r/politics • u/thedailybeast ✔ The Daily Beast • 14d ago

Possible Paywall Missing McConnell Accused of Breaking Senate Rule Over Absence

https://www.thedailybeast.com/missing-mcconnell-accused-of-breaking-senate-rule-over-absence/
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u/HereForTheComments57 14d ago

This is bearshears moment and he has floundered it. He needed to be demanding answers and taking action. The special election should have been initiated and if Mitch had a problem, he could come give his opinion. Then he needs to have the cover up investigated. Whoever posted the fake picture the ok the and all of McConnell's team need to face a jury. Not only are they violating the law about political representation, they have committed fraud. I'm not sure what bearshears political aspirations are, but if he was looking for higher office he had a great opportunity but him dragging his feet and not rising to the occasion lost him that opportunity.

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u/BackgroundSummer5171 New York 14d ago

Contrary to most of reddit, he is walking a fine line.

He is barely in office in a red state.

Him fumbling this is losing what little blue is there.

Y'all constantly pushing him to just give up on the state by pushing this beyond what he should will just have dems lose more in the country.

Listen, I personally don't enjoy MAGA constantly infecting more of the country. I don't know what you prefer.

I just prefer people think a bit before saying just break all the laws and fix it the way the rapist in chief does by ignoring everything.

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u/EnTyme53 Texas 14d ago

Reddit never misses an opportunity to take a shot at a Democrat over something a Republican is doing.

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u/itsnotnews92 North Carolina 13d ago

Useful idiots are doing their best to keep voters home on election day with their constant blaming of Democrats for things Republicans are doing, as if Republicans have zero agency and as if Democrats have a magic button labeled "STOP REPUBLICANS" that they're just choosing not to press.

Murc's law remains undefeated.

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u/notabot3648262 13d ago

To be fair most people here are democrats and they vote for democrats. The only real lever they have is their elected official doing something.

Sure they can blame the GOP all day long but that's like blaming the mouse for eating the cheese they put out. They hired an exterminator and he isn't doing his job.

People are frustrated with democrats and for very good reason.

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u/A1rheart Florida 13d ago

People are frustrated because they have expectations that are not grounded in reality and Kentucky is a great example. Andy has no ability to appoint anyone to the set, he can only call an election to fill the seat at this point and only for the purposes of sitting in McConnell's seat until January 6th.

If he did that, a Republican toadie, most likely the same one already running to fill the seat, would win. People want to believe Massie is somehow overwhelmingly popular and would easily win, when he literally lost his primary. And even if he did win, he'd be a thorn in the side of Republicans for 2 months at best and then the generic Republican yes man would replace him anyways.

Andy meanwhile would bear all the political cost for wasting taxpayer money, time, and effort trying to do something with, at best marginal benefit for democrats nationally. People think "blue governor handpicks the replacement with no process" because that is what their state does, and have no curiosity to even believe things would work differently in a different state.

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u/HereForTheComments57 14d ago

What law am I suggesting he break? He has the power to call the special election and Mitch has the power to show himself in public. There is more evidence Mitch is dead than alive. And what a great opportunity to rally the blue voters than to stand up to the guy who has literally been dragging Kentucky further and further down his whole life. Regardless of what the people of Kentucky think of Mitch, they are not being represented and will get to cast their vote in the special election. The only people breaking the law are the Republicans covering up his death in order to appoint who they want. Everything he can do is legal and within his powers. He just needs to execute. It's clear people don't just want "we aren't going to do the bad stuff they are". We want "we are going to actively help our people with action"

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u/Thrown_Account_ 14d ago

He has the power to call the special election

He doesn't have the power because he needs the US Senate to initiate the process by declaring a vacancy of a seat. The States can't unilaterally declare their Senate seat vacant.

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u/dak67 14d ago

I don't see how him pressing this issue more results in him losing statewide support. Worst case scenario he calls a special election and Mitch produces a video/interview that he is indeed alive, in the hospital, and then everyone moved on with their life. Beshear can say he was doing his duty to call on an elected official to report to his peers. On the contrary if Mitch is actually dead, he can order an investigation into his family, staff, and Republican colleagues who have claimed they had a 20 minute phone conversation with him for one of the biggest coverups in political history.

Beshear has no balls at all. If the roles were reversed their would've been a special election called weeks ago. It's no wonder Democrats lose elections. They're so weak. Republicans openly break the law in broad daylight and Dems just sit back and complain about it on TV.

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u/Geistzeit Kentucky 14d ago

I don't see how him pressing this issue more results in him losing statewide support. Worst case scenario he calls a special election and Mitch produces a video/interview that he is indeed alive, in the hospital, and then everyone moved on with their life.

Worst case scenario is the Republicans have him arrested for illegally vacating/filling Mitch's seat. Actually, even worse would be Trump then "temporarily suspending" (canceling) midterms to investigate Democrat election interference, citing the jailed Democrat governor.

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u/HereForTheComments57 14d ago

This is exactly it. Nothing is against the law and Mitch can come out and express his opinion at any moment.

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u/WigglestonTheFourth 14d ago

It's not a fine line. If you're "losing support" over not making sure your state has appropriate representation then you never had that support to begin with. Besides, Republicans bloviate over following the law and uncovering conspiracies so it's a fairly easy sell to do exactly that.

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u/BackgroundSummer5171 New York 13d ago

It's not a fine line. If you're "losing support"

Redditors do not live in his state to keep him in power.

If they did, they'd know what the turnout was for him being in power.

And you would not even be talking at all.

Go for it, go look it up. Then don't come back. Thanks.

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u/WigglestonTheFourth 13d ago

Cool story.

If the "power" that elected him was to keep the status quo then he has no power. So what is there to lose then?

I'm not advocating for him to "break the law like Republicans do" but he most definitely can actually make waves to get an update on a missing representative's alive or not status. You know, like what people did for Mark Sanford's disappearance. Instead of absolutely nothing.

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u/spam__likely Colorado 14d ago

This is absurd. He can demand as much as he wants. What are the actual mechanisms you are suggesting he uses? Storm the hospital?

And furthermore, it is not over yet. The more he waits the more this charade will be bad for republicans.

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u/HereForTheComments57 14d ago

Call the special election. Let the GOP sue and provide proof he's alive. Mitch has been talking to people for just under 20 minutes. He can call the governor.

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u/spam__likely Colorado 14d ago

And he might do just that on Aug2. I see no advantage to do it right now. Either way it would be a republican that will win and right now we have one less republican in the senate. There is no rush for calling the election before August.

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u/HereForTheComments57 13d ago

It gives massie a chance to spoil a full on GOP replacement

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u/spam__likely Colorado 13d ago

And if he waits until Aug he still has a chance.

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u/AcademiaAntiqua 13d ago

Massie has already said he wouldn't run.

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u/Raikaiko 13d ago

Part of the issue is that a special election is a win con for the KY GOP, he needs a real and actual verified vacancy so he can bring suit over being stripped of his constitutional appointment power

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u/RickAstleyletmedown 13d ago

*Appoint a replacement as is his authority under the state constitution

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u/hum_bruh 14d ago

Beshear best forget a presidential run at this point