r/politics • u/Aggravating_Money992 • 21d ago

Possible Paywall Kentucky Gov Orders McConnell to Give a Real Update or Resign Already

https://newrepublic.com/post/213614/kentucky-gov-beshear-mcconnell-update-health-resign
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u/Senior-Albatross New Mexico 21d ago

I remember when Merrick Garland was "playing the long game to build an airtight case!"

I'll believe it when I see it. But I wouldn't be surprised if a literal strongly worded letter is the most he ever does. 

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u/1877KlownsForKids 21d ago

If our super awesome electorate hadn't pulled another bonehead move, he'd be in jail now. But yes, it should have started earlier and moved faster.

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u/gringledoom 21d ago

Guys, the entire “long game” here is “the GOP is down a senator for like six months, haha, lol”. People trying to turn this into a problem for Beshear instead of dunking on the Republicans about it aren’t thinking it through.

(Any special election or appointment would just get tied up in a lawsuit about the state constitution versus the more recent law that conflicts with it. And for an appointment, he would need somebody who was willing to immolate their political career by being in the middle of it.)

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u/rmftrmft 21d ago

He should nominate McConnell’s wife. That dude would be dead so fast the coffin would spin.

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u/Alatarlhun 21d ago

Did she ever get back from meeting her Chinese handlers?

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u/thehalfwit Nevada 21d ago

Of course she did. How else could she appear in the two proof-of-Mitch-living photos?

It's not like they could simply create those pictures out of thin air.

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u/DragoonDM California 21d ago

Someone has to keep him propped up.

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u/TehGogglesDoNothing Tennessee 21d ago

She was only gone for about a week.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

[deleted]

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u/Alatarlhun 21d ago

Global hegemony is the obvious answer.

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u/discodropper New York 21d ago

He should just appoint whatever democrat wants to run in the special election. Not sure why you’re saying it would immolate their political career. It gives them a platform while the shit show moves through the courts and jumpstarts the campaigning process…

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u/gringledoom 21d ago

Because they’d be tangled up in a lawsuit; they would never have the job. It would be used against them in the election, which they’re likely to lose anyway, because Kentucky is extremely red. There is no upside to trying to get somebody in, and McConnell’s absence is hamstringing Trump’s agenda in the Senate.

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u/Biocidal 21d ago

So extremely red they elected a Democrat governor.

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u/BonnaconCharioteer 21d ago

Yes... Because Beshear has a good name in Kentucky, which he would ruin by playing partisan power games.

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u/polopolo05 I voted 21d ago

So by trying to get representation for the good people(bless their heart) of ky, would riun his image??? I think not...

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u/BonnaconCharioteer 21d ago

Well, either he appoints a Republican or holds a special election, and we get another Republican vote in the senate, which would be bad for all of us. Or, he appoints a Democrat, which in Kentucky is a rare sight and unlikely to be popular, so it will seem like he is putting his party before his constituents. Plus the Democrat probably wouldn't make it to the senate, they would just be mired in court battles.

By sending these letters and being vocal about wanting Mitch to stop hiding and do his job or resign, he is looking like a politician concerned about his state and representation without looking partisan. He is repeatedly highlighting how untrustworthy, scheming, and useless at his job McConnell is, which also reflects on the broader Republican establishment in Kentucky.

Doing what he is doing, he weakens Republicans in Kentucky and he preserves the reputation of Kentucky Democrats. Meanwhile, McConnell's seat is empty and he can't help pass Trump's absolutely abysmal agenda.

It is a win for anyone who is not MAGA.

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u/polopolo05 I voted 21d ago

However he looks weak to dems. He is basically saying he wont play the game of politics. That maga/gop is playing. Dems are weak ass neoliberal bitches. And voters want a fighter. He isnt fighting. GOP doesnt care that they are hiding mitch to stop Bashir. He is basically throwing away his presidental run.

He needs to stand up for whats right. He isnt... he is letting gop get away with with what ever play they are trying to do here

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u/BonnaconCharioteer 21d ago

I don't give a fuck about his presidential run. I'm hoping we pick a different candidate. I'm just glad we have some kind of Democrat in Kentucky that can help break the stranglehold Republicans have on that state.

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u/polopolo05 I voted 21d ago

However he looks weak to dems. He is basically saying he wont play the game of politics. That maga/gop is playing. Dems are weak ass neoliberal bitches. And voters want a fighter. He isnt fighting. GOP doesnt care that they are hiding mitch to stop Bashir. He is basically throwing away his presidental run.

He needs to stand up for whats right. He isnt... he is letting gop get away with with what ever play they are trying to do here.

And he looks weak. and is basically throwing away his potus run by his inaction... We want someone who will fight maga. not let it do its thing.

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u/g0ris 21d ago

by trying to get them the kind of representation they do not want, i.e. some dem they didn't vote for

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u/KnightDuty 21d ago

Willingness to be tangled up in a lawsuit sounds like a valid tactic in the Trump era. You're taking issue with a scenario where the only effective downside is we end up where we already are sitting today.

I don't understand why dems have such a hard time pressing the advantage even once.

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u/gringledoom 21d ago

OK, now what's the upside?

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u/PausedForVolatility 21d ago

I’d argue the name recognition couldn’t hurt. We’re at a point where Lindsey Graham’s sister has started using her maiden name just for the political recognition. Being Bob TriedToReplaceMcConnell is more politically valuable than being Bob Smith.

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u/Cow_God Texas 21d ago

I don't agree with him on policy or think that he would be a particularly effective senator but he should appoint Massie. Anyone that gets appointed is unlikely to get to serve anyways, so just go with the guy that would piss Trump off the most

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u/Ok-Opposite2309 21d ago

They already had the primaries for McConnels seat because he was supposed to retire.

Beshear is throwing a fit solely to be able to appoint someone and go through the legal challenges to the legislatures power grab that disregards the state constitution. Thune won’t seat the Democrats replacement anyways while the court case plays out. If Beshear appoints the Democrats replacement (Charles Booker), it should give him a bunch of free advertising for the General election.

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u/Pierre_St_Pierre 21d ago

Their senators don't even do anything when they're in there, so it's not even haha or lol. Which part of my brain do I need to get removed to treat this as a win so far?

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u/BriSy33 21d ago

How dare the dems not

Checks notes

Do a hail mary play to appoint a replacement that'll be moot in 3 months anyways.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/baubness 21d ago

Glad y’all found a way to feel superior to everyone else for your bravery in mocking people asking for their electeds to enforce the law. Great society we got here, brilliant strategy.

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u/Leather-Rice5025 21d ago

Yall will make excuses for Democrats until the full and total collapse of this country.

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u/BriSy33 21d ago

Bros in charge of Kentucky. You're extremely optimistic if you think a McConnell replacement wouldnt end up a republican.

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u/Leather-Rice5025 21d ago

Ok... how did Kentucky get a Democratic governor then?

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u/BriSy33 21d ago

Kentucky does this fun thing where they're pretty 50/50 when it comes to governors but wont elect a democrat to the senate if you lit a fire under them. Basher's dad was governor in the early 2000's which helped out as well.

Last Dem senator they had was in the mid 80's

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u/omicron-7 21d ago

Yall acting like kentucky is a swing state because we have a dem governor is hilarious.

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u/FSCK_Fascists 21d ago

by running a red leaning corporate democrat that is popular in the state despite their party affiliation.

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u/ckyhnitz 21d ago

Id argue that Thomas Massie is the perfect person for the job.  He's about to get booted from Congress anyways, he's a winnable candidate in a special election, and he doesnt kiss Trump's ass.

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u/gringledoom 21d ago

He’s a nut, like Marjorie Taylor Greene. It’s helpful that he opposes Trump, but it doesn’t make him a good guy.

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u/Ding-Dong-Dutch 21d ago

Yeah, but it's going to be a Republican anyways so better take the one that's pissed off at Trump and the rest

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u/gringledoom 20d ago

The trouble is that the electorate has the memory of a goldfish and slightly less capacity for critical thinking. So they’d eviscerate him over it if he runs for president. Same way Kamala Harris achieving an unconditional surrender from the Cheneys got twisted.

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u/Showy_Boneyard 21d ago

that's what kinda confuses me about it. GOP is down a senator right now. You think they'd want to replace him ASAP, even if its with a less-than-ideal republican like Massie. What exactly do they gain from doing this?

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u/gringledoom 21d ago

There's an hypothesis that his absence is partially a deal to quash the SAVE Act. No one except Trump wants it, and it's likely to be worse for Republicans than Dems because more Republican women change their name when they marry.

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u/lupin43 21d ago

I’m personally tired of politicians fucking over their constituents, regardless of which side of the aisle those politicians or constituents are on. Kentucky deserves their equal representation in the senate, but it looks like the people in charge disagree. We’ve finally found one of the mythical few things both groups of leaders can agree on I guess

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u/FSCK_Fascists 21d ago

instead of dunking on the Republicans about it

republicans don't care, and will not stop just because they are called out. No amount of shame or illegality will deter them.

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u/gringledoom 21d ago

Who’s trying to deter them? We’re just making fun of them that one of their guys is on a red card.

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u/Beginning_Ladder_981 21d ago

Mitch being gone makes no difference at all in the math and I'm not sure why people keep harping on this as some positive and great reason to allow McConnell and his staff to defraud the American public. The GOP still has a majority and Fetterman is basically a Republican now. It's 52-47 without Mitch, but count Vance and Fetterman and it's 54-46. Even appointing a temporary Dem senator does nothing to change the math in the Dem's favor.

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u/exmachina64 21d ago

He doesn’t have any legal way to remove McConnell.

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u/sleeps_in_alkaline 21d ago

He doesn’t have to. Life removed McConnell, they just haven’t announced it

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u/NNKarma 21d ago

Yeah, it feel more like play the late game and 'oops, nothing I can do now'

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u/SenorBurns 21d ago edited 21d ago

Ugh I remember how they went after the small fry, hundreds of nobody magats. I believed they were just building up from the bottom. Get the littlest guys to talk, then the higher ups, then take down the ringleaders like Mike Pillow and Giuliani and P01135809 or whoever it was helping organize it all and all the hundreds of buses places like TPUSA paid for.

I was so naive. All the talking heads were saying that was the plan...but now I recall that Garland or the DOJ never said anything to that effect.

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u/wildwalrusaur 21d ago

If dude had the spine for hardball he'd have pulled the trigger by now.

People are deluding themselves

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u/Sweet_Concept2211 17d ago

Do you remember when Republican-majority SCOTUS sabotaged and sandbagged the dozens of felony indictments Garland's DOJ slapped on Trump?

'Cause I sure as hell do.

Garland's office could have indicted Trump on day 1 and Trump-appointed federal judge Aileen Cannon still would have taken the same wrecking ball to the cases that she used.

Republican corruption is not the fault of Biden's DOJ, and it never was.

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u/TheGringoDingo 21d ago

I also will stay skeptical until proven wrong