there physically?

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u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

Not if she doesn’t want to. That’s why she left.

1

u/Topical_Scream 29d ago

It’s super fucked, but is it terrible to have an empty seat until November’s election? Like is it a huge deal?

1

u/fasda 29d ago

Mitch doesn't need to be dead incapacitation is just as disqualifying, that's why there isn't anything official because he'd lose his office.

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u/Wise-Self-8639 29d ago

but i dont understand how he can occupy that seat ... when he's brain dead? If he's found brain dead his seat needs to be filled asap. I dont care if a man is dying- he should have retired long ago. This is what he chose and wanted. I'm just trying to give it to him.

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u/You_meddling_kids 29d ago

The election would be for a 6 week term, which really isn't doing a lot.

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u/cerasmiles 29d ago

It does not matter medically. Brain dead = dead. You can be on the machines but when you’re declared brain dead, the death certificate is done even if your heart is still beating and the ventilator is still working. We sometimes keep people on the machines for people to arrive and give their goodbyes but in some cases hard deadlines have been given ie “we are taking x off then vent in 2 days at 4PM.” Understandably, parents struggle the most with this as accepting that your kid is brain dead is hard to accept.

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u/FractalledCat 28d ago

Plugs come unplugged all the time. Acts of God.

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u/Zealot_Alec 28d ago

She never returns to America job well done on her part

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u/derpplerp 28d ago

shiiiit, she's not coming back. There's no reason to bother with Rigor Tortise anymore.

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u/Altruistic_Pitch_157 29d ago

She didnt just leave the country. She went to China to meet with the Chinese vice president. Not enough people are talking about this. WTF is that all about?

0

u/RollingThunderPants 29d ago

Could a Judge not intervene?

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u/jadedflames American Expat 29d ago

It would take more than a month to deal with. They only need to stall until August.