I mean, I know photos don’t necessary tell the whole story, but when I look at that, I see a person who is completely not there, smiling because someone told him to. Just look at how his wife is looking at the camera and he’s just blankly staring into space.
I also don’t think any conspiracy is needed here. It seems to me that this is a decrepit old man, who probably had a stroke or something similar, clinging onto his job for dear life, and being enabled to do so by his staff and friends in the party. I don’t think it needs to be more complicated than that.
I agree. I think he doesn’t want to be seen in his reduced state and is waiting out the clock on his term, his recovery, or his life (whichever comes first). He knows he has no legal obligation to share anything and, as usual, does what benefits him the most.
I don’t think he would do anything that benefits either Trump or MAGA; actually the opposite. Trump wouldn’t give McConnell the Lindsey treatment; he would bash and mock McConnell as much as possible.
I’m assuming he had a stroke and is responsive, but even if he was unresponsive or brain dead, his medical power of attorney (likely his wife) knows his wishes. He’s had health issues; it must have been discussed.
His family, friends, and especially staff are likely loyal. If not, they would have been purged long ago.
Who is supposed to be calling the shots in this scenario? IIRC, his wife doesn’t like Trump either.
And to what advantage? That Massie might get appointed and then might win the next election?
And his staff have his jobs that depend on him remaining in the Senate. I don’t think they are breaking any laws, or even being particularly unethical. Why wouldn’t they protect his privacy?
Yes, as has been said already, that is exactly the reason.
There is a low chance that Massie would be elected in a special election held before November. But it’s not zero. Special elections are weird, unpredictable things. Even if the party isn’t overly worried about such an outcome, they would much rather avoid it completely.
Yes, it can be so dismissed, and it should be. McConnell is alive and able to perform simple tasks. He is not “brain dead” or in a coma. That does not mean he is well enough to return to the Senate floor- which was never claimed- in fact the opposite-
In a July 27 release, McConnell said he is still “working hard to get back to my full schedule of work in the Senate and in Kentucky, keeping up with intense physical therapy per my doctors’ orders.” He was initially hospitalized on June 14 and remains at a rehab facility, according to a statement from the U.S. Congress’ Office of the Attending Physician.
The statement from the Office of the Attending Physician said physicians are meeting with McConnell daily to discuss “all aspects of his rehabilitation care.”
“Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls,” the release said. "His bout with childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility. He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office.”
The emailed release from McConnell’s office included a photo of the senator and his wife, former U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, dated July 26.
Cite? Unless you are talking about a court order for a missing person?
I’ve read the thread. It was a rhetorical question. It’s a ridiculous suggestion that they would cover up McConnell’s death because of a bunch of maybes.
I agree, and further: the death of a human being is a legal matter, and laws require that a death be reported. Concealing a death is a crime, and a pretty serious one; medical professionals who participate in doing so would likely be looking at losing their licenses to practice medicine, as well as facing legal consequences.
I don’t believe that McConnell is dead, but he is almost certainly far more incapacitated than his staff has been willing to let on.
I thjnk people are overestimating the importance of a special election in which the winner would hold office for three months at most and which the Senate would be out of session for most of.
I flubbed my original post. Here’s the correction:
A coroner CAN’T confirm the death of a body they can’t locate.
There’s no real citation – a coroner would first have to learn a person’s location to physically visit that person’s body. Stand in front of the body. Evaluate in person whether what they’re being told/shown about the person is reasonable. That’s all I’m saying.
Yeah but if Trump is going to run in 2028 and continue the MAGA takeover of the US, he needs Republicans to hold congress after the midterms. He also needs them to do his bidding if he’s going to fuck with the elections in November. I don’t know if it would ever come down to McConnell’s vote (or absence), but having Massie there wouldn’t help. I know everyone says every election is the Most Important Election Evar, but this November is going to be extremely significant for the future of the country.