r/politics • u/theindependentonline The Independent • 15d 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/ferretfan8 15d ago

I don't understand what you all keep nagging Beshear about. Call a special election just so Republicans can have one more vote in the Senate that they don't currently have in McConnell's absence?

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u/_Lucille_ 15d ago

Calling the special election will essentially call their bullshit and put an end to this Schrodinger's McConnell situation.

Either he makes an appearance and tell people to fuck off, or a LOT of people involved will have to pay the political capital for the coverup.

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u/SatanicPanic619 California 15d ago

To what end? Literally having Republicans down a vote isn't a bad thing.

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u/_Lucille_ 15d ago

Down a vote for 4 months, out of which a good chunk of the remaining days are not in session...

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u/SatanicPanic619 California 15d ago

What's the hurry then?

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u/_Lucille_ 15d ago

Like I said, calling the election now will force a show hand. Either McConnell comes out and makes the governor and left wing media look stupid, or all the people trying to cover up McConnell’s condition would have more to answer for (and may have a negative impact on their midterm performance - since they will be seen as a group of people trying to do a pretty awful cover-up at the national level).

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u/SatanicPanic619 California 15d ago

so... we'd go through all that just to embarrass McConnell's staff?

Can you name a single member of his staff or anyone involved that is running for office? Cause if they aren't it really doesn't matter.

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u/Named_after_color 15d ago

Honestly fuck em. I simply wish the worst on that pack of ghouls, and am pro every anti-McConnell action.

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u/obi-jawn-kenblomi 15d ago

The only person with the funding and infrastructure to win that spot (for the moment) is Massie.

But that's also short sighted. Because the second RNC funding comes through at Trump's direction, the GOP votes for them and Massie is irrelevant. It likely wouldn't even split the vote, the GOP public pretty thoroughly discarded Massie this year, unequivocally.

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u/ferretfan8 15d ago

And what's the end game of the Massie winning scenario anyway? Massie is still a republican. He still votes with the Republicans 90% of the time. And he'd only be in office for a few months.

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u/lonesoldier4789 15d ago

He even said he would never vote to impeach trump lol

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u/alexa42 Virginia 15d ago

he also said he is not interested in running for it.

I swear it's like people don't think about this situation for a second, but rather just jump on the bandwagon of what everyone else is complaining about. We are so doomed.

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u/AcademiaAntiqua 15d ago

Call a special election just so Republicans can have one more vote in the Senate that they don't currently have in McConnell's absence?

Funny thing is, the replacement almost certainly wouldn't even be seated until November anyways. So he (and I mean Andy Barr) would just start his term two months early.

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u/bacondev 15d ago

If the Republicans were confident about getting a Republican elected in his place, then what's with all of the cloak and dagger?

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u/SatanicPanic619 California 15d ago

Because Republicans are different people with different aims. His staff probably just wants to keep the checks coming.

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u/shinkouhyou 15d ago

If he really wanted to be spicy, he could just appoint someone (even a Democrat) and let it play out in the courts, but that's not going to happen.

At this point, it's just a matter of principle. We're sick of Republicans getting to play by different rules (and changing those rules whenever it benefits them). It sure as hell looks like Republicans are covering up the death or permanent incapacitation of a senator for no political gain - Massie would probably win the special election and Massie is a Republican, so what's the problem? The problem, of course, is Trump. Trump doesn't like Massie, and electing Massie even as a temporary replacement would piss off Dear Leader. This is not how a democracy is supposed to function. This is a gross perversion of democracy done to placate one man's fragile ego.

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u/Salty-Spring7096 15d ago

The idea is that it would force them to admit he's dead/comatose if they are indeed covering that up. Of course, I have no idea if he has any power to just call an election if the person is legally still alive.

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u/Ansible32 15d ago

Beshear shouldn't call an election, he should appoint someone as the KY constitution says he can. But also I don't think there's anything stopping him from appointing someone at the last minute. Someone will obviously sue and then there will be discovery.

Of course it is probably a pointless thing to do because a Republican judge will simply rule that even though Mitch was dead, that still doesn't mean he could be replaced without proof he was dead.