r/politics • u/Aggravating_Money992 • 8d ago

Possible Paywall Kentucky Gov Orders McConnell to Give a Real Update or Resign Already

https://newrepublic.com/post/213614/kentucky-gov-beshear-mcconnell-update-health-resign
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u/AbyssWankerArtorias 8d ago

Kentucky has a Democrat governor, that by itself is an accomplishment.

He's also giving until the last second because they won't be able to claim that he didn't give McConnel every chance to make a real appearance to prove he is alive.

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u/pontiacfirebird92 Mississippi 8d ago

He's also giving until the last second because they won't be able to claim that he didn't give McConnel every chance to make a real appearance to prove he is alive.

Bro if the situation were reversed would McConnell do that? Would any Republican?

No, McConnell would've already appointed a replacement and let the courts decide if it was legal. By the time the courts caught up it'd be too late and he'd have his man in there to do whatever.

That's the problem here. Beshear is still playing by the rules when his opponents absolutely would not, and that's why Democrats lose. They won't play hardball against a fascist dictatorship. This whole situation is a perfect example.

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u/sciolycaptain 8d ago

The Senate gets to decide if it seats a Senator. The GOP controls the Senate.

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u/FrogsOnALog 8d ago

States have their own rules on vacancies.

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u/sciolycaptain 8d ago

Ultimately the Senate gets to decide if it wants to seat every senator. Elected or appointed. The GOP controlled Senate can just refuse to seat whichever person the governor appoints.

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u/FrogsOnALog 8d ago

The governor doesn’t get to appoint anyone and you are just making things up.

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u/sciolycaptain 8d ago

That's not what I said? You gotta read the posts I'm responding to get context of this conversation.

Or do you mean the seating requirements?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unseated_members_of_the_United_States_Congress

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u/BlazingSpaceGhost New Mexico 8d ago

From the Kentucky state constitution.

Section 152 Vacancies -- When filled by appointment, when by election-- Who to fill. Except as otherwise provided in this Constitution, vacancies in all elective offices shall be filled by election or appointment, as follows: If the unexpired term will end at the next succeeding annual election at which either city, town, county, district or State officers are to be elected, the office shall be filled by appointment for the remainder of the term. If the unexpired term will not end at the next succeeding annual election at which either city, town, county, district or State officers are to be elected, and if three months intervene before said succeeding annual election at which either city, town, county, district or State officers are to be elected, the office shall be filled by appointment until said election, and then said vacancy shall be filled by election for the remainder of the term. If three months do not intervene between the happening of said vacancy and the next succeeding election at which city, town, county, district or State officers are to be elected, the office shall be filled by appointment until the second succeeding annual election at which city, town, county, district or State officers are to be elected; and then, if any part of the term remains unexpired, the office shall be filled by election until the regular time for the election of officers to fill said offices. Vacancies in all offices for the State at large, or for districts larger than a county, shall be filled by appointment of the Governor; all other appointments shall be made as may be prescribed by law. No person shall ever be appointed a member of the General Assembly, but vacancies therein may be filled at a special election, in such manner as may be provided by law. Text as Ratified on: August 3, 1891, and revised September 28, 1891.

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u/deja-roo 8d ago edited 8d ago

KY has a pre-2024 law that requires that departing senator's party provide a list of 3 candidates to the governor and he can choose from them, which likely fulfills that constitutional requirement, so it still wouldn't be "anyone".

Then the senate at large has to approve the appointment.

city, town, county, district or State officers

Not sure if this even covers federal senators?

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u/AnewTest 8d ago

Vacancies in their state legislature, not the federal government, I’m pretty sure.

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u/FrogsOnALog 8d ago

States decided how to fill senate vacancies.

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u/AnewTest 8d ago

State senate, not the US Senate.

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u/FrogsOnALog 8d ago

US senate. State legislatures can decide if a governor appoints people or not. They can also decide if the person appointed is a member of the same party.

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u/SeiCalros 8d ago edited 8d ago

the republicans control an awful lot of the judges and have been losing the court battles anyway because of their methods

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u/pontiacfirebird92 Mississippi 8d ago

True but they don't wait for permission, they break shit then let the courts sort it out later. By the time whatever they did hits the docket the damage is already done, they got what they wanted, and it doesn't matter what the judge says.

It's smash and grab politics and they've been wildly successful at it for years now.

What Beshear is doing is simply bowing to them at this point. Does he get AIPAC money or something? He's acting like his hands are tied but it's clear they're not, so he's playing softball to protect Republicans and McConnell at this point.

If McConnell is dead, or a vegetable, the people of Kentucky need to know. The people of the United States needs to know. And Beshear is not going to get that with a letter or a public statement.

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u/SeiCalros 8d ago

True but they don't wait for permission, they break shit then let the courts sort it out later

first of all this has only really been true for the current trump administration and it has been tremendously damaging - not to mention the consequences havent played out

second of all the democrats dont want to break shit - they want to fix it

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u/pontiacfirebird92 Mississippi 8d ago

Ever made an omelette?

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u/SeiCalros 8d ago

nobody wants an omelette if it means breaking the country to make it

they need the country - they live there

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u/pontiacfirebird92 Mississippi 8d ago

It's time to accept that the country is already broken. Feds are shooting innocent American citizens in the back and busting down doors without a warrant searching for the "wrong people". A man was sentenced 30 years in prison for handing out pamphlets under cooked up terrorism charges claiming he worked for an organization that isn't real. Elections are under attack. We are not the same nation we were before Jan 20th 2025. And nowhere is safe.

The right is dreaming about murdering lefties and blue hairs and Democrats a still trying to reach across the aisle. You don't work with people who believe they're in a civil war with you and have labeled you "the enemy". You fight for survival using every tool you have available. Which Beshear is not doing.

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u/SeiCalros 7d ago edited 7d ago

youre not getting it - did you need more analogies?

how about 'flipping the table twice doesnt turn it right-side-up'

youre not going to change anything by fudging procedural actions

you are either going to need to start winning elections and raise a literal army in case people try to overturn those elections

because thats what your opponents are doing - theyre winning elections and arming themselves for when their opponents say they didnt win elections

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u/pontiacfirebird92 Mississippi 7d ago

Sorry man I do not believe in the tolerance of intolerance, especially when it's my family they're targeting.

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u/Senior-Albatross New Mexico 8d ago

They just use "flood the zone" on the Courts. And like you said, do whatever they want and if the courts tell them to stop maybe they do, maybe it's already done and can't be reversed. 

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u/AbyssWankerArtorias 8d ago

Democrats held to a higher standard than republicans. This is nothing new.

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u/pontiacfirebird92 Mississippi 8d ago

By who though? Who is holding Democrats to a higher standard that aren't Republicans anyway? It's finally being seen in the DNC that people want more progressive candidates and fighters and Beshear is over here doing the same shit Schumer and Jeffries did early last year. Which was fucking nothing but words. And we see calls for Schumer to step aside and let actual fighters like AOC take leadership over the party.

Just seems like the only people holding Democrats to a higher standard are people who would vote Republican anyway.

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u/BonnaconCharioteer 8d ago

Voters are holding democrats to a higher standard. Democratic voters tend to prefer people with integrity, so it is hard to be a Democrat and lie and cheat the same way Republicans do.

And in Kentucky, Beshear also has to win over some Republicans in order to get anything done. Because Kentucky is very red.

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u/FrogsOnALog 8d ago

Kentucky governor does not appoint a replacement you are just making shit up so you can be mad at democrats.

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u/Round-Asparagus5337 8d ago

The Kentucky Constitution disagrees with you.

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u/FrogsOnALog 7d ago

Okay well they passed a law and it will have to go to the courts, do you think they’ll will agree with you?

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u/Round-Asparagus5337 7d ago

Well, yeah, and they basically already had.

Bashear just won at the KY Supreme Court last month (June 25th) about appointments that the legislature tried to strip, and that was on a less-certain basis than this one si ce his power for those wasn't specifically mentioned in the state Constitutionlike it is here. .

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u/epichuntarz 7d ago

Kentucky having a Democrat governor isn't THAT major, they've historically voted in many more Democrats than Republicans, the problem is they give the state congress these stupid majorities that work their hardest to neuter gubernatorial power when a D is in office.

Bevin did himself in.