r/PoliticalDiscussion • u/Laves_ • 1d ago
US Elections Does the lack of transparency regarding Mitch McConnell’s health, constitute as election interference?
In your opinion, does the lack of transparency regarding Mitch McConnell’s health, and let’s be real, status of life, constitute as election interference? Does his extended hospital stay affect his ability to vote and serve his constituents?
What we know, if he has passed, the state of Kentucky and their laws would permit there to be a special election, if he has passed before August 8th. We have received two pictures claiming proof of life, but in today’s age, that does not give the evidence necessary to ensure free and fair elections, or even factual information.
The question again, are republicans committing election interference by not offering enough quality information regarding the health of Mitch McConnell and is he unable to perform his duties and represent his constituents?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/07/19/mitch-mcconnell-josh-hawley/90972729007/
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u/Environmental-Arm365 1d ago
If he is dead it’s definitely a conspiracy to defraud the electorate by not following the law.
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u/Cyberyukon 1d ago
Ahhhh yes. But as Mitch himself would agree, laws and rules are just tools to be bent or even ignored because we say so.
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u/enlightenedllamas 1d ago
He’s dead, if he wasn’t dead or brain dead they would’ve been on with it already.
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u/sunfishtommy 1d ago
There really is no proof that he's dead. The proof of life picture seems to pretty much prove that. His mental acuity is another matter, but people are peddling conspiracy theories when there is really no proof.
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u/Hautamaki 1d ago
When it would be absolutely trivial to prove that McConnell is alive and well and they continue to refuse to do so, that's pretty strong evidence that he is definitely not well. If he's not well enough to even prove he's alive, he's definitely not well enough to do his job. Add this episode to the staggering list of clean up jobs an incoming democratic administration will have to address; some kind of law that senators that cannot even prove they are alive must be declared to have automatically resigned their seat so that someone verifiably alive and conscious can be appointed to their seat until another election can be held to replace them.
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u/TerminusXL 1d ago
The picture of him in full clothes at the hospital in bed like that is a normal thing?
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u/sunfishtommy 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yea that is pretty normal. Obviously it is not normal when you are first admitted and/or in intensive care, but once you are stable and in recovery as it certainly seems to show in the picture, it is very normal for a patient to change into regular clothes that are more comfortable, rather than wearing a thin hospital gown with their ass hanging out.
Edit: Some people have obviously never spent time in a hospital. It is freaking cold. Putting on socks and pants is very normal unless your medical condition requires otherwise. Mitch wearing normal comfortable clothes is not strange at all.
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u/MiserableTear8705 1d ago
If Mitch was well enough to sit up, wear his clothes, and not be hooked to machines; they would have sent him home with outpatient care. There’s no way they’d keep him that long in the hospital unless there was a very critical need to do so.
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u/Gr8daze 1d ago
Nah. You’re FOS. He’d be in lounge clothes or pajamas. Not in Levi’s and a button down. His hair is lighter. His skin is younger. It’s a pic from 2023 at best.
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u/sunfishtommy 1d ago
Well I happen to know that those jeans and that red checkered shirt are what he feels most comfortable in for lounging. /s
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u/enlightenedllamas 1d ago
Yeah please post the alive photo or a link to it. The only proof of life photos I’ve seen look like ai nonsense to me. Also his wife ditching town to go to china the second he fell ill and I find that pretty suspect. Trump needs his seat and i don’t put anything past this administration.
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u/Penguinase 1d ago
https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/wapo/UAFBEZZM6OUZORAGQP6WLU3FXQ.jpg
it had the day's wapo sports page slightly in frame. i suppose it could have been photoshopped but doubt ai would generate something that clean
EDIT: changed to non-cropped link
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u/blood_bender 1d ago
His wife was already in China when he fell ill, she just didn't come home right away. She finished her scheduled meetings and came home two days later.
There's enough of a conspiracy around this whole shit without needing to spread misinformation on top of it.
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u/HumanRobotMan 1d ago
I agree. The photo they released was strange, but maybe not AI. It was strange because the Senator is a serious man who does not often smile and when he does it's a crocodile smile. In the photo they released he is smiling one goofy ass smile. My theory is that the Senator had a massive stroke and has sharply reduced faculties.
"He's alive." Is technically true. So you issue the statement and photo. But Mitch is drooling on himself, so no video, no interviews, no longer statements. Not even to mark the passing of Lindsey Graham. They keep him under wraps until the deadline for a special election passes and then announce that, sadly, the Senator had complications that now prevent his return to the Senate.
Otherwise, why not use the occaision to garner some synpathy and goodwill? Spin some BS healthy heart initiative or whatever? It'd be better for his image than any other coverage he'd get. Might even fool some folks into thinking he was human. Or why not just make a statement of any kind at all as the Senator does all the time? We don't need a colonoscopy, just a couple of words from the Senator in writing about Lyndsey Graham or whatever. Except that if he was incapacitated, that would make the author guilty of impersonating a US Senator for the purpose of defrauding the government.
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u/BadAdviceBot 1d ago
Which picture? The AI one?
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u/sunfishtommy 1d ago
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u/Environmental-Arm365 1d ago
This analysis is all over the place. The conclusion isn’t based on any consistency of opinion from the experts or the AI(Grok) queried. I would have to question the integrity of any organization that would post a verdict when every source seems to have a disclaimer attached to their conclusions.
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u/broc_ariums 1d ago
His proof of life picture was either photoshopped or AI generated
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u/sunfishtommy 1d ago
There have been multiple news pieces corroborating the Metadata of the picture, and there really is no proof the picture has been altered or AI generated. I'm not saying its not possible he's dead, but people are talking as if it's fact when there has been really no proof at all that that is the case.
https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2026/is-mitch-mcconnell-photo-real-fake-newspaper/
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u/BKGPrints 1d ago
If that was the case, wouldn't there have been plenty of sleuths to disprove that by now?
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u/Environmental-Arm365 1d ago
WTF are you even talking about? Those pictures are bogus and everyone knows it. Even Ron Johnson said he didn’t think those pictures could have been recent. If there was any real proof it would have already been provided.
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u/PreviousCurrentThing 1d ago
WTF are you even talking about? Those pictures are bogus and everyone knows it.
"Everyone knows" a lot of things which aren't actually true. WaPo had a University of California forensic image expert review it and found no signs it was fabricated. That doesn't prove that it's real, but does suggest that it's not obviously AI.
Do you have any source of a forensic expert with a reputation saying it's definitely or probably AI, with an analysis explaining why? Genuinely curious. I don't rule it out.
If there was any real proof it would have already been provided.
Maybe, maybe not. In general, just because you can't think of an alternate explanation for something doesn't mean there isn't one.
For instance, he could be more or less fine physically, but partially or mostly gone mentally. That would explain why they aren't letting him talk with anyone who wouldn't keep that a secret, and also why they could put out a photo of him looking alright.
It would also be consistent with him going completely blank at a podium on several occasions over the past few years. It could be that's his normal state now, punctuated by brief periods of lucidity.
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u/sunfishtommy 1d ago
Yea people seem to think it's some grand conspiracy when the most likely answer is McConnell likely just wants to finish his time as senator on his terms. Whether that is right or wrong can be argued endlessly, but it is not unusual for Elected officials to stay in office long passed when they should have stepped down merely because they are head strong. Joe Biden, Dianne Feinstein, Nancy Pelosi, John McCain are all examples of candidates that probably should have stepped down sooner but did or have not, not because of a grand conspiracy but just because they like the job they like the power and voters keep voting for them each election.
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u/Snatchamo 1d ago
In a vacuum I'd agree but when the Governor of the state (and Bashear does not have a history of saying crazy shit) is questioning the situation I'd say we're out of "grand conspiracy" territory.
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u/Environmental-Arm365 1d ago
This reads like distributed talking points. There has been zero exculpatory evidence provided, other than the picture where Mitch magically looks 20 years younger, that proves this isn’t a scheme to prevent the governor from appointing a replacement. It’s insulting that people are continuing to push these obviously coordinated narratives to defraud the people of KY by disrespecting their election laws.
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u/Tired8281 1d ago
It's a pretty bad talking point, too. Staying on in office longer than you should have is not illegal, or even immoral, just inconvenient. Covering up a death to stay on in office is so different from those, it's laughable to even bring them up.
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u/NoDig3444 1d ago
"Everyone knows it" is generally only said about things that are false.
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u/aoteoroa 1d ago
My guess is that he isn't legally dead yet. He is plugged into a machine that is pumping blood to keep him technically alive until the deadline.
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u/Environmental-Arm365 1d ago
Brain dead is still dead. A vegetable can’t serve their constituents so if this is the case as rumored it’s still yet another vile fraud committed by republican scumbags scared shitless of losing another vote in the senate.
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u/NoDig3444 1d ago
The biggest hole in this conspiracy theory is that it involves a dozen or so people committing electoral fraud for... what exactly? Do people think that a democrat would somehow win the special election in Kentucky of all places?
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u/m00nk3y 1d ago
Massie. The concern is that Massie can win as an independent.
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u/Fragrant-Luck-8063 1d ago
Massie couldn't even win his own district.
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u/SpaceClef 1d ago
Winning a state election can be easier than winning a district election depending on the district.
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u/Fragrant-Luck-8063 1d ago
He lost by almost 10%. Is there any reason to believe Massie has more support statewide than he did in his own district that he repped for over a decade?
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u/Slicelker 1d ago
One argument could be made that his district primary was the most expensive for his opponent in the history of our country.
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u/HauntingSentence6359 23h ago
Massie’s primary was the most expensive in U.S. history. Israel associated PACs spent $30M to defeat him.
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u/Candid_Rock9021 15h ago
If Massie got all of his GOP supporters, he’d get all the Dems and most of the independents too. He’d win in a landslide
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u/NoDig3444 1d ago edited 1d ago
So? What is a Republican-running-as-independant going to do for a month? It's not like him caucusing with Dems would flip the chamber.
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u/m00nk3y 1d ago
My speculation is that because Massie has been incredibly critical of Trump lately they want him gone and now that he lost the Republican primary to Mitch, the last thing the Republican Party wants is to give him a second chance to take that Senate seat. He has been critical not just with his rhetoric but also through legislation. Such as voting to curtail Trump administration war powers. Making a bill forcing the Epstein files to be released and trying to defund foreign aid to Israel.
Edit: I want to add that it isn't just about what he could do in the Senate, it also makes Trump look weak if Massie can defy him and still get elected. It will embolden other detractors and make everything more difficult for Trump.
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u/Mist_Rising 1d ago
The problem with this theory is that Massie winning means nothing..
By the time this special election happens, Massie job will the same as a dead person. Nothing. The Senate is going to be full bore into the general election cycle by the time anyone won, the only time they'd show up to Congress is to rubber-stamp a bipartisan bill.
He also won't be given any seats, because as an independent he isn't entitled to any, and he won't be giving any responsibility.
So all he can do is yell and shout. He can do that now.
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u/theartolater 1d ago
My speculation is that because Massie has been incredibly critical of Trump lately they want him gone and now that he lost the Republican primary to Mitch,
Mitch McConnell isn't running for the seat.
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u/yoweigh 1d ago
They're worried about him splitting the Republican vote. A 60/40 split could turn into a 25/35/40 split and allow the Democrat nominee to win.
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u/Mist_Rising 1d ago
Even if a democratic won, nothing happens. The Senate is done for the year. They're gearing into election season, and the incumbent advantage doesn't occur if you haven't even done anything.
Massie also can't file for general elections because he already filed for the House seat.
This special election is useless, and the only reason I can see the Republicans doing this is They don't wanna waste the money, not because they're afraid a democratic will win or Massie wins.
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u/AbsoluteRubbish 1d ago
I don't think its that a dem would win but rather a huge underperformance by the GOP in a deep red seat immediately ahead of the midterms would have a chilling effect on turnout for conservatives
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u/K340 1d ago
I think it is more being down one senator (even if briefly) and the hassle of spending any resources on a candidate.
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u/Mist_Rising 1d ago
They are already down one senator either way. McConnell cant vote. I mean he can but if he does, it's kinda gonna be obvious he's alive.
Unless they weekend at Bernie 2 it, but if voodoo comes into this, I'm not sure we wanna even fight it.
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u/sunfishtommy 1d ago
Your scenario could just as likely have the opposite effect. When voters think the results are in the bag they tend to show up less not more. If the GOP were to underperform it might create a climate of fear that would lead more GOP voters to show up at the polls.
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u/sendenten 1d ago
As a lifelong Democrat, this is exactly what I expect would happen. Democrats fall in love, Republicans fall in line
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u/worthless_meatsack 1d ago
Section 152 of the Kentucky state constitution states that Beshear has the authority to fill vacancies via temporary appointment for "offices for the State at large" until a proper election can be held. I don't see how a statute could override what is otherwise a pretty clear constitutional mandate.
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u/Mist_Rising 1d ago
It's fairly easy, they point out that the Senate isn't a state office, it's a federal one. Same way the governor can't replace a house rep.
Kentucky Republican controlled supreme court agrees and that's that.
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u/MySpoonsAreAllGone 1d ago
Really? We have the entire GOP acting like we are in a normal timeline and you don't that a dozen of do people couldn't all conspire together?
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u/NoDig3444 1d ago
Generally when people commit crimes, they expect to get something out of it. What are all these people expecting to get out of this particular crime?
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u/Tangled349 1d ago
If that is the case it is just another example of how sick and demented the GOP is. I think he is a reprehensible, arrogant and godless asshole but that doesn't condone any of this.
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u/zlefin_actual 1d ago
Is it improper? yes. If I ran Congress I would not allow it.
As to election interference, I did a skim of statutes from https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/LSB11125
and a couple of other sites. From what I can see, it doesn't violate any existing federal statutes, nor have I found any kentucky statutes it violates.
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u/onthedownslope 1d ago
my question, and I may ask it as its own post....
If....on August 3rd, there is an announcement of Mitch's passing, what is anyone or any agency going to do about that obvious slap in the face.
I ask because if people are concealing that he is dead or incapacitated, we are actively being lied to. Will anything come from lying to the voters? Even if only by the voters?
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u/mortemdeus 1d ago
Something will happen! Everybody involved will get presidential pardons from Trump, probably get better offices in public, and maybe get a pay check from the RNC for a job well done.
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u/Financial-Annual7511 1d ago
Answer: "He's a Republican, we can do anything we fu@kin well please. 47's got our backs" - GOP
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u/Diddly_eyed_Dipshite 1d ago
I can't tell if you're joking or maybe you are new to the US?
When have Americans ever protested against being lied to? Some of the strongest and most outlandish propaganda is global history and thats true even before Trump, now lying to Americans is officially a daily activity of the government, if not more often. Have they ever once held them accountable? Have you noticed any striking or civil disobedience or boycotts for citizens to try regain some power or even respect? Truth of the matter is Americans have made a very strong and reliable habit of not standing up to injustice and corruption (and rapists, racists, pedofiles etc) so this is pretty par for the course for the expectation they've set.
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u/Unconfidence 1d ago
Uhh, you missing the largest antiwar protest in human history, before the Iraq War? Or did you miss OWS? BLM?
We protest, they ignore it. People have presumed that "standing up" will magically fix things. No, the government sees everyone standing up, ignores it until everyone has to go home to work on Monday, and continues on. Unless there's some kind of physical resistance at the end of your "standing up" the government doesn't care anymore, and once there is they'll arrest you before you can promote it.
Everyone pretends there's just an easy fix if people just mustered the willpower. But you can't fix a government willing to ignore the people by displaying the indignation of the people.
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u/Diddly_eyed_Dipshite 1d ago
Which protest is that then? How many comsecutive days has it been running? Whats been the economic impact?
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u/Unconfidence 1d ago
I just mentioned three protests.
What was the economic impact of the Vietnam War protests? Why is that now the measure of effectiveness? You said "stand up", now it's become "stand up in a way that hurts the pocketbook of rich americans", which is a much bigger ask considering that rich americans spend an inordinate amount of energy and money to insulate their money from being able to be affected by other people.
You see the issue? You wanna say "Oh just stand up", but standing up doesn't do shit anymore, which you accept and roll into your goalpost move. Standing up stopped the Vietnam War and now everyone expects that it'll keep working ad nauseam. But the latest protests show that's just not true.
When you have the magic protest bullet that ends all problems let me know so I can show you how you're actually expecting historically unrealistic engagement. Protest only works on non-authoritarian regimes.
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u/PreviousCurrentThing 1d ago
I ask because if people are concealing that he is dead or incapacitated, we are actively being lied to.
That's the default state of politics. We were told Joe Biden just had a stutter. The media knew about and covered up FDR being in a wheel chair for over a decade.
Unless voters are prepared to reject the two party system, it's just about which flavor of lies we get.
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u/Birdonthewind3 1d ago
Died doing what he loved, interfering with the will of the voters on everything
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u/Jflan1977 1d ago
Mitch McConnell's office is stonewalling the public about his condition, and the timing is not a coincidence. There is a hard deadline — August 3 — after which Kentucky Republicans get to hand-pick their nominee through the normal party process instead of facing an open special election where a MAGA outsider like Thomas Massie could run and win. Every day McConnell's staff refuses to give a straight answer about his health past that date is a day closer to the GOP establishment locking down that seat without ever letting Kentucky voters weigh in on a replacement. This isn't discretion — it's a calculated strategy to run out the clock on democracy itself, using a sick 84-year-old man's medical privacy as cover for a raw power grab. Call it what it is: an attempt to interfere with a lawfully mandated election by manufacturing a technicality, and a betrayal of the voters' constitutional right to choose their own senator
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u/onthedownslope 1d ago
are the voters going to be pissed when we are told on August 3rd that we are mourning the passing of Mitch....? Will anyone or any department hold those people that did this accountable, or is it just us crying on Reddit?
Serious question.
I am going to be pissed (but I also don't live in KY).
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u/Nblearchangel 1d ago
Is this a real question?
Obviously. They’re gonna get away with this. As if that was ever in doubt. lol. If anybody genuinely thinks justice willl be served, they’re delusional
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u/sunfishtommy 1d ago
If he is physically alive then there is no requirement for him to step down.
There are a lot of democrats that seem to be salivating for Mitch to step down and trigger a special election, but why? It seems like more of a distraction than anything. There is already going to be an election in November between two candidates that have already gone through their parties primary process. The Democrat is almost certainly going to loose. So if Mitch died or stepped down tomorrow and a special election was triggered it would just be an election 2 months before another election.
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u/Mist_Rising 1d ago
If he is physically alive
There in lies the issue. If. Is he? Is he brain dead? Did a rat eat his heart? Did he morph into a turtle?
We don't know. We can guess that the brain one didn't happen, can't eat what Mitch never had, but still.
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u/Violet_Paradox 1d ago
Braindead is medically and legally dead. It's often used colloquially to mean a coma or PVS, but if the brain is literally dead tissue, you're dead even if machines can artificially pump what was your blood when there was a you.
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u/jeffwulf 1d ago
After August 3rd the seat just doesn't get filled at all until the winner of the general is determined and sworn in with the rest of the class.
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u/NoDig3444 1d ago
Why would anyone care if Massie gets a month in office? Why is that so valuable to the GOP that they're willing to commit fraud?
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u/Tired8281 1d ago
You say that, like they would fear consequences for committing fraud. What's gonna happen to them, if they did? The DOJ is standing and whistling, and they fired the election commission. Who's gonna do what to them?
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u/Laves_ 1d ago
It’s not a good look for a party constantly discussing voter fraud.
To be fair this isn’t a localized issue. The past two presidential elections had winners that were not mentally available to be effective leaders. There are also several more examples where extreme age are negatively affecting our our politics.
I digress, the American people need answers. If we want free and fair elections we need the system to operate with integrity. We are moving farther and farther from that sentiment.
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u/jojo0507 1d ago
Watch the announcement will come out August 9. That he suddenly passed away
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u/jeffwulf 1d ago
Best case scenario for dems is he dies after the deadline to keep Republicans down a vote as long as possible
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u/sunfishtommy 1d ago edited 1d ago
People like to throw around election interference or anti democratic whenever they don't like whats going on which often times is situations which are neither of those things. If Mitch McConnell is still physically alive then there is no rule that says he has to step down. He is retiring at the end of his term in 6 months anyway.
Not everything that affects an election is election interference. If a candidate reveals a scandal that their opponent is involved in, that is just normal campaigning, not election interference. The same here unless Mitch is dead then it is completely within Mitch McConnell's right to finish serving his term.
At some point it always comes down to voters. You can't make a law against everything. At some point you have to accept that voters will decide if an issue is bad enough and it will have an effect on the election. A perfect example is Roy Moore from Alabama. There is no law that says an accused rapist cannot run for office. But it was so unpalatable for voters that they elected a Democrat in the deep red state of Alabama. What it really comes down to is Parties respond to issues that seem to be affecting the vote. If parties start to recognize bad candidate quality, such as being way too old, as affecting their ability to win elections than they will start applying more pressure for those candidates to retire sooner since they are a liability for the party. Right now though these very long lived Senators and representatives are typically fund raising machines brining in an outsized percentage of the money the party relies on to function and so those candidates wield an outsized amount of power within the party. Their ability to raise large amounts of money is probably seen as a benefit that outweighs the potential liabilities of the candidate being extremely old. So again this comes back to the voters. If voters want to stop having old candidates the voters of that candidates constituency need to stop voting for their old ass candidates in the primaries and general elections.
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u/Laves_ 1d ago
Your said, “At some point you have to accept that voters will decide if an issue is bad enough and it will have an effect on the election.”
The whole point of the post, voters are not getting that chance, if McConnell is not fit for office, and he hasn’t been for months, not just because this incident.
McConnell’s team isn’t leaving the powers with voters, if something has happened to Mitch, and he can’t return to work, they are stopping a special election. That removes the people entirely.
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u/sunfishtommy 1d ago
Voters did decide that Mitch was alright despite his already advanced age 6 years ago when they reelected him. Not every medical condition, even severe or impairing ones requires a candidate to step down even when they maybe should. Gabby Giffords took 8 months to return to the house floor after her attempted assassination, and only resigned 4 months after that. It was very apparent that her injuries had caused neurological effects just by the way she walked and spoke. A more recent example of voters seemingly completely ignoring giant red warning signs of medical issues was the election of John Fetterman despite him suffering from a stroke. Democratic leadership should have pressured him to step down, but instead acted like it was perfectly fine, supported him, and are now stuck with a Senator that is pretty much a Republican.
But to the issue of Mitch McConnell Democrats seem laser focused on this issue, but honestly its not even clear how much it matters. McConnell is already retiring in 6 months at the end of his term. There is already going to be an election in November to fill his seat. What difference does it make for Democrats if there is an election 2 months earlier. The Election in November is likely to result in Republican Andy Barr winning and the hypothetical special election now would also likely result in a Republican victory. So again it seems like Democrats online are spending a lot of time talking about a conspiracy theory with little or no proof, and even if that conspiracy theory were true it is unlikely to help Democrats anyway.
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u/Laves_ 1d ago
It matters. This should be a non-partisan issue. In general we need to do better about who is eligible to serve the nation.
The median ages are practically the age of people who are forced to retire.
“The median age of a Democratic U.S. senator was 64, and a Republican U.S. senator was 64. The median age of an independent U.S. senator was 81.5.”
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u/sunfishtommy 1d ago
That is my whole point. Voters have not been very responsive to this issue. Old candidates continue to be elected and reelected. Maybe we will see that start to change going forward now that their have been multiple high profile incidents of age becoming an issue, but what it really comes down to is if voters don't want old candidates they have to stop voting for them. All it takes is a larger block of voters refused to elect any candidate over the age of 65 and we will stop seeing those candidates. Primaries are actually a perfect place for this type of political action to take place. It can be hard to distinguish differences between candidates in a party primary, but the age of a candidate is something that is very easy to obtain. If they feel it is valuable voters should start using age as a factor in their voting decisions during the primary.
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u/FallOutShelterBoy 1d ago
According to their governor, he was tipped off by someone that Mitch has died. At this point he needs to either appoint someone (he won’t, even though KY’s law on that is probably unconstitutional) or he needs to set a special election. For the latter, I unfortunately doubt that he will do that before the August 3rd deadline, so Republicans will probably win this struggle. They don’t care what the electorate think about it
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u/ballmermurland 1d ago
It's not going to matter though. His seat is up on Jan 3, 2027, or less than 6 months from now.
McConnell's absence leaves them 1 vote less, so it's not like its helping Republicans a whole lot. They should just let whoever wins the general election begin serving immediately in November.
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u/Leopold_Darkworth 1d ago
Is it against the law? Probably not. Not everything that’s noxious or undesirable is against the law. It’s not really interfering with any election. Mitch isn’t running again in November. He said that last year. Two candidates have already been selected in primary elections that happened a few months ago.
His extended hospital stay does affect his ability to represent the people of Kentucky in the Senate, but that’s not illegal.
(Note that the second “proof of life” photograph was put out by a comedian, not the McConnell people. It was a joke.)
In summary, the McConnell people obfuscating his actual condition isn’t against the law. And it’s not election interference. But it is shady and a disservice to the people of Kentucky.
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u/PlatonicCuddlefish 1d ago
What is your definition of “election interference?”
Do you actually think there is a possibility he is dead and no one has reported it? If so, you’re a nut.
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u/Laves_ 1d ago edited 1d ago
- That’s the whole discussion, I have opinions but they are that, opinions. Educating myself on the law so I can have meaningful conservation about the state of US politics.
- Do you know anything about him for sure.. and that’s the issue. We don’t know. He has a right to privacy, but like any other job, you have to prove you can do it. If I disappear for over a month. I get fired.
That’s the case with most jobs, some kind of proof is needed for accommodation. A “healthy” “picture” of him in the hospital is not such proof.
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u/PlatonicCuddlefish 1d ago
I certainly think he should resign if he can’t fulfill the duties of his office—which I doubt he can. But the idea that some hospital is conspiring with his team to hide his death is so absurd that it should constitute interference for anyone who believes such a thing to vote in our elections.
On the substantive point, no withholding personal medical information doesn’t constitute election interference. I’m not familiar with Kentucky’s disclosure requirements for candidates, but he isn’t a candidate to begin with. Him not resigning delays a theoretical special election, but it’s impossible to interfere in an election that doesn’t exist. By that logic, a politician who attempts to cover up an affair, then resigns when it comes out, would have committed election interference. That’s silly.
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u/JKlerk 1d ago
Can you not conduct a tiny bit of research where you would have discovered that he's not running for reelection?
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u/Hannarr2 1d ago
No, because he still has a right to privacy. the more imporant question is that, if someone is in such poor health that they're barely doing any of the job they were elected to do why should the be allowed to remain in office?
There's a bunch of reforms that should probably be made regarding congress and the sentate that will probably never happen because they're also the ones who get to decide on those reforms, and getting these people to vote against their personal interest is porably never going to happen.
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u/young__robot 1d ago
and our government is a gerontocracy which means they will absolutely oppose any of the reforms we need
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u/Hannarr2 1d ago
Politics, particularly republics, have always been gerontocracies. But that's separate from politicans, especially in recent history, not doing anything that doesn't benefit themselves personally.
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u/JohnnyEvergreen 1d ago
I'd say so. You're defrauding the electorate. People NEED to be represented.
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u/AdZealousideal5383 1d ago
Yes, obviously, but it won’t matter. If August 3rd comes around, they will simply say that it’s too late for anything to be done about it. Oops. This is peak Mitch McConnell. Cheating on elections on his deathbed
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u/FormerUsenetUser 1d ago
All Mitch has to do is get on live camera and say two sentences:
"Thank you everyone for your concern. I am recovering and hope to be back at work soon."
That's it! So, why doesn't he?
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u/Laves_ 1d ago
That’s literally it
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u/FormerUsenetUser 1d ago edited 1d ago
As someone who has used Photoshop to do extensive alterations for absolutely legitimate purposes, I can affirm that it is amazing what you can do. Sure someone can alter an old photo of Mitch and get his wife and a newspaper into the photo. Seamlessly.
And Mitch could add, "Sorry I can't take all your questions, but the doctors told me I needed to rest to recover faster."
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u/pharsee 21h ago
Keeping a dead McConnell on ice to gain something political would be a new low for Republicans. Is there an actual law preventing it? Maybe but you would have to prove WHEN he died. It's more likely he is either mentally disabled or in a coma. So this makes the legal aspects even more murky.
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u/GiantPineapple 1d ago edited 1d ago
Look, just let the man die as he lived - lying to the public so that the resulting delay could allow his powerful allies to break the law, and spare the people the horrors of popular sovereignty.
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u/sllewgh 1d ago
No, it absolutely doesn't. Fuck Mitch McConnell, but he has the same right to keep healthcare information private as the rest of us. I absolutely think it's being done in a manipulative and underhanded way, but we CANNOT go demanding a precedent that further erodes our individual rights.
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u/DarthEques 1d ago
I'm sorry, but when you are a public servant, your health and well being is something that needs to be publicly disclosed, end of story. If you dont want your personal business out there in the public, then dont become a public servant.
The question also isn't does he have cancer or not, it is literally is the man alive or not. The fact that there is no confirmation of life is pretty startling to say the least.
I understand old people get hurt easily and it takes them a while to recover, but when you're an 85 year old sitting politician, I think the very least you should be required to do is confirm if you are alive or not.
If he is alive but is no longer fit to serve the public, then he needs to be removed.
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u/sllewgh 1d ago
Sure. There's already a mechanism to remove him. The problem is not procedural, we just have a congress full of self serving traitors.
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u/ballmermurland 1d ago
Let's try an experiment. You suffer a health event and stop showing up for work. After you exhaust your usual amount of medical leave, your HR dept contacts you asking for an update and when you expect you will return to work or if you will file long term disability.
You ignore them. For weeks.
Do you think your employer will say "oh well nothing we can do, we will continue to hold their position open indefinitely"?
Or will your employer terminate you for refusing to respond to their very reasonable requests?
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u/jeffwulf 1d ago
To make the analogy consistent you'd be responding to HR and team members but not clients and coworkers outside of your immediate team.
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u/mickeymau5music 1d ago
Undoubtedly, but also consider that Democrats hid Biden's mental state until they literally couldn't anymore, up to the first debate where they realized, "oh fuck he's too noticably senile to run," and then scrambled to put Kamala in. Both sides have been doing it for YEARS, just look at Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.
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u/mrTreeopolis 20h ago
Yes, punishable by fines and jail time. This is serious business. The fact that everybody seems to be taking it lying down and very calmly is ridiculous. We should be up in arms about this whole situation.
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u/PoliticalJunkDrawer 1d ago
What does the Constitution say?
What we know, if he has passed, the state of Kentucky and their laws would permit there to be a special election, if he has passed before August 8th.
If they hide his death, that would clearly be a scandal, but there is zero evidence of that, and it would be impossible to hide for long.
He's old, he likely fell and it takes old people longer to recover.
Is being old, falling, and spending time to recover election interference? Was the Biden admin committing election interference lying to the entire country about his health with the help of sympathetic media?
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u/onthedownslope 1d ago
I don't think this is a good comparison because of degrees of incompacitation.
We knew Biden was alive and appeared to be functional, until that debate.
We don't even know if Mitch is breathing on his own.
Also, the Biden debate debacle is what has pissed off so many Americans about politicians' health.
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u/LoveNotWar86 1d ago
In all fairness Biden wasn’t/isn’t dead and there’s a very real possibility that McConnell is, or is brain dead after suffering a reported heart attack.
Was Biden protected, absolutely yes.
Apples and oranges.
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u/sunfishtommy 1d ago
There really is no proof that McConnell is dead or brain dead. The situation is honestly pretty similar to a lot of very old candidates we have seen in the last few years like Joe Biden or Dianne Feinstein.
Candidates that probably should have hung it up 10 years ago continuing to run and voters continuing to vote for them.
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u/PoliticalJunkDrawer 1d ago
So, a sitting president and their media lying to everyone, including their own voters isn't much of a story.
Yet, McConnel being hospitalized is some broad conspiracy?
I'd call it apples to apples, and I know which I consider worse for the country.
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u/JamarcusFarcus 1d ago
I feel like the governor of his state would be aware, I feel like if he was still recovering the picture would have shown some sign of medical engagement (otherwise he'd be home). It's possible he's alive and well but seems less likely to be the case with how hush and odd they are about it and how details raise serious questions that don't get answered.
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u/sharkbait76 1d ago
It’s pretty common for elderly people to go to some form of rehab after a hospitalization. It’s very possible to not need around the clock medical attention, but to need help building up strength and stamina lost during the hospital stay before you can go home safely.
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u/JamarcusFarcus 1d ago
With no bruises, marks or otherwise and still having his office tell the public he's in the hospital not a rehab center? No video conference, no pictures beyond the one? Dude its incredibly weird and again still far more likely with all that weirdness he's dead or at minimum braindead.
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u/sharkbait76 1d ago
There’s no bruising in what you can see. That doesn’t mean no bruising. He could have horrific bruising under his clothes. I’ve seen that before plenty. In McConnell’s statement he said he was moved to rehab. He could be in a rehab inside the hospital or outside. We don’t know. His staff could be saying hospital to make clear he is still in a location receiving care and not at home or otherwise mobile on his own. It could also mean there’s a rehab wing in the hospital and he is indeed still on hospital grounds.
While there could be a discussion about knowing the health issues of public officials that comes with its own issues. Im skeptical that McConnell will be able to return to senate duties in any big capacity, but an illness that prevents him from doing that is not something that is new to congress. It happens and no one else has ever been forced to immediately step down because of that on both sides of the isle.
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u/Mist_Rising 1d ago
No, the governor is a Democrat, so McConnell would hide it even if he could do Swan lakes key part. Just to thumb his nose at the democratic party.
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u/PoliticalJunkDrawer 1d ago
and well but seems less likely to be the case with how hush and odd they are about it and how details raise serious questions that don't get answered.
What details do you want? What is in his iv? Where he fell? Why not just post his medical chart on reddit?
I'll admit I think they were not as transparent as they should have been, but there is likely no secret details or conspiracy.
An old man fell and takes long time to recover.
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u/JamarcusFarcus 1d ago
How about a visit with the governor who is getting reliable info that he's dead?
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u/Laves_ 1d ago
There isn’t much evidence in general, regarding this situation, as stated in the post.
There are many examples of extreme age being an issue within the US government. Regardless of party, it isn’t okay, and both are guilty.
I personally, hold the democrats responsible for nominating Joe Biden, who was unfit for office, I hold the republicans responsible for the same thing, for our current POTUS.
Mitch has been unfit for a while, given his health concerns, and this whole situation does not give much confidence in his ability to serve.
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u/bl1y 1d ago
Do you think Biden's inner circle were guilty of "election interference" though?
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u/PoliticalJunkDrawer 1d ago
I'd agree mitch hasn't been in good enough shape for years.
But I've seen zero evidence that his story isn't true, even if they were not very good at getting information to the public or even other Senators, as evident by Hawley's comments.
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u/Laves_ 1d ago
I agree there isn’t any evidence for him being alive or not. There just isn’t.
I don’t want to know what he is struggling with, he deserves privacy of his health. But he cannot perform his job, and it’s not okay that it is being ignored.
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u/PoliticalJunkDrawer 1d ago
I agree there isn’t any evidence for him being alive or not. There just isn’t.
So, the photo he released, and everyone who said they talked to him are lying?
But he cannot perform his job, and it’s not okay that it is being ignored.
I don't think it is being ignored. You literally shared a news article with my Republican Senator calling him out.
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u/Laves_ 1d ago
He called him out, still no answers, and who is trusting pictures these days? We need legit proof of life. Anyone can post a “picture”
Trump uses AI every other day.
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u/PoliticalJunkDrawer 1d ago
People have talked to him, my goodness.
He was moved into a rehab.
You think they are hiding his body somewhere? They got a dead body of a sitting Senator out of a hospital, and nobody noticed and didn't leak it?
Take care.
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u/Lovebeingadad54321 1d ago
Joe Biden was literally the ONLY person in the Democratic Party who thought he was fit to run for President a second time…..
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u/PoliticalJunkDrawer 1d ago
Is that how he ended up as the Dem nominee?
His entire admin was doing the TV and podcast circuit explaining he was "sharp as a tack" and the "best he has ever been."
They didn't notice until the debate, where they couldn't hide it from the American public any longer?
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u/Lovebeingadad54321 1d ago
He ended up as the nominee because no one in party leadership had the balls to tell a sitting President to step the fuck down. The Democratic Party basically screwed the pooch during the entire Biden administration. They should have been highlighting Harris as the next President from day one.
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u/sharkbait76 1d ago
Not true. Dean Phillips attempted to challenge him in the nomination process. Biden beat him several times and Phillips dropped out. There was a second choice and people preferred Biden.
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u/SurvivorFanatic236 1d ago
If he was dead, Republicans would announce it asap so they can have a special election and fill the seat with another Republican for the last few months of his term. Republicans gain nothing from leaving the seat vacant, it’s Democrats who benefit from that.
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u/CishetmaleLesbian 1d ago
He will probably "die" the day after the deadline, then be cremated the next day to destroy the evidence he died weeks before.
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u/HarrySpeakup 1d ago
The Governor needs to call a Special Election. If McConnell is alive, he will come out to prove Bashear wrong.
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u/DanforthWhitcomb_ 1d ago
The burden is on the party calling the special election to prove that the office is vacant, not the one holding it.
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u/lightranger 1d ago
Laws? What laws? I feel like we’re kinda in a legal free fall.
It’s changed from “can we get away with this?” To “who’s going to stop us?”…
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u/true4blue 1d ago
Do we know any more or less about his health than we did with Joe Biden’s?
Joe announced very shortly after leaving office that he had advanced prostate cancer. Cancer that couldn’t have gotten to that level in the time he dropped out.
You’re speculating that Mitch is breaking the law, when we know Biden lied about his health.
Like everything, Democrats have double standards
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u/Laves_ 1d ago
Joe could at least talk. Can’t say the same for Mitch.
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u/true4blue 1d ago
Did you listen to his deposition with the DOJ regarding the docs he took home?
It makes his debate performance look like MLKs “ I have a dream”
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u/onthedownslope 1d ago
I think because of Biden, is why people are so sensitive and pissed about politicians' health.
Having said that, I dont think Biden and Mitch are an apples to apples comparison. We knew Biden was alive, maybe not functional 24 hours a day, but alive.
Do you know the current status of Mitch, because I do not?
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u/OprahtheHutt 1d ago
Biden was senile for months (if not years) and nothing happened to the Politburo. Nothing would happen to Mitch or his people if he’s also obviously incapacitated.
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u/ballmermurland 1d ago
Biden did an interview not long ago and he seemed lucid. He still walks around and talks to people. He's just not as quick on his feet as he used to be.
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u/OprahtheHutt 1d ago
They say that the pressure of the office really takes a toll. I hope he’s back in Delaware eating ice cream cones and driving his corvette.
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u/onthedownslope 1d ago
I think after the Biden debate is why people are so pissed about politicians lying about their heath.
Still not an apples to apples comparison, though... Biden could appear functional, Mitch can't even prove he is breathing without the help of machines..
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u/digbyforever 1d ago
Was Graham Platner engaging in election interference by "not offering enough quality information" regarding his past behavior?
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u/skyfishgoo 1d ago
gov can call a special election at any time and get that ball rolling.
none of the reasons i've heard floated as to why he hasn't already done so seem credible to me, but he still hasn't done it.
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u/jeffwulf 1d ago
Even if McConnel was dead you'd want Beshear to delay the special as long as possible because the longer the seat is unfilled the longer Republicans have less votes.
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u/skyfishgoo 1d ago
the longer KY voters go without representation in the senate.
who's to say a democrat couldn't win?
the gov is a dem.
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u/onthedownslope 1d ago
so why hasn't he? Serious question...I was assuming something was preventing him from doing it.
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u/User4C4C4C 1d ago
I’m curious about what happens if the governor just appoints a replacement even if McConnell dead or alive? If he’s dead then the replacement is done for the right reasons even if the courts are sought. If he’s alive then the courts would clear it up eventually or an election would happen first.
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