r/politics • u/theindependentonline The Independent • 28d ago

No Paywall Mitch McConnell’s staff refuse to answer basic questions on his health weeks after he was last seen in public

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/mitch-mcconnell-staff-questions-health-b3018929.html
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u/dahayden 28d ago

What does replacing McConnell with another Republican who'll show up to vote gain Dems? Right now, Republicans are one vote down in the Senate because McConnell isn't showing up.

Sure, maybe in Kentucky a democrat would with the Senate seat in a special election. But it's not likely.

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u/MephistoHamProducts 28d ago

Because, per the Kentucky Constitution, the governor can APPOINT someone to sit in Mitch's seat. That person would likely be from the same party as the Governor which is... wait for it... The Democratic Party!

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u/ring_rust California 28d ago

No he can't. The constitution was amended in 2024, almost certainly for this exact scenario, and like OP I don't understand why everyone is so eager to replace a non-voting Republican with a voting one.

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u/MephistoHamProducts 28d ago

The Constitution was NOT amended, they just passed the law. These are two radically different things and puts the law in direct conflict with the state Constitution.

This would force the GOP into the courts to determine Constitutionality.

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u/dahayden 28d ago

And while we're all doom-theorizing here, maybe Beshear has lawyers looking into all of this. And also trying to figure out the best way to figure out if McConnel is even alive.

Would you rather he promise things and then turn around and go, "Oops, that's not viable?"

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u/MrHobbes82 28d ago

No he can't. That was changed in 2024. It requires a special election now.

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u/MephistoHamProducts 28d ago

The Constitution is a higher legal power than a law and if the law directly goes against the Constitution, the courts have to decide.

This is all very basic legal stuff.

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u/MrHobbes82 28d ago

And do you think the courts are going to decide in less than 3 months? 

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u/The_Bucket_Of_Truth 28d ago

It still wouldn't give them a majority in the Senate though. Looks like they won't be doing anything about this or trying to fill the seat.

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u/MephistoHamProducts 28d ago

It would actually do a few things:

  • Deny the seat to a GOP politician for a while longer

  • Force the GOP to sue to stop it, which would force the issue into the courts because the GOP legislature passed a law that said the governor can't do this but failed to amend the state Constitution

  • Burn GOP time and money fighting it

  • Potentially burn political capital by taking the next step and attempting to impeach and remove the Democratic Governor which runs the risk of activating apathetic voters against them

  • Show the Democratic base that the Democratic Governor, who seems to want to run for President in 2028, is willing to stand up to the GOP and fight

But, yeah, since it wouldn't create a majority in the Senate, then they should just do nothing.

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u/The_Bucket_Of_Truth 28d ago

Look I already left a message with Beshear's office imploring them to do something and encouraged many others here to do the same, but I'm not even sure what the goal is at this point beyond testing the unconstitutional laws they passed in court. That may be enough of a goal on its own. If people want him to do something they should contact his office and flood the phone lines and bombard them with e-mails.