# 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:** 45
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/882 "2026-08-09T03:08:14Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > 1. As long as he’s not capable of casting a vote, do 1-5 matter As has been pointed out a short way upthread, they’ve cast at least one proxy vote for him in committee. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2026, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/883 "2026-08-09T03:22:03Z")
Which is a purely symbolic vote that doesn’t advance the bill. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2026, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/884 "2026-08-09T11:55:50Z")
> [@robby](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > Fact check what? That his people issued a press statement? I’m sure they did. > > Fact check and/or investigative reporting on the content of the quoted statement: > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > > “On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business,” McConnell said in a statement. > > Specifically: > > 1. Did McConnell have any involvement in preparing this statement, or it was it done on his behalf by his family and/or staff? > 2. Is McConnell really doing physical therapy? > 3. Is he actually engaging with his staff and colleagues, or is everyone covering up for him? > 4. Is McConnell in a coma or persistent vegetative state? > 5. Is McConnell even conscious? Quite honestly, given the Senate rules, none of these seem like very important questions to answer. And i expect we’ll learn the answers after his death, which probably isn’t too far in the future. Just for kicks, though, I’ll give you my best guesses: 1. it was written by his staff. They ran it by him. To the extent he’s capable of understanding it, he approved it, or at least, didn’t object. 2. yes, he’s doing very intensive physical therapy, which probably includes major skills like swallowing and speaking. 3. they are covering up for him 4. going out farther on a limb than the first three, but i think it’s likely he is not in a coma or persistent vegetative state. 5. this is pretty much the same question as 4, right? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/885 "2026-08-09T12:12:41Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Or, for someone in McConnell’s inner circle to go all Deep Throat\*, and share the real information with a journalist. That would be “ask the people who are already lying”. One of them might flip to provide confirmable evidence, but without that, they should be assumed to still be lying. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/886 "2026-08-09T16:52:27Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Quite honestly, given the Senate rules, none of these seem like very important questions to answer. If he is permanently incapacitated, what the current situation does do is prevent the Democratic governor of Kentucky from attempting to appoint his replacement for the next six months. (The Kentucky legislature apparently passed a law stripping this power from the governor, but the governor contends that this violates the Kentucky constitution.) ---
**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:** [August 9, 2026, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/887 "2026-08-09T16:57:42Z")
Under the old law, would the governor have been able to replace a living-but-incapacitated senator? Who had the authority to declare the senator incapacitated? ---
**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:** [August 9, 2026, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/888 "2026-08-09T17:01:31Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Under the old law, would the governor have been able to replace a living-but-incapacitated senator? I don’t think so. The change in law simply changed how a vacancy is filled. There is not, from a legal standpoint, a vacancy in that seat at this point. Options for replacing a “living-but-incapacitated” senator, who refuses to step down, are very limited; that’s not a Kentucky thing, that’s a U.S. thing. Unless he was removed from the Senate by his fellow members of Congress, there’s no way for anyone else to remove him from office. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/889 "2026-08-09T17:05:10Z")
Then i don’t think any of @robby 's questions matters. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/890 "2026-08-09T17:09:41Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Who had the authority to declare the senator incapacitated? Not sure, but if I had to guess, it would be the Kentucky state courts. And since it relates to a federal office, it could get appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. An obvious rejoinder is this would take time, but courts can move as fast (or slow) as they want to. With the courts dominated by conservative judges (thanks to McConnell himself), I would expect them to slow-walk this until the issue is moot. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > Then i don’t think any of @robby 's questions matters. Probably not, other than to demonstrate how dysfunctional our political system is. None of this serves the people. Which is why it is actually a good idea for an investigative reporter to attempt to answer the questions I posed. Sunlight being the best disinfectant and all. And how this is handled by the affected parties could even affect the outcome of the next senatorial election in Kentucky—which does matter. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/891 "2026-08-09T18:25:37Z")
> [@robby](#): > > If he is permanently incapacitated, what the current situation does do is prevent the Democratic governor of Kentucky from attempting to appoint his replacement for the next six months. By the time this got through the courts, it would be November, and Moot. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/892 "2026-08-09T18:33:57Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@robby](#): > > > > If he is permanently incapacitated, what the current situation does do is prevent the Democratic governor of Kentucky from attempting to appoint his replacement for the next six months. > > By the time this got through the courts, it would be November, and Moot. Yup, in all likelihood, as I already pointed out. > [@robby](#): > > An obvious rejoinder is this would take time, but courts can move as fast (or slow) as they want to. With the courts dominated by conservative judges (thanks to McConnell himself), I would expect them to slow-walk this until the issue is moot. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2026, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/893 "2026-08-09T18:43:07Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > By the time this got through the courts, it would be November, and Moot. Plus, there’s no Comstitutional apparatus for removing an “incapacitated” senator anyway. There’s no 25th amendment for Congress. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/894 "2026-08-09T20:22:29Z")
I’m saying it now. Not only will we never see Mitch McConnell alive again, but he’ll probably serve two more terms. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/895 "2026-08-09T20:36:43Z")
He’s already not running this year, the end of his current term. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2026, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/896 "2026-08-09T20:37:13Z")
He’s not even running for reelection THIS year. [https://ballotpedia.org/United\_States\_Senate\_election\_in\_Kentucky,\_2026](https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_election_in_Kentucky,_2026) ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/897 "2026-08-09T20:45:02Z")
Well, I thought it was funny. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/898 "2026-08-09T20:46:29Z")
This guy gets it. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2026, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/899 "2026-08-09T20:47:51Z")
I’d send a donation to Kentucky for a write-in campaign for a brain-dead McConnell. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/900 "2026-08-09T22:30:26Z")
Just noodling here, looking up some famous Senators who died in office. Hubert Humphrey revealed his cancer in August 1977..He went back to Minnesota for treatment, returned to the Senate in October (Jimmy Carter famously sent Air Force One to bring him back to Washington), made a farewell speech in November and died in January 1978, still in office. Ted Kennedy suffered a seizure in May 2007. He underwent brain surgery and chemotherapy in June and did not appear in publiic for five weeks. He returned to the Senate, but suffered another seizure in September. In January 2009 he suffered a seizure at Barack Obama’s inauguration luncheon. The Dope was alive and thriving in those days, and here’s a thread about that event. **[Sen. Ted Kennedy and Sen. Byrd collapse at inaugural luncheon](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sen-ted-kennedy-and-sen-byrd-collapse-at-inaugural-luncheon/482197)** He appeared in the Senate less frequently, at one point going three months without casting a single vote. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom but could not attend the ceremony and died in August. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2026, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/901 "2026-08-09T22:35:46Z")
The Democrats nearly had a supermajority after Obama’s inauguration. The GOP margin is razor thin now. A single missed vote can mean anything from shutting down Trump’s vote rigging bill to losing two Republican-friendly seats on the Supreme Court. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=44) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=46)