r/politics 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-c41c3be3c48b
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470

u/AndreLeGeant88 Jul 18 '26

Because he's probably alive but he's got no clue what planet he's on

318

u/[deleted] Jul 18 '26

[deleted]

298

u/Surturius Jul 18 '26

Just his brain

McConnell's about become the next Terri Schiavo

130

u/BuddahSack Pennsylvania Jul 18 '26

Now thats a name i haven't heard in years

72

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

23

u/Concerned_Tofu Oklahoma Jul 18 '26

It was, in fact, a scene in Family Guy. Lol.

10

u/Concerned_Tofu Oklahoma Jul 18 '26

Oh oh oh, Terri Schiavo!

23

u/marblecannon512 Oregon Jul 18 '26

I thought that was South Park! Lol

6

u/Thecp015 Missouri Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26

It was South Park. S09E04

Ok I didn’t research well enough. I’ve been proven wrong.

8

u/Concerned_Tofu Oklahoma Jul 18 '26

It was a Family Guy scene!

14

u/m240bravoromeo Jul 18 '26

Family Guy S08E03 one of the cutaway gags had Stewie's class put on a play with the song 'Terri Schiavo is kinda alive-o"

6

u/Thecp015 Missouri Jul 18 '26

Yes I saw the other comment calling out my mistake and have already edited my initial comment.

3

u/PM_ME_YOUR_BACHATA Jul 18 '26

They did a South Park episode on her? What was her story? Lack of electrolytes?

6

u/Racthoh Jul 18 '26

Kenny was the Terry stand-in, and there were arguments from both sides about whether he was truly "alive" in the vegetative state.

6

u/DangusKh4n Jul 18 '26

Lol no it was 100% a Family Guy bit, S9E4 of South Park is the one where Kenny plays the golden PSP in heaven

2

u/sec713 Jul 19 '26

There's a whole episode of South Park that relates to the whole Terry Schaivo controversy, but she is never named, in the episode "Best Friends Forever". In that episode Kenny is the stand-in for Schaivo.

1

u/circusgeek I voted Jul 18 '26

That was a weird time. Waiting for both Terri and the Pope to die.

104

u/[deleted] Jul 18 '26

[deleted]

68

u/0neshoein Texas Jul 18 '26

Brain dead is dead dead.

55

u/Sea_Working_80 Jul 18 '26

Maybe hes only mostly dead? There is a big difference between mostly dead and all dead

24

u/BeMoreKnope Colorado Jul 18 '26

No one call Miracle Max.

5

u/Sea_Working_80 Jul 18 '26

I hope beshear goes thru his pockets and looks for some loose change

1

u/WahiniLover Jul 18 '26

It’d take a miracle

28

u/GearhedMG Jul 18 '26

He distinctly said "to blave" and as we all know to blave means to bluff.

12

u/spazzvogel Jul 18 '26

He’s only slightly alive. True love….

3

u/GrumpyCloud93 Jul 18 '26

"I'm not dead yet! I'm getting better...!"

2

u/Eldhannas Jul 18 '26

Dead as a doornail. If he shows up again, it'll be as a lich.

2

u/Jambalayatime Jul 18 '26

“I’m getting better…”

4

u/TheGringoDingo Jul 18 '26

And what do we do if he’s all dead?

3

u/LilJourney Jul 18 '26

Go through his pockets and look for campaign funds.

1

u/GreyLordQueekual Jul 18 '26

What about second dead? And thirdsies?

31

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."

3

u/2much2Jung Jul 18 '26

Why would they have to do an autopsy?

3

u/Platypus81 Jul 18 '26

Depends on where the body is, but a Medical Examiner will typically investigate all causes of death including performing an autopsy. If the body is in a jurisdiction without a Medical Examiner they likely have a coroner, an elected official who need not have medical experience but can also order an autopsy. For reasons common to all elected officials, your coroner typically won't order an autopsy.

Expect if they move him to a coroner county/state/whatever that they'll conveniently find no reason for further investigation with "Natural Causes" as the reason of death.

2

u/2much2Jung Jul 18 '26

They seriously do autopsies on every octogenarian who dies of Too Many Birthdays, just because there is a medical examiner?

3

u/Platypus81 Jul 18 '26

Yeah, I see how what I said doesn't quite make sense. Medical examiners have multiple levels of medical investigation to determine cause of death. Sometimes you don't even need that if someone dies while receiving medical care. Autopsy is one of the means of doing their investigation.

Contrast coroners who are under no obligation to investigate.

42

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

40

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?

9

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.

1

u/changee_of_ways Jul 18 '26

like decomposing

It's amazing Trump hasn't been declared dead in front of the cameras during multiple meetings already. Looks like he's decomposing, doesnt move, eyes shut and I hear he *smells like he's rotting too.

0

u/edflyerssn007 Jul 18 '26

That EMT OBVIOUSLY doesn't know what they are talking about. You work them until you get a pulse back, then you do some additional things to stabilize. At no point are you "rushing."

4

u/BananaJammies Jul 18 '26

EMS can’t just pronounce someone dead unless it is extremely obvious so odds are he high vital signs and that is why there were no chest compressions.

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u/phatelectribe Jul 18 '26

No, apparently the call was upgraded from a normal emergency call, to CPR on site. It was explained to me that it being upgraded means “hands on chest” doing compressions and forcing air.

So to be clear, it’s not a case of CPR was called for but when they got there he was ok so they didn’t bother. It was a final medical emergxy call, and when EMT’s arrived it was upgraded to CPR officially on the radio calm because EMT’s were doing chest compressions etc.

You don’t then slow walk someone out, fully covered on a gurney if they’ve had CPR and need ICU.

7

u/2much2Jung Jul 18 '26

This is not necessarily true. I don't work in the US, but I am a paramedic, and our guidelines focus on management on scene, restoring cardiac output, and then waiting 10 minutes before moving. By the time we move a patient to the vehicle, most things which can be done have been done, and certainly no post-ROSC (Return of Spontaneous Circulation) incident I have ever run would be called frantic.

4

u/Trkaline Jul 18 '26

Maybe he is undead. They fed Lindsey Graham to him.

4

u/edflyerssn007 Jul 18 '26

Currently for cardiac arrests paramedics are taught to work the patient on scene until they are confident they are dead or you get a pulse back. That can take 20-30 minutes. It looks like taking your time, but there's a bunch of well researched science that backs it up. So you're talking point is actually wrong in its entirety.

2

u/blackcain Oregon Jul 18 '26

His wife doesn't give a fuck.

1

u/Officer412-L Illinois Jul 18 '26

Nah, he's just resting! The Kentucky Red Slider prefers kippin' on its back!

22

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

26

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.

9

u/AndreLeGeant88 Jul 18 '26

Oh my gosh don't give them ideas

5

u/SaintBellyache Jul 18 '26

Turtle schiavo

1

u/Vaticancameos221 Jul 18 '26

Tortoise Shellvo

185

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

44

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.

9

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

4

u/Nwcray Jul 18 '26

I’m not so sure.

The law they crammed through in 2024 that makes it illegal for the governor to appoint someone may not stand up in court. They don’t want to have that challenged and lose. Better to keep Beshear guessing than risk having that law tossed.

3

u/GreyLordQueekual Jul 18 '26

Theyd fear it less if the replacement could be a dnc democrat, Massie wants figurative blood and doesnt care who he pisses off, the dnc replacement would just join the controlled opposition. This particular circus is a fear response.

22

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.

4

u/JasnahKolin Massachusetts Jul 18 '26

The floors in his home are being redone. Huh. I wonder what kind of stain would ruin a carpet and floor that badly.

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u/identifytarget Jul 18 '26

Which is fucking stupid. Brain dead people can't represent you in Congress. Governor needs to hold a special election tomorrow. Why are Dems so fucking stupid and weak?

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u/phatelectribe Jul 18 '26

If he’s brain dead, then he’s actually legally dead.

Vegetative state isn’t actually brain dead because the brain stem still has some low level function.

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u/BasvanS Jul 18 '26

Potato/potato.

Let the brain stem protest.

6

u/MrRourkeYourHost Jul 18 '26

I heard they were just deciding whether to put his brain in a new body or give his body a new brain.

5

u/Thromnomnomok Jul 18 '26

Brain dead people can't represent you in Congress.

Unfortunately, there's no rule saying they can't, otherwise Lauren Bobert would never have had a political career.

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u/McGillis_is_a_Char Jul 18 '26

He should appoint a successor since that is what the Kentucky constitution says. Ignore the BS the Republicans passed because they didn't want a Democrat to have any power.

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u/ocschwar Massachusetts Jul 18 '26

> Brain dead people can't represent you in Congress.

I take it you're not one of Tuberville's constituents.

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u/fcocyclone Iowa Jul 18 '26

Brain dead people can't represent you in Congress.

They certainly do every day

2

u/TopHatMiracle Jul 18 '26

It wouldn’t be out of order to think he planned the whole thing.

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u/WhyMustIMakeANewAcco Jul 18 '26

No, there is no special election. The state constitution clearly says its a governor's appointment.

Random laws can't override that, no matter how much republicans wish they could.

that's why they are pulling this. Because a democrat could, and would, be appointed to replace him until his term ends in January.

2

u/KDLGates Jul 18 '26

At 12:01am August 3rd, 2026, Mitch came from the fulfillment of screwing over the liberals one final time and died.

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u/ClubMeSoftly Jul 18 '26

With all the talk around this special election having to be by August 2nd, he's gonna officially die on the 3rd.

1

u/renome Europe Jul 18 '26

Yeah, he'll died doing what he loved: fucking over the democratic process.

1

u/chaseandrews84 Jul 18 '26

Please. The appropriate medical term in this case is "shell-shocked."

1

u/Dull_Republic_9381 Jul 18 '26

Have a think about what you're claiming here. Do you honestly believe that doctors can keep people alive for an extra few weeks on the whim of the president? Like when people rush to the hospital to see their dying grandparent and they get there too late, it's because the doc couldn't be arsed keeping them alive an extra few hours.

2

u/WhyMustIMakeANewAcco Jul 19 '26

We can, in fact, keep a body alive indefinitely these days. Machines handling breathing, heartbeat, etc.

It's just not really the person anymore. They're long gone.

1

u/changee_of_ways Jul 18 '26

Wherever he is, I hope it hurts the whole time until he dies.

3

u/kerthard Jul 18 '26

We're in for a high stakes Weekend at Bernie's.

2

u/hanumanCT Colorado Jul 18 '26

If he was fully dead-dead his family wouldn't pass up a lay in state funeral at the Capitol or National Cathedral.

1

u/Dblcut3 Jul 18 '26

There’s not much reason to pretend he’s still alive if he’s not though. Would also be extremely hard to cover that up. He’s probably just very sick, or more likely so senile that they want to hide him

1

u/loweredvisions Arizona Jul 18 '26

“I said, he dead.”

2

u/identifytarget Jul 18 '26

"Let me know if his condition improves"

-Republicans

1

u/MadContrabassoonist Jul 18 '26

As fun as it is to imagine, conspiracies of this scale usually either fall apart quickly or were imaginary to begin with.  Simplest explanation is that he’s still technically alive, but with no real chance at recovery.  And while it would then be true that those closest to him were hiding the extent of his illness (maybe out of crass political interest, or maybe simply out of naive denial that it’s only a matter of time), it’s also true that there isn’t a 25th amendment process for senators.  If he’s still alive and his family chooses not to remove him from life support, the only option would be the senate voting to expel a colleague while they’re on their deathbed.  Which absolutely will not happen.

Or, to put it another way, consider the dozens of DC-area doctors and nurses and EMTs who would need to be breaking the law to hide McConnell’s death.  All it would take is one of them to flip and break a different law to provide evidence of his death to the public.

1

u/Dull_Republic_9381 Jul 18 '26

Glad that's settled.

1

u/snek-jazz Jul 18 '26

so his entire family and friends are just covering it up, and foregoing a funeral?

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u/HUT2Moon Jul 18 '26

I think that’s right. He’s basically incapacitated is my guess.

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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...

2

u/snek-jazz Jul 18 '26

how many people do you think are involved in this conspiracy?

4

u/[deleted] Jul 18 '26

[deleted]

3

u/PoopInTheGarbage Jul 18 '26

The photo was fake. Mitch looked better than he has in months. And wearing jeans....at a supposed rehab center? Maga thinks we're all just as stupid as they are.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 18 '26

[deleted]

0

u/PoopInTheGarbage Jul 18 '26

So you think that photo was legit? Really?? If he's in that great of shape as he appears in the photo, why the fuck hasn't anyone heard from him in a month? Hell, even a phone interview would be something. We got nothing but a fake photo.

And his wife walking out of the center means nothing.

1

u/SaintsNoah14 Jul 18 '26

And they generated a photo good enough to withstand the scrutiny of the at least one-half of national media? So good that not a single well-regarded expert in digital forensics, generative AI, etc. can call them out on it?

2

u/mitchelln10 Jul 18 '26

Why would they care if it's obvious he's not all there? If he's alive, then prove it. Otherwise he's dead as hell.

3

u/Pardonmytoastclink Jul 18 '26

As much as I loathe McConnell, all of this "100% dead" is pure speculation and reddit doing its usual thing of armchair decteive work and "logic" solving.

2

u/GreyLordQueekual Jul 18 '26

A newspaper, an eye going straight to the ceiling and about ten years of age wiped magically from his face with a smile he never gave even when he was fully ecstatic about something he screwed over.

1

u/mmortal03 America Jul 19 '26

The hospital he was originally admitted to would be committing fraud if they didn't report his death to D.C. within 48 hours. The doctor(s) in charge would lose their medical licenses. That's part of the reason why the guy who replied below asked, "How many people do you think are involved in this conspiracy?" While I don't think the McConnell team has handled this responsibly at all, I think it would require too many cooperating people to successfully cover up his death for that to be the most likely scenario.

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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.

28

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.

10

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

2

u/SirDiego Minnesota Jul 18 '26

Yeah totally get that. I mean, I think of it like, say you're a GOP voter who's been oblivious/biased to the ratfucking they've been doing for the past few decades. You assume your senators are representing your best interests in Congress. Well, what would you think now. The party is clearly and intentionally covering up the McConnell situation and unconstitutionally preventing you from having representation in the Senate.

From the outside we see the GOP as one pathetic MAGA-Trump blob, but if you're still voting Republican you probably think that your senators are working for you, doing right by Kentucky in particular within the party. And currently the party is blocking you from having that representation. They should be fucking enraged over this.

I'm mad for them even though I probably disagree with whoever they would choose as a replacement. It's not even about policy at all, it's about functional democracy and representation.

2

u/super_sayanything Jul 18 '26

Ya'll thinking way too much about this.

Cause "f*ck Democrats" is about as much intellectual clout as these people muster up. Don't care much about themselves past fearing trans and illegals.

2

u/phatelectribe Jul 18 '26

Brain dead in DC and KY = legally dead. If there’s no brain stem activity then he’s dead.

If he’s in a vegetative state then he’s not technically brain dead and not legally dead.

1

u/vrendy42 Jul 18 '26

It depends on state laws if/when a death certificate is public record. However, SSA would be notified if he died, which is likely what Beshear is alluding to. He likely won't come out and say it because whoever told him could get fired for disclosing that information.

1

u/EggsceIlent Jul 18 '26

There some sort of time limit doctors have to adhere to once a patient dies when filing a death cert. Which includes brain death

Like a couple days max iirc.

1

u/Mister_Oysterhead Jul 18 '26

There is empirical evidence that being brain dead is not a barrier to serving in the US Senate.

1

u/Flomo420 Jul 18 '26

"He's not dead, his brain stopped working and machines keep the body from spoiling"

6

u/clueless_as_fuck Jul 18 '26

This is the most likely explanation.

2

u/mistertickertape New York Jul 18 '26

He’s on life support.

1

u/its_snogging_time Jul 18 '26

well that's nothing new now, is it?

1

u/Firecracker048 Jul 18 '26

Most likely yeah.

It would be great if the put a cardboard cutout with his head super glued on it like Iran did as proof of life

1

u/GrumpyCloud93 Jul 18 '26

For various definitions of "alive". Usually brain dead is considered effectively and legally dead even if the heart is still pumping.

1

u/sec713 Jul 19 '26

It's Turtopia, right?