# 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:** 46
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/902 "2026-08-09T22:43:19Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > \*- Woodward and Bernstein’s Watergate informant (who turned out to be Mark Felt, associate FBI director), not the porn movie The fact that you (probably justifiably) felt you had to explain that makes me feel old, yet again today. Sigh. I was a grown-ass adult in my 20s when all that happened. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/903 "2026-08-09T22:56:56Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Just noodling here, looking up some famous Senators who died in office. Humphrey and Kennedy were two of the 303(!) Senators who died in office. Robert Kennedy also died in office, as he was still a Senator while campaigning for the Presidency when he was assassinated. That number surprised me. > **[U.S. Senate: Senators Who Have Died in Office](https://www.senate.gov/senators/SenatorsDiedinOffice.htm)** > > Senators Who Have Died in Office ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/904 "2026-08-09T22:58:24Z")
Concerning the CPR, was the EMT saying that they were doing CPR after responding, or that someone was doing it when they arrived? In the latter case, it may not have been necessary and just someone doing it because McConnel had passed out and they didn’t know any better, which would explain the lack of special care when he was being placed in the ambulance. ---
**Author:** ![Xocomil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xocomil/32/14927_2.png) [@Xocomil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xocomil)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/905 "2026-08-09T23:23:27Z")
Yes, according to the [article posted upthread](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/paramedics-responded-cardiac-arrest-mcconnells-home-day-hospitalizatio-rcna352660), paramedics performed CPR on McConnell. > Paramedics conducted CPR on a person experiencing a “cardiac arrest” at a known address for Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on the day his office disclosed he had been hospitalized, according to police scanner audio obtained by NBC News. > > According to the audio, the first medic on the scene began performing CPR, according to the dispatchers, and was then joined by an additional EMS team at the same address. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/906 "2026-08-09T23:47:03Z")
> [@robby](#): > > > [@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. The law provides for filling a vacancy. It is _the Senate_ who declares a vacancy. For purposes of a member’s qualification to hold a seat, _the Senate_ judges his capacity. A judgement of civil incapacity or total disability from a court (state or federal) reaching the Senate would be admitted as a piece of evidence for that purpose but not legally compel their decision. One more time with feeling: under the Constitution and law, disability however severe or prolonged does not _per se_ create a vacancy. ---
**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, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/907 "2026-08-09T23:51:05Z")
> [@Xocomil](#): > > Yes, according to the [article posted upthread](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/paramedics-responded-cardiac-arrest-mcconnells-home-day-hospitalizatio-rcna352660), paramedics performed CPR on McConnell. > > > Paramedics conducted CPR on a person experiencing a “cardiac arrest” at a known address for Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on the day his office disclosed he had been hospitalized, according to police scanner audio obtained by NBC News. > > > > According to the audio, the first medic on the scene began performing CPR, according to the dispatchers, and was then joined by an additional EMS team at the same address. Ok, then. The stats I have seen for cardiac arrest treated with CPR (especially in elderly patients) along with [this post](https://nicholasjorcutt.substack.com/p/they-lied-to-you-about-cpr-mitch?triedRedirect=true) by a paramedic make me think that McDonnell may well be in much worse shape than we are being led to believe. I take CPR courses with AED training every two years. At some point they let slip that the recovery rate for cardiac arrest treated with CPR is pretty dismal (about 10% for patients out-of-hospital). But the chances of a person in cardiac arrest surviving with _no_ treatment are even worse (near zero for a person with no pulse), so it’s a worthwhile skill to learn. Use of an AED has a much better survival rate—up to 90% if shocked immediately (i.e. within 1 minute of arrest)—but more typically between 24% and 38% if a shock is delivered before paramedics arrive. However, AEDs are typically only found in public places, not people’s homes. And someone needs to be trained to use them in a CPR/AED course. ---
**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, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/908 "2026-08-09T23:57:31Z")
Thanks. So a Republican-controlled Senate is not going to do anything that might potentially jeopardize losing their majority—so they are unlikely to declare a vacancy even if McDonnell is comatose. Which he may well be. Or dead, for that matter, if they can keep it quiet. ---
**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 10, 2026, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/909 "2026-08-10T00:07:57Z")
> [@robby](#): > > McDonnell may well be in much worse shape than we are being led to believe. > [@robby](#): > > they are unlikely to declare a vacancy even if McDonnell is comatose. Mc **C** onnell. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/910 "2026-08-10T00:09:27Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Thanks. So a Republican-controlled Senate is not going to do anything that might potentially jeopardize losing their majority—so they are unlikely to declare a vacancy even if McDonnell is comatose. Which he may well be. > > Or dead, for that matter, if they can keep it quiet. There is little they can do in reality, and if McConnell is not there to vote, that does not help their majority. Right now the count is 52-47 if my numbers are right. Really folks- as long as Mitch stays out, this is a Good Thing. We do not want him coming back. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/911 "2026-08-10T00:15:45Z")
> [@robby](#): > > So a Republican-controlled Senate is not going to do anything that might potentially jeopardize losing their majority—so they are unlikely to declare a vacancy even if McDonnell is comatose. Declaring a vacancy because of the health condition of a Senator would be overly unconstitutional, even for this crowd. The health condition does not matter. And the prognosis does not matter. If someone is elected to a full six year term, and is sworn in on the morning of, say, January 3, 2027, and goes into a seven year long coma five minutes later, that seat is going to be de facto vacant for the next six years (assuming we remain under the current constitution that long). Now, my hope would be that the Senator recovered. This cannot be ruled out. See: [Intensive Care Medicine: Complete recovery from an unusual cause of coma](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1915615/pdf/134_2007_Article_565.pdf) Yes, this is unusual. So unusual it was written up in a medical journal. But there must be other cases. ---
**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 10, 2026, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/912 "2026-08-10T00:26:51Z")
Right. Karl Mundt had a stroke in 1969 and remained in office for another **three years** until his term expired without ever setting foot in the Capitol again. Mitch being out for a few months is small potatoes. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl\_Mundt#Illness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Mundt#Illness) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/913 "2026-08-10T00:26:59Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Declaring a vacancy because of the health condition of a Senator would be overly unconstitutional, even for this crowd. Kinda- mostly- Article I, section 5 of the United States Constitution _Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member._ So it is just barely possible. Technically. But again, other senators have been out for much longer and no one has seriously talked about expulsion. > [@Smapti](#): > > Right. Karl Mundt had a stroke in 1969 and remained in office for another \*\*three years\*\* until his term expired without ever setting foot in the Capitol again. Mitch being out for a few months is small potatoes. Good point. McConnell is not dead, not in a coma, not brain dead- and wont be expelled. There- I called it. Next- my prediction is Mitch will not be back in the Senate by November- if ever, except if they roll a real sick man down the aisle to applause. But - a real vacancy would have a (contested) Special Election, who could serve until the end of this year. So maybe 6 months? The Governor would also appoint someone, there’d be wrangling in the courts, etc. ---
**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 10, 2026, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/914 "2026-08-10T00:32:50Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But - a real vacancy would have a (contested) Special Election, who could serve until the end of this year. So maybe 6 months? Not even, at this point. The general election is less than three months away now, and the start of the next Congress is less than five months away. Even if a special election to fill McConnell’s seat for the rest of his term were going to happen, with every day that passes, it becomes logistically more difficult to get it scheduled prior to the general election on November 3rd. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/915 "2026-08-10T00:33:46Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Kinda- mostly- Article I, section 5 of the United States Constitution > _Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member._ > > So it is just barely possible. Technically. > > But again, other senators have been out for much longer and no one has seriously talked about expulsion. Yep. Senators in a coma are not disorderly. However, I suppose that if they wake up from the coma and find out the Senate expelled them, then they might be disorderly. ---
**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 10, 2026, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/916 "2026-08-10T00:37:58Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Mc **C** onnell. Dammit! 🤦‍♂️ I need to go easy on the day-drinking. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/917 "2026-08-10T00:39:11Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Even if a special election to fill McConnell’s seat for the rest of his term were going to happen, with every day that passes, it becomes logistically more difficult to get it scheduled prior to the general election on November 3rd It’s not logistics. It’s too late per Kentucky law: > **[bill.pdf](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/21RS/sb228/bill.pdf)** Andy Beshear threatens to challenges the law as unconstitutional. He would fail. If he sent a Democrat to Washington, they would not be seated. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/918 "2026-08-10T00:41:00Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Dammit! 🤦‍♂️ I need to go easy on the day-drinking. I remember the difference between the two like so: Old McDonnell has a farm. Old McConnell is going to buy it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/919 "2026-08-10T00:44:32Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Senators in a coma are not disorderly. Yeah, I agree, not gonna happen. True, but the House has voted to impeach a President who has not- _The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors._ What crime was Bill Clinton convicted of? (Okay, let us not go down that rabbit hole, but you see what I mean). > [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Andy Beshear threatens to challenges the law as unconstitutional. He would fail. It depends on whether or not the GOP Legislature passed that bill legally under their State Constitution. So, the Bill could be overturned. But not anytime soon, and the time to file that was some years ago. > [@PhillyGuy](#): > > If he sent a Democrat to Washington, they would not be seated. Yep. No chance. ---
**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 10, 2026, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/920 "2026-08-10T00:46:39Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > > [@DrDeth](#): > > > > Kinda- mostly- Article I, section 5 of the United States Constitution > > _Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member._ > > > > So it is just barely possible. Technically. > > > > But again, other senators have been out for much longer and no one has seriously talked about expulsion. > > Yep. > > Senators in a coma are not disorderly Those are three separate clauses. It doesn’t read to me as if the only cause for expulsion is meant to be disorderly conduct; though I’m not the SCOTUS, which is who would be authorized to interpret the language. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/921 "2026-08-10T00:48:39Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Those are three separate clauses. It doesn’t read to me as if the only cause for expulsion is meant to be disorderly conduct; though I’m not the SCOTUS, which is who would be authorized to interpret the language. But the _Concurrence of two thirds_ is the show stopper here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=45) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=47)