# Mitch McConnell falls twice in Capitol **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 6, 2025, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937 "2025-02-06T00:54:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 33
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/642 "2026-07-28T14:00:42Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > Concerning Mitch’s proof of life evidence, the one and only objective in providing proof of life is to immediately and convincingly put the question to rest. Period. How is that best achieved? By taking a video, with at least one journalist present. Sounds like what Republicans said about Barack Obama’s birth certificate, and then, when that was released, his long-form birth certificate. I recall progressives (or maybe the word back then was liberal) posting that Obama should not do it. In that case, Obama was running for office, a process where one sometimes does things that lower their dignity. Here there is no need. As for putting this question to rest, there no one clear-cut question here such as where Barack Obama was born. The issue is whether McConnell’s condition is or was far worse than they are letting on. At least Mitch doesn’t say he’s the healthiest man that rehab hospital has ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/643 "2026-07-28T14:10:08Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Sounds like what Republicans said about Barack Obama’s birth certificate, and then, when that was released, his long-form birth certificate. No, actually, it sounds absolutely nothing like that, in that it is not a baseless race-baiting conspiracy theory designed to confuse and inflame low-information voters. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/644 "2026-07-28T14:32:56Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I thjnk people are overestimating the importance of a special election in which the winner would hold office for three months _at most_ and which the Senate would be out of session for most of. There could likely be two Trump Supreme Court confirmation attempts during the lame duck session if the election puts Democrats in charge of the Senate in January. The GOP needs every senator on deck for that. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/645 "2026-07-28T14:54:34Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@DrDeth](#): > > > > Senator Karl Mundt of South Dakota was out for something like 1000 days. Senator Mark Kirk was out for one year. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords out for 200 days, and so forth. > > And, in each of those cases, it was made clear to their constituents what had happened to each of them (obviously, in Giffords’ case, it was _very_ well known what had befallen her), and what to expect as far as their recovery. > > In Mundt’s case, he suffered a serious stroke three years before the end of his term, and refused to resign, though he could no longer do his job, and never returned to it; it took 2+ years before he was finally stripped of his committee memberships by his fellow Republican Senators. Most people don’t realize that there was a recall election for Gabby while she was recovering; the woman said it wasn’t right not to have an active representative. I voted against it. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/646 "2026-07-28T15:01:40Z")
You mean this post? > [@DrDeth](#): > > [https://thehill.com/opinion/lindseys-lens/5966021-senator-mcconnell-health-update/](https://thehill.com/opinion/lindseys-lens/5966021-senator-mcconnell-health-update/) > > > McConnell says he suffered a fall last month that briefly knocked him unconscious. He put out a statement [saying](https://www.kcra.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-health-update-statement-sunday/71910763): > > > > “My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I’ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia.” There are lots of possibilities. That report was a lie. He had a stroke later, while recovering from the fall. Or it’s not a stroke. To be honest, i don’t care a lot. He’s not my senator. I’m happy to have him not voting. The guy deserves medical privacy. There’s no legal requirement that a senator be fit for the job. 🤷‍♀️ ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/647 "2026-07-28T15:03:51Z")
Whatever has happened, the odds of Mitch walking or being rolled into the Senate chamber and casting a vote are virtually zero. Unless of course Republicans are able to pass a measure saying that a “medical intuitive” can vote in place of Mitch after determining what his wishes are. In the end, McConnell staffers get to keep their paychecks for a few more months and Republicans can forestall the remote chance of something untoward happening as a result of a special election. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/648 "2026-07-28T15:34:26Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > There’s no legal requirement that a senator be fit for the job. That’s true, but it’s unethical to collect money for a job that you’re not doing. Aren’t Republicans always worried about welfare fraud and able-bodied people collecting disability pay? Medical leave is one thing, but if he’s not going to be able to return to work, he should resign, if only in the interests of fiscal responsibility. If he shows up to work next week, fit as a fiddle, I’ll eat my words, and also my hat. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/649 "2026-07-28T15:35:44Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Aren’t Republicans always worried about welfare fraud and able-bodied people collecting disability pay? Medical leave is one thing, but if he’s not going to be able to return to work, he should resign, if only in the interests of fiscal responsibility. Always remember: it’s OK when a Republican does it. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/650 "2026-07-28T15:37:13Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > it’s unethical to collect money for a job that you’re not doing. I know you know this but Republicans believe its unethical for _ **those people** _ to collect money for any reason whatsover. And we all know who “those people” are. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/651 "2026-07-28T15:59:20Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > You mean this post ? That’s the one, and I note now that no one with professional medical credentials put their name on it. It’s a purported statement from McConnell himself, released at the same time as the first “proof of life” picture. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/652 "2026-07-28T16:25:23Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > Most people don’t realize that there was a recall election for Gabby while she was recovering; the woman said it wasn’t right not to have an active representative. I voted against it. This is off-topic, but whatever. If there was a recall election for a Congressperson, it wasn’t legal and would have been tossed by the courts if it had passed and been challenged. Looking things up, I can’t find any reports of such a recall election. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/653 "2026-07-28T16:39:29Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > I can’t find any reports of such a recall election. I did find that, in 2009, [someone filed a recall petition against Giffords for her support of laws that mandated use of renewable energy](https://tucson.com/news/recall-petition-filed-against-rep-gabrielle-giffords/article_6ab83dba-45eb-5713-be53-b18c01089a71.html). It doesn’t sound like it went anywhere, because, as you note, recall petitions/elections against Congresspeople aren’t legal. That was, of course, several years _before_ the assassination attempt and her injury, which did ultimately lead her to resign from Congress a year before her term was up. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/654 "2026-07-28T17:26:06Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > There’s no legal requirement that a senator be fit for the job. > > That’s true, but it’s unethical to collect money for a job that you’re not doing. 😂😆🤣 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/655 "2026-07-28T17:28:22Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Whatever has happened, the odds of Mitch walking or being rolled into the Senate chamber and casting a vote are virtually zero. Not anytime soon, anyway. If ever. The statement from the Office of the Attending Physician made that pretty clear, at least to the first part. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/656 "2026-07-28T18:30:48Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > **Almost by definition** , most people in the world cannot be getting the very best. I’ll nitpick this word choice.The “very best” medical care means _the best treatment known_, not “what the rich and powerful have access to.” For example: let’s say there are various treatment options for sclerotic amniotic hematosis. (This term and what follows is made-up nonsense, as I’m not a medical professional so can’t authoritatively present any real examples.) In decades past, the best treatment available for SAH was bed rest and lumiracoxib. Later it was discovered that blood pressure medications combined with physical therapy were the best. Today, more and more physicians are prescribing a six-week course of petrofinolax followed by ongoing massage therapy, a therapeutic approach backed by rigorous evidence, and the “very best” approach available now. So in a world that prioritized access to medical care, most people could get the very best. It’s a question of resource distribution. (Which is probably the point you were trying to make anyway.) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/657 "2026-07-28T18:49:19Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > There could likely be two Trump Supreme Court confirmation attempts during the lame duck session if the election puts Democrats in charge of the Senate in January. The GOP needs every senator on deck for that. Wouldn’t that be an argument _against_ the “they’re hiding how bad he is until it’s too late to have a special election” CT? ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/658 "2026-07-28T19:10:11Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > They didn’t know patient files have an audit trail. They should have, I did. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/659 "2026-07-28T20:00:36Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Wouldn’t that be an argument _against_ the “they’re hiding how bad he is until it’s too late to have a special election” CT? No. Under this scenario, they are fine with voting in a replacement _during_ the regular November election. That will be a more controlled election with much lower chance of something weird (like Massie or a Dem) getting voted in. If the vote for the replacement happens concurrent with the regular election, then the temporary senator would be seated as soon as the election is certified, giving them a month and half for any confirmation shenanigans. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/660 "2026-07-28T21:19:16Z")
Beshear issues an ultimatum: > As Governor of the state you serve, I am calling on you to directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign. > **[Kentucky governor tells Mitch McConnell: Prove you can serve or ‘resign’](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/kentucky-governor-tells-mitch-mcconnell-prove-can-serve-resign-senate-rcna589647)** > > Gov. Andy Beshear issued his ultimatum in letters to McConnell and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., warning that he may begin the process of replacing the senator. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/661 "2026-07-28T21:37:02Z")
> [@slash2k](#): > > Beshear issues an ultimatum: With their tales of Mitch engaging in 20-minute conversations, Republicans opened themselves up to this. If those tales have any truth to them, it should be trivial for Mitch to record a short video message. (He can use reduced lighting if his appearance is not up to his standard.) IF those tales have any truth to them… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=32) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=34)