Then we’re at an impasse. And it’s not a new debate. Call it a lie, call it deceptive, call it whatever, but it has the same impact, which is a loss of trust in the things someone says.
IF he had a cardiac arrest. Okay, so IF he had a cardiac arrest and left it out , then yes, that is deceptive. But the important thing is- there is no solid evidence that such an event occurred.
So, DID he have a cardiac arrest?
Before we can argue over whether or not he has to or should release that or whether not admitting such is a lie, all we have is a hypothetical, We do not know he had a cardiac arrest.
Maybe you can submit proof that he did have a cardiac arrest before making such remarks?
We don’t have proof, but we do have evidence. How solid is it? Not very solid, but solid enough to make me continue to question the statements from McConnell’s people.
Like I said, it’s not just “someone says they heard something on the scanners,” it’s a reputable news organization who has a recording of the scanner traffic and is reporting on what it says. That’s not nothing.
Eh, but as has been amply demonstrated by people in all walks of life for a long time, moral obligation is $2 short of a coffee at Dunkin. We OTOH get to exercise our right to bitch and moan about it as much as we want.
Washington — On the same morning Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell was hospitalized last month, emergency medical personnel went to his home to respond to an unconscious person who appeared to experience “cardiac arrest,” according to a public EMS dispatch call reviewed by CBS News.
During the recording, a dispatcher called in a “cardiac arrest” and a medic said there was “CPR in progress” at McConnell’s address. The dispatcher also said somebody was “unconscious.” The call came in before 9 a.m. on June 14. The senator’s name is not mentioned during the call, and CBS News has not confirmed the identity of the unconscious person.
Not nothing, sure- I agree. But not proof.
https://thehill.com/opinion/lindseys-lens/5966021-senator-mcconnell-health-update/
McConnell says he suffered a fall last month that briefly knocked him unconscious. He put out a statement saying:
“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I’ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia.”
This is turning into a nothing burger. In six months he’ll be out of office, dead or alive or somewhere in between. The Senate is not going to do diddly between now and then. His health is his business to disclose or not disclose, end of story.
It could be relevant if he dies just after the deadline before the election, leaving his seat vacant until January when whoever’s elected in November takes office. Could help prevent some lame-duck shenanigans.
I’ll say this much – McConnell may have anticipated this kind of event befalling him after Lloyd Austin’s Dec 2023-Jan 2024 cancer surgery and hospitalization (my bolding below):
Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, and the only member of Congress Austin contacted about his hospitalization, called it a “serious incident” and said there needs to be accountability from the Pentagon.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik and Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, and Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, all Republicans, have called for Austin to resign. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell did not answer when asked if Austin should resign.
The first 10-12 posts of a contemporary P&E thread provides a refresher on Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization, for which the former Defense Secretary drew considerable bipartisan criticism.
I sort of forgot about that thread, since it was 2 1/2 years ago, but you are right that we didn’t give Austin a pass just because he was part of a Democratic administration.
My original stance in the thread was saying I wasn’t sure if the situation was really a problem or not, but when it was clear that it represented a severe breach of protocol, I joined the chorus of people saying that it shouldn’t be ignored or swept under the rug.
Reporter: How are you feeling now Mr. McConnell?
McConnell: Errgg blachhhhh byoooop.
McConnell’s aide: He says he’s feeling great.
Mostly I agree, but
That is a good point also.
Sometimes bystanders, like for example the person who called 911, initiate CPR, doesn’t always mean it was needed. Generally speaking, it’s better to get it and not need it that need it and not get it. In my county, medics usually report bystander CPR, but who knows.
The tapes in question were not 911 calls but rather police scanner traffic, meaning any information about the state of the patient would have been coming from someone trained in CPR and/or a full-on EMT. That doesn’t mean the discrepancy here isn’t just some basic confusion or a game of telephone – it more than likely is – but it’s why people are putting a little more stock into it.
This. Up high politicians have a fucking obligation. Can you imagine if Trump ghosted the US for several weeks? I mean, Trump disappearing for weeks sound really good to me, but high up elected politicians owe the public to disclose this sort of stuff. This isn’t Janitor Jim out on FMLA for a couple of weeks…
HIPAA doesn’t mean people can’t talk about their medical issues. It means their medical providers cannot (and only certain ones that take insurance (the I in HIPAA)). And yes, I double-nested those.
To be clear, it means that providers (and insurers, and business associates of those two “covered entities” which use people’s “personal health information” as part of their work) cannot legally disclose someone’s health information without that person’s permission.
Mostly correct. There are medical providers not covered by HIPAA because they don’t take insurance and bill electronically (a lot of teaching clinical psych clinics for example). That doesn’t mean they don’t have have plenty of other PHI regulations that restrict them giving out PHI - they wouldn’t be in business for long if they did. My point is people think HIPAA means no one can talk about someone’s medical issues. That isn’t true.
Completely agreed, and thank you for the further clarification.
An executive job is different from legislative.
Even at age 65, a high percent of Americans have diagnoses that are scary to those who do not have them, and could be used against them in a campaign – perhaps some sort of cancer and/or heart disease. Should all the Democrats in Congress who have a chronic indolent cancer have to announce that to a public which will just focus on the word cancer?
You might say, no, because chronic, as opposed to acute, cancer is unimportant. But that would be an oversimplification.
If we did try to draw a line, I would say there should be a small committee with nuclear weapons authority (all on committee have to agree), and only they have a public medical record requirement. The committee could be president, VP, secretary of defense, and secretary of state. Those four – make their entire medical record public. Let everyone else have their medical records be private.
Once McConnell gave up being majority leader, I do not see what is so special about him. Lying? As political lies go, this is minor.
If one of my TWO most powerful politicians in my state disappeared for 4 weeks, I would be pissed. He isn’t the city dog catcher. There is a vast difference between having medical records be private and ghosting your constituents. He didn’t have to say “I’m lying here in a coma” but, you know, he has an entire staff that could get out sanitized info. They were LYING by omission. Disgraceful. Despicable. We need age limits. We have elderly people that are way past their prime leading this country. Once you are well past the age that the US govt says you MUST start taking money out of your retirement account, it’s probably time to retire as someone leading that US govt.
Also, there are a few Grand Canyons between 65 and 84.
And, OMG, I just watched Jon Stewart. He says it way better than I can. People past retirement age (as defined by the US govt) shouldn’t be in the US govt. They make rules about this. Hold themselves to it.