# 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:** 47
**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, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/922 "2026-08-10T00:49:18Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It depends on whether or not the GOP Legislature passed that bill legally under their State Constitution. So, the Bill could be overturned. If it were, then they’d have to fall back on the previous law where the governor has to choose a replacement from a list of three names submitted by the vacating senator’s party. There was never a situation where Mitch was going to be replaced by a Democrat. ---
**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, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/923 "2026-08-10T00:51:30Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > There was never a situation where Mitch was going to be replaced by a Democrat. I agree, was not gonna happen. ---
**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, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/924 "2026-08-10T00:53:29Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But the _Concurrence of two thirds_ is the show stopper here. Yeah. That obviously ain’t happening. ---
**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 10, 2026, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/925 "2026-08-10T01:14:19Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The Democrats nearly had a supermajority after Obama’s inauguration. Except that, for Democrats, 60 votes are needed to do anything. For Republicans, though, whenever that gets too pesky for one of their real priorities, they just nuke the filibuster. > [@robby](#): > > 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. I wouldn’t be surprised if a rich person with known health problems, like McConnell, did have one in his home. And they’re really, really easy to use: The hardest part is realizing how easy they are. > [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Declaring a vacancy because of the health condition of a Senator would be overly unconstitutional, even for this crowd. Constitutionally, the Senate can eject a member for whatever reason they choose. It doesn’t need to be for disorderliness; those are three separate powers of the Senate. But it’d take 67 votes. > [@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. At this point, it can’t be before November 3. I’m not sure what the cutoff date is for it being on November 3. If McConnell remains technically-alive until then, it’s the best case scenario for Democrats, as it’d keep his seat vacant until January. ---
**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 10, 2026, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/926 "2026-08-10T03:55:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@robby](#): > > > > 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. > > I wouldn’t be surprised if a rich person with known health problems, like McConnell, did have one in his home. And they’re really, really easy to use: The hardest part is realizing how easy they are They aren’t even prohibitively expensive. I mean, i considered buying one. If someone in my house had a known heart problem, i would have. “Recertified” ones go for less than $1000, and there are a bunch on the market for less than $2000. I don’t think their lifetime is all that long, and a $1000 device that we need to remember to replace in 5 (guessing) years is more than i wanted to spend, but they really aren’t out of reach for wealthy private homes. They are getting smaller, too. Also, i assume that every ambulance has them these days. I think it’s a safe bet that one was available, and if it was appropriate to use it, it was used. And chronic is right about them being easy to use. Having done CPR training every other year for the past decade or two, my advice is that if you think someone might need an AED, and one is handy, try it, whether or not you have training. They are really easy to use. They tell you what to do. The machine decides whether to deliver a shock or not, the human doesn’t. You just need to put the pads on the right place (and they come with pictures) and make sure no one is touching the victim if the machine says to do it. And the machine will tell you that, out loud. If you mess something up, the worst likely outcome is the same as not having tried at all. (Administering CPR is really hard. If push came to shove, I’m dubious i have the physical strength to do it long enough to matter.) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/927 "2026-08-10T10:32:44Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > (Administering CPR is really hard. If push came to shove, I’m dubious i have the physical strength to do it long enough to matter.) There’s a youtube doctor I used to watch that critiques medical scenes on TV shows. One of the things he always points out, is bad CPR technique. Notably, that people aren’t doing the compressions with anywhere near enough force. On the one hand, I do think that many, if not most, untrained people wouldn’t use enough force and a lot of that is probably because they only exposure to it is what they see on TV. OTOH, if the actors did CPR ‘properly’, they’d be breaking ribs. I remember seeing LUCAS machines on Nightwatch (think COPS but with EMTs) and I was always surprised at how deep the compressions are. I mean, I took a few CPR classes back when I was a teen, I know the compressions are supposed to be done with a rib breaking amount of force, but, I mean, just look at it… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/r8RuFtLF10M/maxresdefault.jpg "CPR Machine") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8RuFtLF10M) (Note, this isn’t the doctor I was referring to earlier, that was Dr Mike) ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/928 "2026-08-10T21:05:30Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The Democrats nearly had a supermajority after Obama’s inauguration. Actually, the Democrats had exactly 60 seats in the 2009 Congress, and were filibuster proof if everyone showed up. When Ted Kennedy died, he was replaced by Republican Scott Brown in a special election (which spawned many, many threads). The Affordable Care Act was still working it’s way through the legislative process - now that the split was 59-41 the Senate was forced to pass the bill through Reconciliation since otherwise it would have been killed through the procedural filibuster. This resulted in a watered-down version vs. what Obama & the Democrats really wanted. ---
**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 10, 2026, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/929 "2026-08-10T21:07:04Z")
I thought that the House just voted on the exact version that the Senate (with Kennedy) had already approved. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/930 "2026-08-10T21:20:13Z")
But they didn’t want to. Had the Democrats kept the supermajority in the Senate, the House (which had a huge majority of 257D -178R) wanted to send it back to the Senate with more changes to strengthen it, then keep negotiating with the few wavering Democratic Senators. When Brown showed up, that option went away, there was no way to get any real changes through the new Senate except through reconciliation. ---
**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 10, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/931 "2026-08-10T21:59:57Z")
Right, they wanted changes (including the Stupak Amendment), but they settled for what the Senate already had, rather than using reconciliation to put in the changes. That, by the way, is concrete proof that the Republicans are hypocrites. If even one Republican out of 41 had broken ranks, they could have passed the strongest anti-abortion legislation possible under the Constitution. But instead, every last one of them placed a higher priority on opposing everything that Obama did, even if they knew it was futile. ---
**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 10, 2026, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/932 "2026-08-10T22:03:26Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > > > The Democrats nearly had a supermajority after Obama’s inauguration. > > Actually, the Democrats had exactly 60 seats in the 2009 Congress FWIW, The Democrats didn’t have 60 seats for the first three months of Obama’s term until Arlen Specter flipped. The 60 seat window was a tight one. ---
**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 10, 2026, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/933 "2026-08-10T22:18:57Z")
There was also a long delay from the Republicans obstructing Franken getting seated. ---
**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 28, 2026, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/934 "2026-08-28T04:43:29Z")
Medical recliners were seen being delivered to the McConnell residence today. > **[Mysterious equipment arrives at Mitch McConnell's home as his office remains...](https://www.rawstory.com/mitch-mcconnell-2677788678/)** > > The office of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) just deepened the mystery around his health, refusing to offer any update on his condition even as boxes for medical recliners were spotted being delivered to his home. The Daily Beast reported on this new... ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/935 "2026-08-28T09:16:30Z")
Are medical recliners “mysterious equipment”? ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/936 "2026-08-28T11:22:08Z")
Were the “boxes for medical recliners” about 6’ long and carefully loaded back on the truck? ---
**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 28, 2026, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/937 "2026-08-28T11:27:04Z")
The implication, I assume, is that he’s conscious but is only ambulatory with assistance. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/938 "2026-08-28T13:25:42Z")
Was one box particularly heavy and carried by three men on each side? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/939 "2026-08-28T18:27:17Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Are medical recliners “mysterious equipment”? They are also known as a “La-Z-Boy”, and there is nothing new or interesting in that story. > [@Smapti](#): > > The implication, I assume, is that he’s conscious but is only ambulatory with assistance. Not that much, they mostly help dudes get up off from sitting. Pretty much standard “old dude” furniture. No mystery here. ---
**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 28, 2026, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/940 "2026-08-28T21:50:50Z")
[quote=“DrDeth, post:939, topic:1013937”] They are also known as a “La-Z-Boy”, and there is nothing new or interesting in that story.[/quote] AKA a powerlift chair. The simplest ones simply push the bottom up and at angle until the sitter is standing. My father-in-law used one. It wasn’t much more expensive than a non-powered model. ---
**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:** [August 28, 2026, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/941 "2026-08-28T22:00:40Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > They are also known as a “La-Z-Boy”, and there is nothing new or interesting in that story. Based on photos, MCombo lift recliners can tilt the entire chair forward at least 45 degrees to aid a person in getting to their feet. Unlike La-Z-Boy chairs which don’t have that capability (they basically allow you to elevate your feet or tilt your body back), the lift recliners are for people who can’t get out of a chair unaided. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=46) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=48)