Honestly, Dopers, I’ve seen 9/11 truthers and Kennedy assassination buffs that were more open to having their views challenged than some of us.
In case my post wasn’t clear, I’m 100% convinced it’s not a conspiracy. I just thought the paper was a funny touch, seemed very “hostage proof of life” to me, and then I looked closely at the letters and was surprised. The chance that it’s not real approaches zero: there’s no long term advantage at all to anyone to faking this.
Because he’s not in the hospital, he’s in rehab.
Four weeks in hospital with no public statement after a fall is ridiculous, and if I were his constituent, I’d be furious. Even if you factor in the (presumably subsequent) pneumonia, the lack of communication from someone who is supposed to be working for the public is still unreasonable.
Either there’s some dark conspiracy, which is unlikely, or he doesn’t care much anymore, which is possible, or he was too out of it to make a statement and nobody else dared to do so on his behalf.
That seems the most likely to me: he was seriously ill, and nobody wanted to say anything until he was recovered enough to make the statement himself, or dead enough that they had to. He may well have primed his staff to say nothing in such situations; if he’s anything like my father, who is the same age, he would assume that anything that happens to him at age 84 will be minor and well within his control.
We so deeply distrust anything coming from the Republicans because the leader of the party is an inverterate liar whom they enable either by ignoring what he says or openly supporting them. I’m not surprised we’re seeing a weird proliferation of conspiracy beliefs.
I see 3 lines in the second paragraph of the picture McConnell published. You are looking at the third paragraph and seeing the first two as one. Because it’s a garbage pic.
When I spent a week in the hospital a few years ago they let me wear street clothes once I was out of the ICU.
I don’t really mean to nitpick, but I first read that misspell as invertebrate. Nonsense, turtles certainly have vertebrae.
By the way, the Times reported the story straight and raised no doubt. I am sure they would have vetted that photo carefully. But, as with Thomas Kean, why all the secrecy?
CNN also says that it’s Sunday’s sports section from the Washington Post.
If you look closely at the photograph, you can see that they’ve sewn McConnell’s head onto Lindsay Graham’s body. It’s in the pixels. Wake up sheeple!
I wish him good health, but if my GOP U.S. Senator David McCormick needs to take off a few months for private reasons, fine with me.
Seriously, a governor or president should be forthcoming on health due to their executive responsibilities. But a member of a legislature has no such responsibility I can see.
Are you kidding? To be clear: if they need time off for their health, they should take it, same as anyone else. They don’t owe their constituents the details, as they have as much right to privacy as anyone. But after a few days away, they SHOULD communicate that they are away for health reasons, and who is looking after the job in the meantime.
Our mostly free press let us know from day one that McConnell was away for health reasons.
As for who is looking after the job in the meanwhile, it is in the nature of legislative work that you cannot delegate it. Whether on the senate floor or in committee sessions, no one can speak or vote for a senator.
I realize some of the other Republicans are trying to say that Mitch is on top of things while in the hospital or rehab. This is political nonsense.
EDIT: For some purposes, such as asking Trump for a disaster declaration should such be needed, the person who is “looking after the job in the meanwhile” is the other Kentucky senator, Rand Paul.
I completely agree. But to be fair, when constituents need to deal directly with a Congresscritter, it’s pretty much always the staff that they deal with. I’ve had such encounters here in Canada, where the relevant authority is an MP (Member of Parliament). Never met the person myself, but a letter from “The Office of xx, Member of Parliament for xx” to an organization giving me grief can have the most remarkable and invigorating effects!
Hmmm… I gonna go with not reputable.
No.
When I look at a thread like this, I ask myself how I would react if the sick politician was a congressional Democrat. And I know I would defend them.
Frederica Wilson wasn’t treated like a saint or defended when she similarly went missing without providing info. I don’t think there’s as much of a bias as you’re alleging.
She wasn’t attacked, of course, but there’s no “it’s okay if a Democrat does it” going on here.
I just don’t see any logic for why it would be different. A representative is still supposed to be representing in the same way a governor is supposed to be governing. Both have government responsibilities to the people who elected them. Executive or legislative doesn’t seem like a relevant difference.
Look at my cites above.
Good points.
And BBC and The Guardian.
Yes, you’re right — my last few posts make no sense really. My brain is on vacation today, with no public statements…