Post New

Multiple outlets have posted a clip from a local TV station press conference in Kentucky where Mitch McConnel once again froze for nearly 30 seconds in the middle of answering a reporter's question about -- wait for it -- his re-election campaign.

Mitch's apparent medical problem is disturbing enough.

What is worse is the response of his aide / staffer / handler.

She steps in exactly 7 seconds after Mitch goes silent after only one or two words of a response and asks him if he heard the question, after he had just asked the reporter to repeat the question before feigning that he didn't hear the question at first.

For a famous, powerful figure who has already had an episode EXACTLY like this only a few weeks back, I would have expected one of two responses.... An immediate recognition of the situation as another identical TIA / stroke type situation requiring him to be immediately taken away while medical assistance is called via 911... or an immediate recognition of a possibly different one-off medical event again requiring immediate action.

Instead, the handler seemed perfectly unfazed by the situation, as if identical behaviors have become common and predictable in duration ("I'm sorry y'all, we're gonna need a minute..."). She acted as though he was having a HEARING problem. I know Mitch is old and many seniors have hearing loss, but I've never heard any mention of Mitch having a hearing issue that required people standing next to him to speak like they were talking to someone with a severe hearing loss. It's not that he can't HEAR you, he can't PROCESS what you're saying. The question was WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION IN 2026? He asked immediately after, WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT?

If any other caretaker was known to NOT respond to an episode like these of the past few weeks by calling 911 immediately to arrange for emergency stroke care, it would constitute elder abuse.

The fact that the party in question is a US Senator tells you how corrupt both parties have become when so much depends on others operating figures like this in a position of power like a puppet for their interests. Republicans have Mitch, Democrats have Diane. There's no whataboutism involved. This should be beneath us as a country.


WTH

The fact that the party in question is a US Senator tells you how corrupt both parties have become when so much depends on others operating figures like this in a position of power like a puppet for their interests.

I think that's completely wrong. This almost certainly has nothing to do with the parties.

Kentucky's a completely safe "red" state. Trump won by 26 points over Biden in 2020; McConnell trailed him with only a 20 point win in the Senate election. There's no benefit to the party to keeping McConnell in place (and similarly, no benefit to the Democratic party to have Feinstein linger on). In fact, I suspect that if they had their druthers, the GOP would be perfectly happy to have McConnell resign gracefully if he's non compos mentis - Beshear has to appoint a Republican to replace him, so there's no risk of a change in party power in the Senate. He can even announce his retirement effective on the appointment of a replacement, if he want's to make sure there's no gap.

But no one can make a Senator leave. This is not a GOP decision. It's a McConnell decision.

albaby1: ...(and similarly, no benefit to the Democratic party to have Feinstein linger on...

Republicans could block a replacement for Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee, leaving the committee deadlocked. So, yeah, democrats definitely have a benefit keeping Feinstein in office. Correct me if I'm mistaken.

Republicans could block a replacement for Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee, leaving the committee deadlocked. So, yeah, democrats definitely have a benefit keeping Feinstein in office. Correct me if I'm mistaken.

True - I had forgotten about that.

That's interesting. So there is no mechanism for removal based on mental competence? I would think the state (KY) would have some means to replace him if he's no longer able to serve. Sort of like the 25th Amendment is for the POTUS.

Or would it depend on which state? Maybe FL has a mechanism, but KY doesn't? (for example)

In both cases, both parties will eventually lose someone with great seniority and an established brand in their state that combine to make it very easy to get them re-elected rather than risking an election on a younger, less established candidate. Neither party is scouring the triple A levels for possible replacements as long as these older candidates can be relied upon to dutifully vote as expected by the special interests that own them.

One would normally think a family member would be lobbying in private to convince people in this condition to step down. That may be happening. But who else is whispering in their ear telling them "you're doing find, hang in there..." Lobbyists for insurance companies and coal companies (McConnell)? Lobbyists for financial or legal interests (Feinstein)?


WTH

One would normally think a family member would be lobbying in private to convince people in this condition to step down. That may be happening. But who else is whispering in their ear telling them "you're doing find, hang in there..." Lobbyists for insurance companies and coal companies (McConnell)? Lobbyists for financial or legal interests (Feinstein)?

Maybe. Even likely.

But what I was really pushing back on is the idea that the political parties are strong enough to materially affect their decisions, such that their remaining in office reflects on the parties. I just think that's wrong. Political parties today are weaker than they've ever been, as institutions. Part of that is due to technology, and part of that is due to deliberate choices we've made to cut down the role of party organizations and leaders in controlling who gets elected. They just don't have anywhere near the power they used to have. Certainly not enough power to force out a sitting Senator. Whether Feinstein or McConnell stay or go is really outside of their control. And I'm not even sure they ever had enough power to force a Senator to retire before their term was up.

To 1pg's question, states probably don't have the Constitutional authority to recall or otherwise replace a Senator:

https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/20120105_RL30...

The Senate could expel a member, by a 2/3 vote. But regardless of what their colleagues think of the mental condition of Feinstein or McConnell, I imagine both are regarded fondly by their colleagues on their side of the aisle. They're probably not willing to subject them to the humiliation of an expulsion vote.

This was probably not a stroke. There are many other possible causes of freezing (e.g. Parkinson's disease), some of which can be successfully treated.

Everyone should know the signs of a stroke, because immediate treatment is important to minimize the damage.

Stroke Signs and Symptoms
https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/signs_symptoms.htm says:

"If you think someone may be having a stroke, act F.A.S.T. and do the following test:

F'Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

A'Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

S'Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is the speech slurred or strange?

T'Time: If you see any of these signs, call 9-1-1 right away.

Call 9-1-1 immediately if any of these signs of stroke appear: Numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg; Confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech; Trouble seeing in one or both eyes; Trouble walking, dizziness, or problems with balance; severe headache with no known cause."

I tried to check for AZ, figuring it may be dependent on what state. I found this very brief "no".

https://www.cga.ct.gov/PS98/rpt%5Colr%5Chtm/98-R-1....

It's prohibited by the federal constitution. So someone has to convince Feinstein and McConnell that they should step down.

Excellent advice. Thank you.

Many years ago I suffered a severe vertigo attack while at work and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Many tests later found no reason for the vertigo attack.
Following I had a couple more attacks that sent me to the ER. More tests, no results why.

Severe attacks have disappeared, but for some reason the vertigo continues in a different form. I can sense when an attack is coming on. It lasts for only a matter of seconds and I must pause, wait for the whirling effect to pass and then continue whatever I was doing as if nothing had happened.

Perhaps this is akin to Mitch McConnel 'freezing up' for a matter of seconds?
I am not concern about Mitch pauses for a few seconds.

I am not concern about Mitch pauses for a few seconds.


Of course not. Because it wasn't Biden. If it had been....

LM: 'I am not concern about Mitch pauses for a few seconds.'


sheila: Of course not. Because it wasn't Biden. If it had been....


Biden is a bumbling idiot and everyone knows it, so do you,
but he is a democrat and your dem bosses tell you to defend
him no matter what.

Biden is a bumbling idiot and everyone knows it, so do you,
but he is a democrat and your dem bosses tell you to defend
him no matter what.


You live in your own story-world that reverses fact and fiction. Reality is unable to penetrate.

You live in your own story-world that reverses fact and fiction. Reality is unable to penetrate.

sheila, do me and the Board a favor and stop it with your playground spitball throwing.

I attack public figures and unlike you I do my best not to attack fellow shrewdm posters.

sheila, do me and the Board a favor and stop it with your playground spitball throwing.

I attack public figures and unlike you I do my best not to attack fellow shrewdm posters.

I don't throw spitballs, I simply say what I see. As others here do as well, yet you single me out. And you don't just attack public figures. Your blatant and dripping scorn for whatever I say falls right into your spitball arena.

LM is an empty vessel. No critical thinking.

I don't throw spitballs, I simply say what I see. As others here do as well, yet you single me out. And you don't just attack public figures. Your blatant and dripping scorn for whatever I say falls right into your spitball arena.

I'm done with your childish swipes. This Board does not need your nonsense.
You are now on ignore.

She relies on Breitbart, Gateway Pundit, and similar sources. So what do you expect?

When you think about it, she is really a victim of the disinformation machine we have in this country. It makes her appear foolish, even though in real life I'm pretty sure she mostly isn't. But her sources feed her -as you expressed it- reversed "facts", which she then repeats, and subsequently are easily refuted.

Then she counters with "stop attacking my sources" as a defense, which doesn't help her. As you know, sources are everything. Inaccurate and unreliable sources give inaccurate and unreliable information that will fail to stand up to scrutiny. If one bothers to scrutinize.

LM is an empty vessel. No critical thinking.

I am not sure that is entirely fair. She gets bad information, so how can one expect a good result? I don't know her, but I suspect if she had good information, she would come to more reasonable conclusions.

It's like if you get your cosmology information from Genesis...you're not going to come to the same conclusions as someone who gets their info from Nature. Doesn't mean the person can't process information, they just had bad information to process.

Personally, I assume everyone here is reasonably intelligent. The question is where do they get their information. GIGO, as programmers sometimes say.

You are now on ignore.

Effectively, no difference between reading my posts and placing me on Ignore. Identical result.

I am not sure that is entirely fair. She gets bad information, so how can one expect a good result?

It sure seems to me that she CHOOSES bad information, and actively places her trust in it. How many many times have various posters here presented the true, verifiable facts to make it crystal clear where the reality is. Yet she clings to Breitbart and that world, and does so with arrogant smugness. And looks down on the rest of us as idiots.

I think that's part of the victimization.

The sources she relies upon also say that she can't rely on anyone else. So she buys into that line, also, and therefore discounts everything not from Breitbart or Gateway Pundit out-of-hand. Sort of like "the bible is God's word because it says so right in the bible".

Sure, there is a choice made also. She can choose not to verify and stay in the bubble. But I wonder if it isn't akin to battered-wife-syndrome, where she could leave, but she doesn't because she thinks she can't.

Breitbart has low credibility:
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/breitbart/

But they say they have "the truth", and only they do.

There are a lot of independent entities to fact-check a source. One just needs to use them. I get that it's particularly frustrating when you can fact check something in less than 10 seconds, and determine it is complete rubbish. Why didn't the person do that also? Why do they continue to rely on low-credibility sources? Humans have a history of doing that, especially when they are being told something that reinforces what they already believe.

LM is an empty vessel. No critical thinking.

I am not sure that is entirely fair. She gets bad information, so how can one expect a good result?

OK, maybe so. But it isn't that hard to seek out sources of information that are not so CLEARLY biased.

I am not sure that is entirely fair. She gets bad information, so how can one expect a good result?

OK, maybe so. But it isn't that hard to seek out sources of information that are not so CLEARLY biased.

You two and your third tag team member make me laugh. You have no problem trashing Trump and I have not gone off in a frenzy moaning and name calling. You're on a fast track turning this Board into the PA. Trash talk Trump all you want or any other public figure, I don't care. I'll defend him or whoever if I'm interest enough.

As I said earlier your left wing news outlets often do not print news that is unfavorable to Biden or democrats and are not as informed as you may think you are.

Post New

US Policy FAQ

---

Contact Shrewd'm
Contact the developer of these message boards.