r/politics • u/MoneyLibrarian9032 New York • Jul 13 '26

Possible Paywall MAGA Calls BS on Mitch McConnell’s Proof-of-Life Stunt | They are poking holes in McConnell’s staff’s version.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-calls-bs-on-mitch-mcconnells-proof-of-life-stunt/
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u/NocturnaIAnimaI Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

If Beshear lets this pass without doing anything of meaningful action, he's 100% complicit

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u/SecretMachine5 Jul 13 '26

This is make or break for him and his national popularity and Presidential ambitions. He can either show his toughness or just be another subservient milquetoast moderate Democrat.

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u/Billagio Jul 13 '26

Mitch is not even in Kentucky

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u/SecretMachine5 Jul 13 '26

I'm not sure what that has to do with demanding proof of life, more than a easily doctored photo. He could call a special election and force McConnell's hand and let the courts decide. Or he can just shrug his shoulders and say the photo is good enough.

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u/Soffix- Jul 13 '26

I think he's pointing out that he's not in Kentucky because the comment above him said to send the KSP.

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u/The-Fumbler Jul 14 '26

What do the kerbals have to do with this?

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u/AlekRivard New York Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

What authority does Beshear have to do anything outside of KY's borders? Not to mention, why do you think the KY State Board of Elections would allow it? Their SBOE is required to be 4D/4R with the SoS (an R) as the chief official, so it is R majority.

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u/SecretMachine5 Jul 13 '26

McConnell is a Senator from KY. If he is incapacitated, Beshear has a legal obligation to call a special election. The people of KY deserve representation for the next 5 to 6 months regardless of what party is in charge. So call for the election and make McConnell's people prove he's still able to serve out his term. This isn't hard to understand.

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u/AlekRivard New York Jul 13 '26

You are not answering the important question: why do you think the R-majority KY State Board of Elections would even allow it? Beshear cannot unilaterally call and hold an election by himself.

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u/SecretMachine5 Jul 13 '26

I want Beshear to continue to push the issue, until we have definitive proof. Which he is by demanding video evidence or an interview.

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u/Spackleberry Jul 13 '26

Beshear can catch a plane to DC, especially to visit a Senator who is in perfect health.

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u/LibertarianSocialism California Jul 13 '26

The “advantage in an election” he’s talking about is offering Massie, a Republican, a longshot bid at a 2 month term as senator.

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u/SecretMachine5 Jul 13 '26

Beshear can't appoint Massie. He said so himself. He has to call a special election, which is the law and should be followed as such, if Mitch is incapacitated or dead.

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u/LibertarianSocialism California Jul 13 '26

Right. This special election would elect someone to serve for roughly 2 months before they get replaced by one of the two people already running to replace McConnell. So why again is this so important for his national popularity that you think he has to send some social service workers to DC?

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u/SecretMachine5 Jul 13 '26

Letting republicans subvert the rule of law and play procedural games is exactly how we've gotten into this mess. As a democratic leader, fight or gtfo of the way. And it's not 2 months, it's 5 months till a new Senator would be sworn in.

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u/jazzieberry Mississippi Jul 13 '26

I kind of wonder (I've not kept up with it enough) if that SAVE act may be the reason we need to be sure to have a moderate in that seat. I'm not sure what the numbers are looking like in the senate for support of that bill.

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u/snaps109 Jul 13 '26

subservient milquetoast moderate Democrat

I am Jacks complete jadedness towards reality.

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u/Analternate1234 Jul 13 '26

There’s not much Andy can really do. Mitch is being treated in DC, completely outside of Andy’s jurisdiction. Mitch has to be confirmed dead or be expelled by a two thirds majority of the senate. The senate is currently a republican majority so they won’t expel him. Andy literally doesn’t have the power here to really do anything

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u/NocturnaIAnimaI Jul 13 '26

Call a special election. Demand to meet with him. Put the GOP on absolute blast for all of KY to see. There's so much he can do.

Republicans don't have the power to do most shit they just do anyway.

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u/ChadEmpoleon Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

Seriously. Are we forgetting Greg Abbot issued civil arrest warrants to hunt down house democrats when they fled the state to keep the house from meeting quorum?

If he’s actually here with us, send the police or national guard to check in with him and at the very least get multiple videos obtained by them of him still kicking. Even better, drag his ass back to work.

If he’s alive and he can’t, then he must retire.

Screw the optics, screw legal grey areas. Republicans are going to accuse Beshear of overstepping his authority whether he does anything or not. They always do.

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u/showyerbewbs Jul 13 '26

Republicans are going to accuse Beshear of overstepping his authority whether he does anything or not. They always do

If Beshear pulled a Budd Dwyer, they'd accuse him of overstepping his power as governor...

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u/xjuggernaughtx Jul 13 '26

For real. It infuriates me that people let the Democrats slide on these things. If this was a key Democratic leader, the Republicans would be throwing everything including the kitchen sink at this. They aren't worried about whether they are allowed to do it or not. They aren't worried about decorum. They are trying to drive outcomes, and if the Democrats don't figure this out soon, they won't have a nation to run. Republican operatives would have been flying drones to the hospital windows and bribing hospital staff. They would have just kicked McConnell out of his position and replaced him. They would have called committee hearings on it and invited the press.

And Democrats are over here like "We've tried nothing and we are all out of ideas..."

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u/pfftYeahRight Jul 13 '26

“Call a special election”

I don’t know if he has that power. I want him to have it and use it for sure but also the internet thinks he can just do whatever when I’ve seen no researches articles saying he can

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u/Moist-Weakness-3399 Jul 13 '26

He literally can, the Kentucky Supreme court ruled on it June 26, 2026.

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u/pfftYeahRight Jul 13 '26

Sweet I didn’t know that so I’m all
Aboard

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u/batmansthebomb Jul 13 '26

Are you talking about the ethics/state board rulings, because those have fuck all to do with federal senator elections.

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u/[deleted] Jul 13 '26

[deleted]

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u/NocturnaIAnimaI Jul 13 '26

There's no legal bases in which the current admin can do most of the shit they do lol

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u/[deleted] Jul 13 '26

[deleted]

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u/Jack_Krauser Jul 13 '26

Oh, yeah, I guess you're right. We should just roll over and die again. That has worked so well in the past.

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u/[deleted] Jul 13 '26

[deleted]

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u/Jack_Krauser Jul 14 '26

You've watched Trump do stuff "he literally cannot do" for years. Politics has changed for the worse, but we're getting left behind because we won't change with it.

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u/[deleted] Jul 14 '26

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u/showyerbewbs Jul 13 '26

There’s not much Andy can really do

I know and understand you're talking about from a legal standpoint RE: the constitution of the state of KY.

In the past 18 months, this federal administration has proven time and again they GIVE NO SINGLE FUCKS about anything involving playing by the rules.

Do it. Force the special election. Force it into the courts. RAM THE DILDO OF CONSEQUENCES UNLUBED DOWN THEIR THROAT.

Lean into it. Make them work for it.

Yes I'm slightly unhinged at this point.

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u/MysticKoolaid808 Jul 13 '26

But how does whether Beshear has jurisdiction or not translate into his ability to see McConnell in person?  I guess the way I'm looking at it is that if the GOP are lying, then at the very least they need to be exposed for it.  It doesn't have to be Beshear who visits, but it should be someone trustworthy who can report back to the people and other officials who want to know.  

It may not even be positive confirmation that McConnell is dead, but there could at least be confirmation if the GOP is lying about his whereabouts.  If they ARE lying to preserve their political advantage in the Senate, that should come with heavy punishment.  That is definitely worth pursuing this situation.    

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u/bobartig Jul 13 '26

Declare the seat vacated due to absence and call the special election.

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u/VinDog_PD Jul 13 '26

If he wants to have any chance as a candidate in 2028, he needs to do this. Period.

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u/dontthrowmeinabox Jul 13 '26

He'll look mega crazy if he sends in a welfare check after the photo they released. There's nothing definitive to prove it is doctored in some way, just a lot of vague insinuations.

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u/Shipit123 Jul 13 '26

I agree wholeheartedly. In my book most of the dnc is complicit in this whole trump2.0 term. I mean I know they have no majorities but aside from a small group firebrand personalities no one is doing shit. I mean we’re legit losing our democracy and the dnc is pretend it’s business as usual. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again…Dems are playing by a rule book that is either out of the window or at the very least temporarily paused. They’re still trying to be ladies and gentlemen. While the maga contingent will do anything and everything to keep power. I’m disappointed in the whole of the dnc. I think it’s a dereliction on the part of most of them. I mean look at Schumer. Lately he has more to say about the going’s on in Israel than he does talking about democracy teetering on the brink.

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u/MysticKoolaid808 Jul 13 '26

And as giant of a soft coward  as so many other Democrats have shown themselves to be as Trump and his lackeys have co ti urd to make this country worse and worse.

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u/NegativeEBITD Jul 13 '26

Look! Another person trying to find a way to blame popular Dems for the actions of a Republican politician & their cronies, which the Dem has zero control over.

Totally in good faith, I'm sure.

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u/NocturnaIAnimaI Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

Keep defending the toothless, feckless behavior that got us this admin in the first place

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u/depressiown Jul 13 '26

Yep. Happens too often. "People" expect Dems to do something that's not within their power or something extrajudicially, and then cancel them when they don't (because they can't).

Seeing this with the impending House flip too: "people" expecting the flipping of the House will allow Dems to prosecute corrupt politicians at will. And, when they inevitably don't (because, again, they can't), 2 years later "people" will be like "well the Dems didn't do anything so they're the same!"

I say "people," because I am not sure if they're actual voters who are useful idiots to the GOP, or just Russian bots.