# 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:** 48
**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 28, 2026, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/942 "2026-08-28T22:02:53Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > 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. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > 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. Yup, my father had one when he was in hospice care, and they operated as described. In addition to being able to recline, they help you get to your feet if you aren’t strong enough to get up out of a chair on your own. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/943 "2026-08-28T22:23:45Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Unlike La-Z-Boy chairs which don’t have that capability Ummm … > **[Client Challenge](https://www.la-z-boy.com/b/living-room/recliners/power-lift-chairs)** ---
**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, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/944 "2026-08-28T22:38:15Z")
OK, make that “standard La-Z-Boy recliners, unlike ones classified as “power lift chairs”, don’t have that capability”. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/945 "2026-08-28T22:47:19Z")
I can’t argue with a tautology like “a La-Z-Boy recliner which is not a power lift chair doesn’t have the capabilities of a power lift chair.” It would be shocking if it were otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2026, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/946 "2026-08-28T22:57:38Z")
Kind of like using SUV as a term for electric car, because some SUVs are electric. That kind of tautology? ---
**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, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/947 "2026-08-28T23:01:58Z")
I know it must be hard, but just let it go, Clem. The original assertion that “They are also known as a “La-Z-Boy”, and there is nothing new or interesting in that story” was wrong. McConnell, despite his office implying he’s zooming forward on the path to recovery, still can’t get up from a sitting position without a power chair literally dumping him onto his feet. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/948 "2026-08-29T00:13:39Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > 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. While true, the standard La-Z-Boy chair does not have that feature, La-Z-Boy does make such chairs. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > The original assertion that “They are also known as a “La-Z-Boy”, and there is nothing new or interesting in that story” was wrong. Nope. La-Z-Boy does make such chairs, and there _is_ nothing new or interesting here. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > McConnell, despite his office implying he’s zooming forward on the path to recovery, still can’t get up from a sitting position without a power chair literally dumping him onto his feet. That is your assumption. Maybe it is just difficult for him to do so. Just plain old folks buy those also. And McConnell is indeed- old. 84. ---
**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 29, 2026, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/949 "2026-08-29T00:43:13Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > McConnell, despite his office implying he’s zooming forward on the path to recovery, still can’t get up from a sitting position without a power chair literally dumping him onto his feet. I have, however, known at least one person whose mind was working just fine who needed such a chair. It doesn’t really tell us anything about McConnell’s mental capacity, one way or the other; and it doesn’t mean he’s at death’s door. Or, of course, that he isn’t. ---
**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 29, 2026, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/950 "2026-08-29T01:15:16Z")
Yeah, I don’t care at all if any particular Senator is able to stand up unaided. I do care if one is dying, and I do care if one is mentally impaired, but a power lift chair doesn’t imply anything about either of those. ---
**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 29, 2026, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/951 "2026-08-29T01:27:30Z")
Recliners are probably also appreciated by hospice workers. Just saying… ---
**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:** [August 29, 2026, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/952 "2026-08-29T02:37:25Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Recliners are probably also appreciated by hospice workers. Just saying … I don’t suppose the naming conventions are standardized … but to me, a “medical recliner” implies a far different device than a mere lift chair (that assists someone getting up out of the chair). I understand a “medical recliner” to essentially be a recliner-shaped hospital bed made to facilitate frequent medical intervention. ---
**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 30, 2026, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/953 "2026-08-30T04:41:45Z")
Thune seems to expect McConnell to make an appearance next month to vote to advance the farm bill, which is stalled in committee on party lines. [https://www.whas11.com/article/news/politics/national-politics/kentucky-republicans-mitch-mcconnell-return-farm-bill-vote-september/417-58babf43-4a02-49a5-8d3d-c1484eb0b4b7](https://www.whas11.com/article/news/politics/national-politics/kentucky-republicans-mitch-mcconnell-return-farm-bill-vote-september/417-58babf43-4a02-49a5-8d3d-c1484eb0b4b7) I expect it’ll look something like this; [![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQeiT859nkQXx77dK2Vra-K6BMz5EwpNdAwcv2ACdjyaw&s) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQeiT859nkQXx77dK2Vra-K6BMz5EwpNdAwcv2ACdjyaw&s) ---
**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:** [August 30, 2026, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/954 "2026-08-30T07:33:53Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > I don’t suppose the naming conventions are standardized When I consult Google Images,[the photos I get are varied](https://www.google.com/search?as_st=y&as_q=&as_epq=medical+recliner&as_eq=&as_sitesearch=&imgar=&cr=&as_filetype=&tbs=&udm=2), but if I had to summarize it I’d say they mostly resemble the type of chair you sit in during a visit to the dentist. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/955 "2026-08-30T15:53:52Z")
> [@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.) Yes, when our neighbor fell down his stairs, my sister took over CPR from his wife (who’s even older than us), and she – my sister – said it was exhausting. By the time the paramedics arrived just a few minutes later, she said she didn’t think she could have continued if they hadn’t arrived when they did. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > 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. Oh, yeah, my sister used to work on a geriatrics floor, and she said they often broke ribs in those cases. Actors _can’t_ do “real” CPR. They have to basically just pantomime it. ---
**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:** [September 14, 2026, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/956 "2026-09-14T22:32:23Z")
He is risen! > **[Mitch McConnell returns to the Senate after three-month absence due to health...](https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/14/politics/mitch-mcconnell-senate-return-health)** > > Sen. Mitch McConnell returned to Capitol Hill on Monday for the first time after a three-month absence due to health issues. ---
**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:** [September 14, 2026, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/957 "2026-09-14T22:34:45Z")
Wrong time of year. 😉 ---
**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:** [September 14, 2026, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/958 "2026-09-14T22:51:24Z")
So has he actually said anything on camera yet? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2026, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/959 "2026-09-14T22:57:53Z")
Not dead then? Nor brain dead or in a coma? But he does not look long for this world, no doubt. ---
**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:** [September 14, 2026, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/960 "2026-09-14T23:36:13Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > He is risen! No room in Hell yet I guess. Or hopefully we’re saving room for the other guy. ---
**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:** [September 14, 2026, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/961 "2026-09-14T23:39:36Z")
There’s C-SPAN footage of him on the Senate floor having conversations with other senators. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=47) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=49)