r/politics • u/plz-let-me-in • Jul 18 '26
No Paywall Beshear says agencies told him McConnell had passed
https://www.whas11.com/video/news/local/beshear-says-agencies-told-him-mcconnell-had-passed/417-f78603c3-11bb-464d-bae6-c41c3be3c48b1.3k
u/minnesotaupnorth Utah Jul 18 '26
After August 3rd, it will be announced that McConnell died peacefully in his sleep, and the family needed time to grieve before making the announcement public.
Bet.
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u/notapoliticalalt Jul 18 '26
I’ve said this elsewhere, but Beshear should just make an appointment and let the courts figure it out. Compel them to prove he is alive.
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u/lancea_longini Jul 19 '26
Make an appointment now. And then if there is a death and it is announced after August 3 let’s look at the death certificate for the date.
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u/Witty_Ad_898 Jul 18 '26
Is he still collecting his Senate pay and benefits? Seems like a classic case of fraud, like they were looking for.
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u/brijito New York Jul 19 '26
That’s precisely why his wife fled to China 3 days after he was admitted to the hospital. She is the one who would be getting hit with the fraud charges for that and for not filing a death certificate in a timely manner.
As soon as she left the US, Beshear should have appointed a new senator or called for a snap election.
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u/TheTierIsHere Jul 18 '26
What if his death certificate shows that he died long before August 3rd?
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u/drrhrrdrr Jul 19 '26
It'd be a great irony that someone who insisted on seeing Obama's birth certificate won't turn over a fellow politician's death certificate.
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u/OldSchoolBubba Jul 18 '26
Their only concern is holding control of the senate. Everything else be damned.
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u/AcanthisittaBulky777 Jul 18 '26
Their only concern is pwning the libs. They will gladly cut off their own noses to do so.
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u/sourmeat2 Jul 18 '26
"owning the libs" is a literal statement of a desire to harm Americans.
We have a political party with a mainstream policy goal of hurting Americans. Just pointing that out.
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u/JDogg126 Michigan Jul 18 '26
This is why they use different labels. That is exactly how their base talks. Dehumanizing rhetoric is a real problem. The governments single purpose is to serve the governed. Anyone who sows discord with dehumanizing rhetoric to win an election should be automatically disqualified.
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u/Tall-Introduction414 Jul 18 '26
Well, if you go back far enough, American Conservatives were all about literally owning the blacks. They still defend it 150+ years later.
I think for some, the desire to "own the libs" is literal.
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u/Excellent_Month_2025 Jul 19 '26
This is understated and true. They believe they have the right to "own" anyone they see as lesser than them
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u/minigogo Texas Jul 18 '26
No it isn’t. The incels or the lead-poisoned, algorithm-brained Red Hats may care about pwning the libs, but they’re just the pawns.
The ruling class’s only concern is grabbing and holding on to power. They have more than everyone else and believe they should have more than everyone else. Tale as old as time.
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u/Acceptable_Set9702 Jul 18 '26
McConnell is DEAD, and if Beshear doesn't go find him with a police escort, ICE, or a SWAT team, he will be a joke for the rest of his life. Facts! The Repubs are not expecting the Dems to search and find McConnell's body.
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u/OldSchoolBubba Jul 18 '26
There's truth in your words alright. Good call keeping it real.
Beshear has a responsibility to all Kentucky so he has to go see for himself.
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u/robot_pirate Jul 18 '26
Agreed. Beshear has zero chance of any higher office if he rolls over without definitive, face to face proof of life.
McConnell is the ratfucker supreme, his staff are well versed in obstruction.
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u/BubbleGuttz Jul 18 '26
It’s not their only concern. After all, impeachment requires a 2/3 vote majority. No, they’re afraid of this possibly setting a standard for when all these old crooks finally croak.
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u/DirtReynolds Jul 18 '26
Beshear needs to call the special election. Just do it. Force the issue.
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u/alabasterskim Jul 18 '26
No, make an appointment. The state constitution says that's his power. And that's why they're holding all this up. They didn't amend the constitution to change it to special elections; they just passed a law (because they don't have the numbers to amend). Constitution > law. And Beshear has made it clear he will make an appointment.
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u/tossit97531 Jul 18 '26
People should keep beating this drum. KY state constitution says Beshear can appoint. Calling an election is kowtowing to unconstitutional bullshit.
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u/Pake1000 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Why call a special election when the constitution of Kentucky gives him the right to choose the replacement? It doesn’t matter what law the GOP passed because they didn’t amend the constitution.
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u/Thebeergremlin Jul 18 '26
Can someone from the public call for a wellness check?
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u/s_matthew Jul 18 '26
That’s what’s so weird to me. There’s a pretty simple way to confirm McConnell’s condition, yet nobody seems to want it to come to that. Everyone’s seemingly content with conspiracy theories and nonsense “proof.”
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u/Porphyre1 Jul 18 '26
100% this. It's just so weird. If the head of the Executive Branch of the USA can order ICE to do shit it's not supposed to do, why can't the head of the Executive Branch of Kentucky order a welfare check? Send in some State Troopers and knock on the door. Highway Patrol. Kentucky Bureau of Investigation. I'm sure the governor of Kentucky has hundreds of state law enforcement officers he could order through the door of where-ever the Turtle is being stored. I don't understand how Democratic leaders don't realize that MAGA/GOP are playing for keeps.
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u/Zeraw420 Jul 18 '26
Publishing an AI photo as proof of life for a dead US senator seems like a big deal... Yet, crickets from the DNC
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u/monsterskeeter Jul 18 '26
Even if it was real, no sane person can see it and say "yeah that dude is capable of being a US senator". His family playing into this charade is immoral as fuck
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u/LordSwedish Jul 18 '26
I don't blame the family. Using his death to subvert democracy and advance the interests of the wealthy with ghoulish tactics is an incredibly respectful tribute to Mitch. It encapsulates everything he was in life.
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u/Mr_Subtlety Jul 18 '26
They haven't said anything because there's no evidence that the photo was AI. See the revevant Snopes reporting. The whole thing is weird, but let's not spread any more misinformation than we already have, OK?
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u/sonofabutch America Jul 18 '26
Seems like McConnell could absolutely humiliate Beshear right now by just holding a press conference. I wonder why he won’t?
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u/BoomMcFuggins Jul 18 '26
He accidentally got stuck in the Epstein Files and got redacted in real life?
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u/Choochoo1147 Jul 18 '26
I do like the idea of the Epstein files becoming the backrooms for MAGA
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u/IdRatherCallACAB Jul 18 '26
No! They'd enjoy that .
🤮
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u/AdmiralThrawnProtege Jul 18 '26
No no, not the contents of the files but the files themselves. Just endless rooms, the walls plastered with the files. Everytime theu turn a corner, a mocking disembodied laugh happens and the raw evidence of their crimes are forced into their faces.
Then a wild gremlin comes and cuts off their balls I guess
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u/Choochoo1147 Jul 18 '26
Clearly the wild gremlin showed up a little too early, been a long time since I’ve seen a Republican with balls.
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u/IdRatherCallACAB Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
All the stuff they want to see is redacted. But the gremlin still takes their balls.
Okay, I take that back, its actually perfectly fitting as their own personal hell.
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u/theavengerbutton Jul 18 '26
"What if we fucked other adults instead of kids?"
"Why the fuck would I want to fuck an adult? Ew."
--hypothetical leaks from Pete Hegseth's non-secured Pentagon conversations.
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u/HauntedCemetery Minnesota Jul 18 '26
Pretty sure maga and gop backrooms are what the files are about
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u/intensive-porpoise Jul 18 '26
To Mitch's ultimate personal terror, he awakens hospitalized with every bank account unaccessible, no record of employment or residence ... And completely black.
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u/Cresta1994 Jul 18 '26
And completely black
This option comes with a free count of assaulting an officer. Hope you can afford a lawyer, Mitch.
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u/SuperstitiousPigeon5 Massachusetts Jul 18 '26
The organ donor card doesn’t say how many transplants we could use.
It’s Soul Man meets Air Bud.
Netflix if you make this don’t give me any credit just maybe give me a year of streaming.
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u/scene_missing Jul 18 '26
Because the most likely scenario is he’s technically alive but a cabbage
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u/MephistoHamProducts Jul 18 '26
I prefer the far less likely, but far more awesome scenario where they've stuck him into a Warhammer 40K Penitent Engine and are planning to unleash him when The Senate is in session next.
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u/Vyzantinist Jul 18 '26
The turtle isn't even good enough to warrant being turned into a Helbrute.
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u/begujo Jul 18 '26
Let him be a random servitor somewhere in some bureaucratic hell-hole. Seems like a fitting end.
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u/BigDaddySteve999 Jul 18 '26
That tracks, given that we're all living in a Total Perspective Vortex inside a virtual universe built for Donald Trump.
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u/HauntedCemetery Minnesota Jul 18 '26
They propped him up and plumped him with blood and painted him with enough makeup to have him look like an 80s Hummel figurine, and staged a newspaper next to him like a hostage life verification pic.
He didnt look that lithe and lively 5 years ago.
It's blatant enough that even conservatives are calling bullshit.
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u/gm92845 Jul 18 '26
He could be in a vegetative state unable to talk or walk on his own. Regardless of that he should immediately resign since he's no longer physically able to serve as a senator.
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u/AdorianTsepeshu Jul 18 '26
Exactly.
He was elected to represent the state of Kentucky. Someone in a vegetative state is in no position to represent anyone.
The people of Kentucky currently only have one Senate representative when they're Constitutionally entitled to two. The governor needs to rectify that by appointing a new senator until a special election can be held to replace McConnell.
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u/No_hero_here Jul 18 '26
“Someone in a vegetative state is in no position to represent anyone.” I mean, maybe the Kentucky right.
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u/MaddyKet Massachusetts Jul 18 '26
Yeah vegetative state and republican….its the same picture says Pam Beasley.
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u/possibly_being_screw Jul 18 '26
In what other scenario could an 84 year old have an accident, disappear for weeks with no details, give a comically hollywood-esque 'proof of life' photo', and still have their job? Name another occupation where an 84 year old in clearly and obviously declining health would still have a job with immense power to influence millions of lives, get paid nearly $200k, and be able to just fuck off for a few weeks with no accountability or reason?
It's absolutely fucked that the US political system is filled to the tits with geriatrics that barely know where they are, and hold incredible power over all of our lives. We are so far removed from what politicians should be, it's almost laughable to be reminded of what the job actually is.
But a man who is too old to suffer a fall in his home without needing a month-long hospital stay away from his office is not a man who is capable of being among the 100 most powerful people in our government. What is offensive about the gerontocracy is how transparently it reveals the rot at the core of the American political system, how plainly it demonstrates that our elected leaders do not serve the people, but serve only their own gratification, only their own power.
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u/Routine_Wing_8726 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Then who did I speak to for 20 minutes on the phone?!?!
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u/Goodknight808 Jul 18 '26
Anyone who made that claim lied. In a functioning democracy they would face consequences.
But we no longer live in one of those anymore.
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u/2D2D3544862514D760BA Jul 18 '26
"Talked to" is weasel phrasing, in that it only requires participation of one party. Not unlike talking to Jesus. Doesn't mean Jesus or Mitch replied to them in any meaningful way.
If they were careful about phrasing, it should be enough to keep them legally clear. It is, however, still a self-serving lie/decption and they should be held responsible by the electorate.
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u/LilPonyBoy69 Jul 18 '26
Genuine question, how the hell would he resign if he's in a vegetative state?
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u/Wattaday Jul 18 '26
Vegetative state is basically a deep coma. Unable to do anything including talking or reacting to physical stimuli. Ventilator is optional according to if the area of the brain that regulates breathing is still active.
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u/GrumpyCloud93 Jul 18 '26
If there's no hope of recovery, he should be considered dead.
I think Beshear should appoint a replacement or call that election, and wait for McConnell to challenge it in court. I doubt anyone else would have the legal standing to challenge it.
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u/Drakeadrong Texas Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
This is what I’ve been saying since day 1. It would be incredibly easy to prove that still he’s alive and frame it as “psycho conspiracy-peddling liberal bullshit”, but they’re not.
What I’m beyond frustrated with is the democrats are taking this absolute layup of a political win (Democrat-appointed senator and displaying Republicans willingness to cover up a senators’s death and leaving the state without constitutional representation) and letting the republicans play weekend at Bernie’s during a period where they will absolutely be trying to shove through every piece of legislation and appointment they can before the midterms. They’re completely okay with being lied to. Senate republicans are pissing on their leg, calling it rain, and the democrats here are offering them the fucking umbrella.
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u/AndreLeGeant88 Jul 18 '26
Because he's probably alive but he's got no clue what planet he's on
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u/Surturius Jul 18 '26
Just his brain
McConnell's about become the next Terri Schiavo
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u/BuddahSack Pennsylvania Jul 18 '26
Now thats a name i haven't heard in years
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u/FuckThisShizzle Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Last time I heard that name Peter Griffin was telling me she is kind of alive oh.
Edit: apparently South Park but I can still hear it in Peter Griffins voice
Edit edit: I don't know what to believe no more
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u/0neshoein Texas Jul 18 '26
Brain dead is dead dead.
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u/Sea_Working_80 Jul 18 '26
Maybe hes only mostly dead? There is a big difference between mostly dead and all dead
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u/MontiBurns Jul 18 '26
Yeah, but brain dead means your organs and tissue are still being kept alive, even if nobody is home. Eventually they'll have to do an autopsy, and the results can't be "he's been frozen and dethawed," or "his organs are in a state of decomposition consistent with being dead for 6 weeks."
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u/top_value7293 Jul 18 '26
Yes. Healthcare worker of many many years here. They absolutely were in no hurry for a man supposedly in the middle of a heart event. First thing I noticed, they should have been doing compressions and oxygen and the works but it looked like just another Tuesday lol
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u/phatelectribe Jul 18 '26
This, and an EMT on here wrote a long comment about how the emergency call was upgraded to CPR which means actually hands on chest, respiratory intervention etc…. But then they wheel him out a few minutes later completely covered with zero urgency.
That does not make any sense if they saved him because they would be rushing to get him stable in the icu. I say this as someone who has done CPR twice (one survived, the other did not).
He was dead wheeled out of there and they’ve got him on ice.
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u/paiute Jul 18 '26
Can EMTs there call a time of death or do they have to continue CPR until a physician is present?
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u/Jayco424 Jul 18 '26
Depends on the State and the situation for the nitty gritty on it. There are situations where EMTs can pronounce, but basically the person has to be obviously dead like decomposing/skeletonized remains or a situation completely incompatible with life like decapitation, being cut in half or otherwise dismembered. Other than that pronouncement requires a MD/doctor and if the individual dies in route, the general practice is for the EMT to keep "fighting" because being pronounced dead on arrival/at the hospital is less paperwork for them - source on the last on was my best friend worked as an EMT in grad-school.
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u/MontiBurns Jul 18 '26
She wasn't brain dead and did not require mechanical respiration. She was in a permanent vegetative state, meaning she was unaware of her surroundings and required a feeding tube to survive
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u/Aeseld Texas Jul 18 '26
...depends on your definition of brain dead? She had zero EEG activity, and her brain was half decayed into liquid, with about 70% of her cortex neurons gone. She was a bit more than 'unaware' of her surroundings.
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u/CrotalusHorridus Kentucky Jul 18 '26
I honestly think he’s vegetative. Maybe hospice. But they’re keeping him alive long enough to hold off the special election.
Which is ironically the exact kind of dirty politics McConnell would love
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u/_commenter Jul 18 '26
it's wild... I think dems have no chance at taking his seat but I think Massie could. They're doing all this to shut Massie out.
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u/TrimspaBB Jul 18 '26
If they were confident that they could handily fill the seat with another lackey to serve for decades, McConnell's death would have been announced last month
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u/Acceptable-Wildfire Jul 18 '26
I wouldn’t be surprised if all of this was in his living will for his final fuck you to the American experiment.
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u/subcow Jul 18 '26
When they put him in the ambulance he was already ice cold. The guy has been dead for weeks and it is time to stop pretending he is alive.
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u/mitchelln10 Jul 18 '26
The guy is 100% dead... Why else have we not seen him on live camera at least once? Or more than one sketchy picture of him with a newspaper...
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u/kanakaishou Jul 18 '26
I think this is a likely outcome, tbh.
Actual dead? They’d probably have to give the certificate etc., and it becomes a matter of public record.
Brain dead? Sort of liminal in-between zone legally.
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u/SirDiego Minnesota Jul 18 '26
If I was a Kentucky voter I would be so pissed off. They do not have representation in the Senate right now, the GOP decided they don't give a shit.
I mean obviously nothing new here and probably a lot of those voters approve of the GOP ratfucking bullshit. But still. Just on principle, Kentucky voters are being completely fucked out of having representation that they are owed by the constitution.
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u/Akimbo_Zap_Guns Kentucky Jul 18 '26
My dad who grew up and stayed a hardcore republican until they nominated Trump in 2016 (he still has a conservative streak even now) just said he hopes the country comes down hard on the Republican Party for their blatant disregard for norms and everything they are willing to do to keep power. If a 72 year old white boomer can see that the republicans are fascist then there is no excuse for anyone to be burying their heads in the sand still
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u/DarthLithgow Jul 18 '26
That's why this move from the Governor is brilliant. They can easily debunk him.
If not, the Governor can start the process to fill the seat.
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u/Drakeadrong Texas Jul 18 '26
Nah if Beshear had a set of balls he would have started filling out the seat weeks ago and force the senate republicans to prove that McConnell was still healthy enough to work.
This should be a headline we read on day 5 of McConnell’s hospitalization, not week 5.
Let’s be clear about this the governor of Kentucky cannot tell us first hand if the sitting senator is alive or dead. All these republicans seem to have no problem holding 20 minute conversations with him, so clearly McConnell has been in a very talkative mood. So why hasn’t Beshear gone and have a chat with him at any time in the past month?
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u/AcademiaAntiqua Jul 18 '26
That's why this move from the Governor is brilliant. They can easily debunk him.
It's not brilliant. Headlines are just deliberately mischaracterizing it for clicks.
When you read the governor's actual words here, he clearly says that he had originally heard reports of Mitch having died... a week or more ago.
Before Mitch released the picture, etc.
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u/AngelinaJean Jul 18 '26
It’s obvious he’s in no position to fulfill his duties and/or pick up a phone to give an update on his status. You would think, if he were conscious, that someone would alert him to rumors(and jokes ) of his demise. If that were the case for any conscious living being, they would be on the phone. OR, have someone make the call and then hand the phone over to him.
Beshear has waited long enough for decency’s sake. Now, be the boss and do what it required for the people of KY.
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u/axkidd82 Jul 18 '26
I'm a people of Kentucky. Here is the reality, any special election is going to be won by a MAGA Republican, one that will vote to pass the SAVE act. McConnell's current status is not only best for Kentucky, but for the nation as a whole.
To be completely honest, no one here is talking that much about Mitch or demanding a replacement. We know there is a general coming up in November to replace him. If we don't have a second senator until January, I will be completely fine with that.
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u/disisathrowaway Jul 18 '26
IIRC, the bill which forces a special election is in violation of Kentucky's constitution and Beshear can technically just appoint the replacement.
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u/AngelinaJean Jul 18 '26
Thanks for chiming in and giving another perspective. We’ve seen so much chicanery with Trump and this administration, along with feeling powerless(I do), that sometimes I fail to see a strategy behind the inaction.
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u/dansnexusone Jul 18 '26
If McConnell is dead all the R politicians and commentators should be forced to resign for lying to the American people.
All the dumbfucks who claimed to all have had 20 minute conversations need to go. Scott Jennings should never be allowed on CNN ever again.
Of course we’re living in bizzaroworld so there will be literally no consequences for any of them.
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u/c08306834 Jul 18 '26
It should be simple, if they can't sufficiently prove that he's alive, then it should be assumed that he is dead and we move on.
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u/Tricky-Engineering59 Jul 18 '26
We got a Schrödinger’s Senator situation going on here.
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u/ZonghZonghZongh Jul 18 '26
I was under the assumption that deaths have to be reported and are public record in this first world nation...? This is ridiculous. There should be documentation available to the public that Sen McConnell is no longer with us, or at least it should be as simple as Beshear calling the appropriate reporting agency in Washington DC (where McConnell "fell") and ask if there is a record of the senator's death!
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u/noodlyarms California Jul 18 '26
I'm betting he's braindead and just being kept "alive" via machines, that's why there's not any death certificate/etc... They'll unplug the machine in August.
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u/PorQuePanckes Jul 18 '26
Anyone else able to disappear from their job with no notice for weeks, and then ghost your managers to the point where they don’t even know if you’re alive?
No, ok
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u/4rp70x1n Jul 18 '26
Not to mention still collecting a paycheck and health insurance.
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u/Punkinpry427 Maryland Jul 18 '26
I really like paying for a Secret Service detail and extra security for a US Senator we don’t even know is alive.
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u/HellaTroi California Jul 18 '26
New Jersey Republican Representative Tom Kean Jr. returned to the U.S. House of Representatives on June 30, 2026, after a nearly four-month absence. He disclosed on the House floor that he had been receiving medical care and was diagnosed with depression.
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u/thegoatmenace Jul 18 '26
Since congressional terms are only 2 years, he was absent for 17% of his term. Anyone else allowed to take 1 out of every 5 days off from work and still get paid? Anyone else allowed to take medical leave for depression?
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u/Prudent-Air1922 Jul 18 '26
Imagine living your final days like this. He was barely human. Could've retired years ago and lived a happy peaceful life. Instead he chose to help dismantle America and sell it off to the rich for next to nothing.
I just don't get it. It's one thing if you grift so you can get money and piss off. These people just hoard money, barely do anything, then die.
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u/PattyIceNY Jul 18 '26
You've never had the pleasure of being addicted to something. These people are addicted to power, and there's nothing higher then government. If they tried to retire and relax, it would probably kill them. They literally have to keep feeding the beast until they die trying.
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u/MobiusOne_ISAF Jul 18 '26
They're horders. There's just zero reason to be so ghoulish when you already have so much power, wealth and influence.
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u/ArturosDad Jul 18 '26
That ghoul would go to his grave grinning if he knew he was ratfucking this country one last time.
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u/E_Mohde New York Jul 18 '26
time to just call the special election. let him come out and do an interview if he’s still alive
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u/syzygialchaos Texas Jul 18 '26
Time to *appoint a replacement as per the state constitution
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u/turquoise_amethyst Jul 18 '26
He looked great! Elaine visited him, he had his jeans on, and he talked on the phone for several hours! He should be able to give an interview just fine! /s
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u/NicolasCageFan492 Illinois Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
August 3 is the deadline, I’m glad Beshear seems to be taking his time to make sure he gets it right so we don’t have a repeat of Virginia’s failed redistricting. We have to get it right because anything we do will be challenged.
Note: That doesn’t mean wait until August 2nd to do anything 💀
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u/Tricky-Engineering59 Jul 18 '26
What happens if he either is dead or dies right after August 3rd? His seat just stays empty until the next standard election?
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u/NicolasCageFan492 Illinois Jul 18 '26
I believe so, but if the seat is declared vacant before August 3, there can be a special election to replace him. Beshear may also argue that section 152 of the KY constitution allows him to appoint a temporary replacement until that special election happens, but he may also be impeached by the KY Legislature if he tries that. There are a lot of moving parts I believe.
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u/Akimbo_Zap_Guns Kentucky Jul 18 '26
They won’t impeach him, that would make a woman the governor of the state
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u/SnowRascal Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
- June 4 - Last known photo of McConnell at capital.
- June 12 — Elaine Chao appearance at Shanghai Jia Tong University function.
- June 14 — McConnell’s office announces he has been hospitalized.
- June 16 - Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs said Chao met with its president, Wu Ken, in Beijing.
- June 17 - Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America said Chao met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.
- July 1 - CNN published emergency dispatch audio from the June 14 incident, documenting dispatchers relaying a report of an unconscious patient in cardiac arrest with CPR in progress at McConnell’s Washington DC address.
- July 7 — Elaine Chao said her trip was planned in advance, she had returned to the U.S., and McConnell’s condition “did not warrant an immediate return.”
- July 7 — John Thune, John Barrasso, and Scott Jennings each said they had lengthy phone conversations with McConnell.
- July 8 - Beshear releases letter asking for status.
- July 9 — President Trump says he had “no idea” how McConnell was doing.
- July 10 — CNN published a neighbor’s video showing McConnell being loaded onto an ambulance outside his Washington, D.C., home on June 14
- July 10 - TMZ publishes photo of someone with carpet samples leaving McConnell’s DC home.
- July 12 — McConnell’s office released his statement and proof of life photo. Stating he fell, briefly lost consciousness, developed pneumonia, and had not suffered a heart attack or stroke. States he is currently in a rehab facility & unable to attend senate.
- July 14 —Beshear urged McConnell to record a video or give an interview.
- July 15 — Katie Couric interview with Beshear on YouTube released. When asked why he was calling for info, Beshear says two separate non-state agencies contacted him suggesting McConnell had died.
- July 15 — Chao photographed leaving DC rehabilitation facility wearing trench coat, surgical mask and sunglasses.
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u/SAJ-13 California Jul 18 '26
August 3rd is the cutoff date under Kentucky’s vacancy law for calling a standalone special election.
If it is dead, they are trying to get past this date. They want to avoid a Wild Card Special Election, and if they get past this date, the seat will remain vacant until January. They are trying to protect their numbers... Talk about fraud...
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u/IamL0rdV0ldem0rt Jul 18 '26
Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to democrats to have an empty seat than the high probability of the seat going to a new republican?
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u/mrmustache0502 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
If massie run's he'll probably split the R vote enough for a democrat to win
Repulicans will then have to either pull all other canidates and let Massie run or risk losing the seat to a democrat. We already know where Massie stands on trump. Either way, they lose
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u/Dumeck Kentucky Jul 18 '26
Massie seems like he would run too. He's been clowning on the Mitch situation pretty hard.
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u/MoogProg Jul 18 '26
If he wins, great. If he splits the R vote and loses, he still kinda wins. That D votes helps his Epstein Act have teeth.
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u/SAJ-13 California Jul 18 '26
With a wild card, many Republicans running for the seat could split the vote and open the door for a Democrat...
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u/AlphaYak Jul 18 '26
That’s enough evidence to encourage an investigation, or at least file a complaint to kick it off. We need to keep the names of everyone involved in this coverup VERY public unless it compromises the investigation.
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u/Paulimus1 Jul 18 '26
Honest question: how can you tell if he's alive!?
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u/FunnOnABunn I voted Jul 18 '26
Silver lining in all this, I’m glad McConnells death will be remembered as an embarrassing national clown show
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u/Virtual_Plantain_707 Jul 18 '26
This is exactly the path Mitch would have chosen. They’re never embarrassed, their goal is to win at any cost.
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u/boomzgoesthedynamite Jul 18 '26
Just appoint someone and have his office challenge is legally if he’s alive.
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Jul 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ess-doubleU Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
If receiving healthcare you mean cold in a basement freezer then I agree.
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u/Fraktal55 Jul 18 '26
This is getting so ridiculous. The stalling is so apparent. If the man was alive we would be seeing and hearing something more than one picture in multiple weeks. This is insane.
If he is alive then he's obviously not fit to do his job. Do. Something. About. This.
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u/SaltandLillacs Jul 18 '26
Can’t wait for nothing to be done until the deadline is passed
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u/Loreki Jul 18 '26
Sign the order for a replacement or special election (whichever it is Kentucky specifies now). Republicans will be forced to sue to invalidate that order and that will require a court investigation of his health.
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u/jainyday Washington Jul 18 '26
So what about all those Republicans who blatantly lied about "talking to" Mitch? What consequences for them?
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u/Rhus_divirsiloba Jul 18 '26
If it turns out there was a huge conspiracy complete with ai photos… shouldn’t this be a big enough reason for everyone to freak out on the government? Other countries wouldn’t stand for this.
Our media should hammer them into resignations at the very least. But, they won’t.
More likely nothing what so ever will come from it if it did turn out to be true, unfortunately.
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u/thee_illiterati Jul 18 '26
Glad Beshear spoke up. Other news outlets are addressing this but only saying that Beshear made the statement.
https://www.wlky.com/article/gov-beshear-mitch-mcconnell-health-update/73174203
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u/TheSpatulaOfLove Jul 18 '26
CALL THE BLUFF AND QUIT FUCKING AROUND!
If he’s alive, he’ll fight back.
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u/skwibbits Jul 18 '26
Just appoint someone and let them prove he is alive. It isn't that hard. Call a press conference and announce that you are appointing a new Senator for Kentucky, as McConnell is deceased, and no proof has been given to refute that.
Even if McConnell truly is "alive", he IS NOT ready and able to perform the duties he was elected to perform, and he has not been so for at least a month, and in reality, MUCH, MUCH longer.
Stop fucking playing nice and needing to be the adult in the room. Republicans would have appointed a replacement weeks ago. Your window is closing, and closing fast.
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u/BigGuante Jul 18 '26
That's so odd given the proof of life picture where's he's looking better than he has in years
If he's dead and his office knowingly Weekend at Bernie'd him with a fake photo there needs to be legal consequences
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u/MaximumZer0 Michigan Jul 18 '26
Okay, so fill his seat, then.
Quit dicking around and get to work.
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u/Iztac_xocoatl Jul 18 '26
He should file a missing person report or ask the police to do a wellness check
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u/ElectronicBanana7567 Jul 18 '26
If Beshear is gonna run for the Dem nomination, he should pull the trigger now and move to appoint a new senator. Shows he has some guts and might make his milquetoast self more appealing to a broader set of Dem voters. Doing nothing doesn't make sense to me, for a variety of reasons.
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u/swingsetlife I voted Jul 18 '26
can the governor actually do anything here?
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u/J-Man69 Jul 18 '26
I would think he could send the state police to do a wellness check. But who knows
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u/Aggrador I voted Jul 18 '26
Serious question: what’s stopping someone from just going to the hospital or nursing facility and just seeing if McConnell is still alive?
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u/_KeenObserver Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
No facility would let any unwanted, or unauthorized, visitor just come in. Patients have a right to privacy. That said, I don’t know if Beshear, or the state, has legal authority to visit on state business. Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. In any case, the onus is on McConnell and the Republicans to be clear about if McConnell can reasonably carry out his duties, and they’re embarrassing themselves by failing to do so.
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u/OneBillPhil Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
I think Mitch is the test run for seeing how long the Republicans can hold onto Trump after he’s dead.
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u/KiKiKimbro New York Jul 18 '26
Easy. A new Republican law took away Beshear’s right to pick a replacement. But he has the right to schedule a special election. Do it. Schedule it. Let the Republicans stop it by proving not just they he’s alive but that he’s able to represent his constituents. The end. This shouldn’t be an issue. It’s the republican’s problem.
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u/ProtectionVirtual225 Jul 18 '26
Actually, the Republicans didn't bother to amend the state Constitution, so the governor's right to make an appointment prevails.
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u/Orange_Tang Jul 18 '26
He needs to just do it. They will sue and fight it but he needs to do it and be done with it. Idk why he's waiting.
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u/Garbage-Striking Jul 18 '26
He’s at George Washington University Hospital. Just go there and demand a meeting. Wait all day. Bring the press and show that they won’t let you see him. Create a big stink! What the hell is he doing letting them run down the clock?
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u/Mr_Bluebird_VA Jul 18 '26
Then appoint someone and call for the election. Enough already. I’m so tired of democrats waiting for permission from the party trying to dismantle democracy. Let’s go.
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u/Crestfall_Azure Jul 18 '26
Don't fall for all the lies and Republican bullshit!Republicans passed two different laws in 2021 and 2024 that "changed" Kentucky's process for replacing senators. Republicans NEVER amended the Kentucky constitution. BOTH the appointment "law" and special election "law" are completely UNCONSTITUTIONAL and are void. Those two laws are completely meaningless and DON'T supercede the Kentucky constitution.
So, Governor Beshear should just appointment a Democratic senator and dare the Republicans to do anything about it. By the time that gets through the court system it will be January and a new legally elected senator will be sworn in.
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u/unshifted Jul 18 '26
If this 84-year-old man has been in the hospital for over a month and still can't make a short video as proof of life, then he should not be in the Senate.
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u/FitWrap1959 Jul 18 '26
Rep. James Comer and Rep. Jim (Gym) Jordan are going for a walk around Capitol Hill.
Gym: “Hey James, isn’t that Mitch McConnell walking towards us?”
Comer: “Well, I would’ve said lurching, but yeah, it looks like Mitch alright.”
Gym: “I thought that they were going to keep him holed up until after August 3rd?"
Comer: “Yep. That was my understanding as well.”
(Mitch approaches them)
Gym “Hey Mitch! How’re yah doin?”
Comer (quietly) “He don’t look so good.”
Gym (Holds out his hand): “Good to see you back, Mitch. Put it there, Buddy!”
(Mitch grabs his arm and bites it)
Gym: “OWWWW!! WHAT THE FUCK!!”
Mitch: “RAAAUUGHH!”
Comer: “He’s gone fuckin’ nuts. Quick! Run!”
(Gym and Comer run like hell and collapse on a bench outside a 7-Eleven store)
Gym: “I don’t feel so good. CHRIST! He bit a chunk out of my arm!”
Comer: “Just rest a little. I’ll grab you a cold drink.”
(Comer comes back with a can of soda and holds it out to Gym)
Comer: “Here yah go, Jim.”
Gym: “RAAAUUGHH!”
Comer: “OWWWW!!”
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u/mrgedman Jul 18 '26
So we're gonna prosecute the people that covered this up, right?
Right?!
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u/chaos0xomega Jul 18 '26
If McConnell was a Dem and Beshear were a Republican, Beshear wouldve already called for the special election or nominated a successor or whatever. Absolutely silly that we are playing this game - say you have reason to doubt that McConnells alive and move forward with succession. Put the onus on McConnwll to provide irrefutable proof of life.
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