# 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:** 51
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1002 "2026-09-17T18:23:52Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > From what I have seen, Grassley has needed handlers to tell him what to do for a while now. Mitch is relatively new to this. If by “this” you mean being a barely sentient living corpse manipulated by your handlers, I agree. I wonder why government has such a bad reputation for being ineffectual and incompetent. Surely the orange-hued convicted felon suffering severe dementia who’s running the whole thing, and who possesses all the intelligence of an acorn, can make things right. ---
**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:** [September 17, 2026, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1003 "2026-09-17T19:07:35Z")
If proxy votes are permitted, why did they need to wheel McConnell in? ---
**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:** [September 17, 2026, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1004 "2026-09-17T20:41:31Z")
Because the ones voting by proxy are known to be sentient. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1005 "2026-09-17T21:21:07Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > The lights are on, but nobody’s home. > > [@strictlychristo.bsky.social on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/strictlychristo.bsky.social/post/3mvldejslyk2a) The thing is, @PhillyGuy, there’s nothing politically disadvantageous to answering these questions, and they did try to hide showing video of him. Just a thumbs up to say he’s there, or anything other than than a vacant stare with a rigid, unmoving smile. I guess we just have to chalk this up to yet another absence seizure. ---
**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 17, 2026, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1006 "2026-09-17T21:31:53Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > If proxy votes are permitted They aren’t in the Senate. Thanks to McConnell, ironically. ---
**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:** [September 17, 2026, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1007 "2026-09-17T21:37:41Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Just a thumbs up to say he’s there, or anything other than than a vacant stare with a rigid, unmoving smile. Well, he did give a thumbs up and the peace sign that was cropped out of the video posted yesterday. It at least shows more activity than the clipped bit, although I don’t know if that’s better. The way he kept waving the peace sign suggests he doesn’t have a clue what’s happening. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wjQcQus5Lu0/maxresdefault.jpg "Mitch McConnell Heads to Capitol Hill in Wheelchair Following Three Month Medical Absence") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjQcQus5Lu0) ---
**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:** [September 17, 2026, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1008 "2026-09-17T22:08:16Z")
I thought I heard some proxy voting in the Mitch video. ---
**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:** [September 17, 2026, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1009 "2026-09-17T22:11:22Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > They aren’t in the Senate. They aren’t permitted in full Senate votes, on the Senate floor. They _may be_ permitted in some circumstances during committee meetings, depending on the rules which the committee adopts. > [@](#): > > In an effort to operate efficiently despite the competing scheduling demands placed on its members, all Senate standing committees permit “proxy voting” in some instances, and many of them permit certain questions to be “polled.” Proxy voting is a practice whereby an absent Senator authorizes a second, present Senator to cast a vote in addition to his or her own during a committee markup meeting. When polling, a committee or subcommittee asks its members to approve questions relating to legislation or internal committee business without formally meeting. Under Senate rules and precedents, committees have significant freedom to regulate their use of proxies and polls. Proxy votes may not be used, however, to constitute the quorum necessary to successfully order a committee report. [https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/RS22952](https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/RS22952) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1010 "2026-09-17T22:15:09Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Well, he did give a thumbs up and the peace sign that was cropped out of the video posted yesterday. It at least shows more activity than the clipped bit, although I don’t know if that’s better. The way he kept waving the peace sign suggests he doesn’t have a clue what’s happening. Peace sign??? Do you mean “V for Victory”? he is 84. ---
**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:** [September 17, 2026, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1011 "2026-09-17T22:23:32Z")
Considering he was an infant during WWII when it meant victory and in his 20s during the 60s when it meant peace, I’m fine with calling it a peace sign. But if you want to be extra nitpicky, both “victory” and “peace” are supposed to be with your palm facing out. Palm facing in, like he was doing, means “fuck you” in the UK and elsewhere. There, I’ve put more brain activity toward this than he showed all day. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1012 "2026-09-17T22:43:17Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > There, I’ve put more brain activity toward this than he showed all day. ROFL. But seriously, these videos of him are terrifying. He’s a zombie. I honestly did not expect him to be this brain damaged but holy hell. ---
**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:** [September 18, 2026, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1013 "2026-09-18T02:15:45Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > From what I have seen, Grassley has needed handlers to tell him what to do for a while now. And may we be reminded, Grassley is currently #3 in the order of succession behind VP Vance and Speaker Johnson. (If the Senate majority switched he’d be replaced in that spot by Patty Murray (D-WA) who at least seems functional.) ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1014 "2026-09-18T02:33:32Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > And may we be reminded, Grassley is currently #3 in the order of succession behind VP Vance and Speaker Johnson. I would normally say that is a fucking scary thought, but I would gladly take super-addled Grassley over delusional-narcissistic-Trump and VP Couch Humper. I would hope that Grassley’s handlers would steer him back to “normal” presidential actions. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1015 "2026-09-18T22:21:05Z")
I’m wondering if this whole Mitch thing is just a bit. Maybe he got hold of a copy of the 1960 TV-play, called "A Silent Panic,’ and wanted to cosplay the **[Harpo Marx](https://www.factinate.com/people/harpo-marx-facts/51/)** character: [![](https://www.factinate.com/storage/app/media/factinate/2021/01/Harpo_Marx_Silent_Panic_DuPont_Show_1960.jpg) ](https://www.factinate.com/storage/app/media/factinate/2021/01/Harpo_Marx_Silent_Panic_DuPont_Show_1960.jpg) [seen here in a Committee vote…] ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1016 "2026-09-18T22:31:20Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > And may we be reminded, Grassley is currently #3 in the order of succession behind VP Vance and Speaker Johnson. Throw in the Orange One himself, and the four of them put together don’t have the intellectual capacity of one normal human. And people are still trying to figure out why the federal government is so dysfunctional! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2026, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1017 "2026-09-20T02:34:18Z")
Snopes weighs in- > **[Mitch McConnell's health: 12 claims we've investigated](https://www.snopes.com/collections/mitch-mcconnell-health-rumors/)** > > After three months of missing votes following a June hospitalization, the 84-year-old senator returned to work on Sept. 14, 2026. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2026, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1018 "2026-09-20T03:35:39Z")
Huh. Odd that he walked in and out of the chamber, yet they wheeled him in completely. I had at least thought he was basically wheelchair bound (maybe able to stand a little but not walk), albeit more alert and mobile than the one video. ---
**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:** [September 20, 2026, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1019 "2026-09-20T03:48:32Z")
The most recent “weighing in” was from August in reference to a video from June, before his hospital stay. Did I miss something about him walking into the Senate this week? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2026, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1020 "2026-09-20T18:37:07Z")
All I can say is try the link- or not. ---
**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 20, 2026, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/1021 "2026-09-20T18:40:17Z")
Can you post a citation from the link? Because i looked at it, and there was a ton there, and everything i looked at was irrelevant to your claim. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=50) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=52)