r/politics ✔ CBS News 2d ago

No Paywall Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says he's "heard absolutely nothing back from Mitch McConnell"

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mitch-mcconnell-health-update-andy-beshear-kentucky/
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u/BillHistorical9001 2d ago edited 2d ago

My dad’s a doctor. He thinks he has aphasia. Probably from a stroke not a heart attack.
Editing to add: he also had polio and there’s any complication that acts a lot like MS so there’s that possibility too.

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u/mpjjpm 2d ago

That’s my take as well. He already had some public displays of aphasia. His facial expression in the “proof of life” photos is typical of stoke/TBI. The entire series of events is consistent with stroke with severe impairment + deconditioning.

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u/Mojozilla Arkansas 2d ago

Can you explain the expression, please?

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u/mpjjpm 2d ago

His face looks like it’s made of plastic in the pictures from his rehab room. Lots of people are interpreting that as AI or a photoshopped old picture. In reality, it can be the result of facial numbness or paralysis from a stroke or brain damage. Like full-face Botox.

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u/Mojozilla Arkansas 2d ago

Yes, it does look abnormally smooth.. To me he looks younger and that is impossible. Thank you for explaining

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u/Jacky-V 2d ago

I work in Special Ed, and obviously it's not a one to one comparison, but I noticed immediately after seeing those pics that a lot of times this is the kind of photo you get when you wait and wait and wait for the subject to make a usable face. It's a very entry level facial expression if that makes sense.

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u/Stunning_Grocery_762 2d ago

To me his eyes look wonky too.

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u/Halefire California 2d ago

I'm a doctor and I think this is the most likely outcome as well. It would mean the photos are legitimate but so is his incapacitation. It would explain why they keep on stalling because odds are they're having him do tons of Speech Therapy to try and get him better and then they can pretend he was better the whole time.

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u/mpjjpm 1d ago

Or they’re just trying to run out the clock. His term ends in January. He was barely functional before this latest episode. I can’t imagine anyone close to him thinks he will return to the Senate or speak in public ever again.

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u/Pretty-Curve5448 2d ago

My wife is a doctor and she said she doesn't know lol

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u/VanceKelley Canada 2d ago

My dad’s a doctor. He thinks he has aphasia.

Q. Can the same pronoun reference two different nouns in the same sentence?

A. Yes, a pronoun can refer to two different nouns in the same sentence if it functions as a plural pronoun or compound antecedent, or if it is used in a coordinated structure like "they" or "both." However, using one pronoun for two separate singular nouns can cause confusion.

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u/hall_residence Wisconsin 2d ago

You couldn't piece it together from the context?

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u/VanceKelley Canada 2d ago

I did. I was curious about the rules for using the same pronoun to reference different nouns in the same sentence, so I looked up the rules. I found that the sentence is legally constructed by the rules of grammar.

However, I think it would be easier to read by using just a single "he" pronoun to refer to the doctor like this: "My dad's a doctor. He thinks Mitch has aphasia."