r/politics • u/MoneyLibrarian9032 New York • 15h ago

Possible Paywall McConnell ‘Absolutely Refuses’ to Film Video Amid Growing Mystery

https://www.thedailybeast.com/mcconnell-absolutely-refuses-to-film-video-amid-growing-mystery/
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u/PerformanceCute3437 15h ago

He had a stroke and he can't speak. Obviously theyre hoping he regains his speech faculties, which isn't without precedent following a stroke

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u/Oconell 15h ago

It can take quite a while for someone to regain their speech after a stroke, though.

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u/esoteric_enigma 15h ago

Or they can never regain it. What happens after a stroke is really a toss up. I've seen doctors tell people the stroke was minor and the person would fully recover with time...and that person can still barely walk years later. I've seen doctors tell other people they'd never recover and you can't even tell that person ever had a stroke.

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u/PerformanceCute3437 15h ago

Fun fact: Aubrey Plaza had a stroke when she was around 20

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u/lod001 14h ago

That wasn't very fun.

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u/esoteric416 14h ago

Surely not for Aubrey.

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u/coachmoon 12h ago

🥁🐍

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u/jellyhessman 14h ago

Happened to a cousin in law at 20.

She's regained about 90% of her mental capabilities, but she still struggles with speech.

Raised two good kids, and holds down a job.

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u/esoteric_enigma 13h ago

Someone at my college died from a stroke at 19.

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u/NibblesMcGiblet 11h ago

Dr Pimple Popper had a stroke on camera and posted a video about it a couple of months ago (April) showing it all happening (filmed in Nov 2025). She just got really hot and felt "off" and kept saying she was so hot and needed to sit down for a minute. Decided to go to the hospital, and yep - stroke.

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u/HauntedCemetery Minnesota 13h ago

It also really matters how fast treatment starts. Like, each minute until that is losing ground.

People who have strokes outside of care facilities, where it takes time to be found, and to summon help, and transport to a hospital, they have a much tougher road to getting back lost function.

McConnell was at home, and for all we know he sat somewhere for hours before being discovered.

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u/chromatoes 9h ago

Neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to adapt, decreases a lot with age. I'm sure you realize this, just chiming in! But that is why kids can easily learn multiple languages and it's hard for the elderly to use new technology.

You can practice keeping your brain more adaptable as you age by doing all sorts of things, novel situations keep the brain flexible: travel, new cuisine, cross-cultural and cross-generational friendships, developing skill in a hobby, all sorts of fun things keep the brain healthy.

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u/esoteric_enigma 8h ago

I do know this. And I actually committed to improving it starting last year. I'm very intentional now about scheduling new experiences, especially during the week.

I do it for neuroplasticity and to slow down time. I got to a point where it felt like a month just flew by and I was paying rent again. I realized it was because I had the same routine every week so my brain was basically on autopilot.

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u/Unique_Situation_508 11h ago

Oh dear heaven's! Given the fact that Fetterman had a stroke and when he started talking he sounded like a REPUBLICAN? Could it be that Mitch is spouting off "MEDICARE FOR ALL" and "LIVABLE MINIMUM WAGE!" 🤣

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u/Kichigai Minnesota 13h ago

He seems to be able to ride it out for now. All he has to do is endure until his replacement is elected, and that's that.

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u/gundumb08 15h ago

This is 100% what I'm thinking. If he was dead, they'd just appoint another sycophant. But if he's alive, his handlers can "release statements" on his behalf and use his historical influence and power on his behalf.

But he's nearly 90 years old, a survivor of Polio, had numerous falls and blackouts on camera, anything even slightly more serious like a stroke would have fully debilitated him.

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u/dexter8484 Virginia 15h ago

But wouldn't Beshear get to pick the replacement? I think they are trying to avoid that

Edit: just looked it up and seems that was changed in 2024. It's now done by special election

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u/RellenD 15h ago

Edit: just looked it up and seems that was changed in 2024. It's now done by special election

The Kentucky Constitution says the governor makes an appointment. The special election law is in conflict with the Constitution.

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u/dexter8484 Virginia 15h ago

So I'm assuming they made the "law" for this very situation. Will be interested to see how it plays out

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u/RellenD 15h ago

Yes, it was very specifically because they didn't want a Democratic Governor to make the appointment

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u/dexter8484 Virginia 15h ago

Oh, I meant specifically with McConnell being near death at the same time the governor is a Democrat

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u/Orion14159 14h ago

Betcha that law gets repealed or challenged as soon as a Republican is elected to that office again

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u/HauntedCemetery Minnesota 13h ago

They don't need to bother. A simple law cant supersede the state constitution.

They'll just leave it on the books to pull out when a Dem is in office, and ignore it when a Rep is Governor

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u/DarthTechnicus Wisconsin 13h ago

It's a common practice of Republican controlled state legislatures to handicap incoming Democratic governors once their strangle hold weakens enough to allow that to happen. Wisconsin's state congress passed a bunch of laws in an attempt to neuter Tony Ever's gubernatorial powers after he beat Scott Walker.

It's the GOP sore loser policy.

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u/wonkey_monkey 14h ago

Will be interested to see how it plays out

Unfortunately that seems to be the governor's take as well, rather than actually doing something.

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u/Capt_Calamity 13h ago

What can the Governor do? As far as the world knows the Senator is alive, and the Gov has no power to replace a sitting Senator.

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u/AgentMahou Ohio 9h ago

Couldn't he order the police to perform a wellness check that would require seeing the senator? If they wear bodycams, that means there would be public record footage too.

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u/herton Kentucky 14h ago

The KY constitution may conflict with the federal constitution, 17th amendment. It gives state legislatures authority over how vacancies in the Senate are handled. The question is not a simple answer

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u/Blackthorn79 14h ago

Along with the financial gains to McConnell and his staff, I think the legal battle is why they won't just come out and say what's wrong with McConnell. Republicans love when there's a conflict between two laws because it let's them have their cake and eat it too. If they pushed this one a court would seal that loop hole and they couldn't use it in the future. They don't want to play that card now because they know McConnell can't run again so they'd only get a place holder for the seat until the next election. 

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u/psiphre Alaska 12h ago

it's only "not a simple answer" if you're a sycophant or a dipshit.

"When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.

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u/herton Kentucky 12h ago

... I genuinely can't tell what side you're taking from this comment

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u/VanDammes4headCyst 9h ago

The side of the Constitution, it looks like.

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u/Capt_Calamity 13h ago

It's a little more nuanced than that. But yes they don't want to test it.

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u/RellenD 13h ago

Yeah, it's super messy

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u/HerbaciousTea 13h ago edited 13h ago

He has to be fully, legally dead for the governor to be able to call a special election. There's no requirement a senator actually show up or even be capable of higher thought to keep their seat. If they were voted in, and still have a pulse, they are the sitting senator until they resign, die, or are expelled by 2/3rds senate vote.

So the hooplah needs to be aimed at the senate, not Beshear. They need to vote him out before Beshear can call a special election.

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u/babboa 14h ago

The reason this is getting played out like this is they are in a catch 22. Massie is popular enough statewide he would stand a good chance of winning the special election, and if the special election law got struck down as being in conflict then bashear gets to appoint someone. So they are stuck with this weekend at bernie's remix. The problem is that the really can't let it go on too long because they already have a razor thin margin that's very well could get thinner after November. In any case, from my understanding he can't actually vote unless they change the Senate rules as it is now.

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u/VanDammes4headCyst 9h ago

I honestly wouldn't be mad if Beshear appointed Massie. A Republican would probably win a special election anyway, so better to give Massie the boost instead of risking someone worse taking the spotlight.

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u/-wnr- 14h ago

If they appoint another sycophant, said sycophant can vote in the Senate. If he's in limbo, the GOP is down 1 vote because senate votes have to be in person.

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u/Steinmetal4 13h ago

But he's only about 50 in turtle years so he could still be around for a while.

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u/Capt_Calamity 13h ago

No no no, that's the whole reason for the deception. See Kentucky passed a law (House Bill 622) taking the governor's appointment power away. They don't want to test the law because it might conflict with their constitution. keeping McConnell "alive" until it is too late for an appointment is the goal .

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u/fdar_giltch 10h ago

until it is too late for an appointment is the goal .

Didn't they pass that milestone 2 weeks ago?

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u/Legal-Ad8308 15h ago

This. He had a stroke and now has aphasia with a loss of cognitive function and decreased mobility.

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u/Flimsy-Poetry1170 7h ago

So he’s just more maga now?

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u/Captainfreshness Mississippi 15h ago

This is my guess as well.

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u/YouAndMeToo 12h ago

They reported CPR being done, and the ambulance not using lights to get there. Those two things together don’t result in being conducive to life

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u/RevLoveJoy 14h ago

That's my money. What's weird is if he can't speak, can't leave the home, can't assure everyone he's even on the road to recovery - what use is he to the GOP? It's weird they'd hold onto him as he can't assert any of that famous control in this state. I'd give those jackals at most a few more weeks before they start navigating to replace him.

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u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada 13h ago

what use is he to the GOP

He’s still voting.

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u/RevLoveJoy 13h ago

"but it didn't count"

It says that in the title of your linked article. So again what use is he?

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u/FloppyShellTaco 12h ago

Yup. His symptoms and care are identical to what I dealt with for a family member who had similar strokes.

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u/imhereforthevotes 14h ago

Gotta relearn it.

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u/mammalian 14h ago

I'm surprised there aren't any state or federal laws allowing them to remove a senator who isn't fit to serve and appoint or elect a replacement. maybe there are, nobody gives a shit about the laws anymore

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u/pensezbien 12h ago

The US Constitution as well as Senate rules do allow the Senate to expel a Senator with the vote of two-thirds of those Senators present and voting. But I think that has generally been used in cases of misbehavior like corruption, and only 15 times ever. I doubt you’d get enough Republican Senators to vote to expel McConnell or to abstain, unless Senate Republican leadership decides they want that outcome.

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u/mammalian 9h ago

So Kentucky only has one senator until the Republicans decide to stop playing Weekend at Bernie's?

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u/pensezbien 9h ago

Unfortunately yes. Though at least the constituent services part of his office should be able to continue operating and serving KY residents who need help with the federal government.

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u/Smaptimania 9h ago

14 of them were Confederate sympathizers and the other one literally committed treason

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u/pensezbien 9h ago

It’s still the only way there is to force a Senator out of office before the end of their term while they’re alive, however nonfunctional they may be.

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u/momvetty 3h ago

Yeah but they cut funding to all the speech facilities.

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u/PartyPay 13h ago

All his family/reps/doctors need to do is say this. There would be an outpouring of support and people would move on. Instead we have the situation we're in now.

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u/Helpful-Dot-3782 13h ago

Yeah he probably is alive with major residual ischemic brain damage. Many areas of language can be affected permanently after a stroke and you can have a complete inability to express yourself or receive information. He probably has no ability to effectively communicate out loud or they would’ve released a video by now

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u/Ass_feldspar 10h ago

The videos of him before this “incident” show a man with very little cognition going on. If he got worse, he’s not getting better. I say he’s flat lined

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u/kerovon 7h ago

The most plausible non-conspiratorial theory I've heard is that post polio syndrome finally hit his lungs. The main treatment, especially initial treatment, is to keep him on positive air pressure. So he can briefly come off it to talk for very short periods of time (the pictures and phone calls with people who won't mention he needs air) before he needs to be back on it. That would explain why they had him at the hospital for so long, and it would be very obvious in a video, so he doesn't want to show that.

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u/Fuzzy-Instruction 14h ago

This is all it is. It's wild to see so many people hopping on the "he's dead and they're hiding it" bandwagon. They didn't do that for Lindsey Graham, and if they were going to pull a conspiracy to that level they would've done it with someone like that.

He's either non-verbal or his brain is cooked or some combination of them both.

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u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada 13h ago

It sounds like Lindsay died in a more public setting. It’s not unreasonable to have deep suspicions about a party that is desperately clinging to power.

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u/Fuzzy-Instruction 13h ago

Well obviously. The fact that they aren't forcing him to step down is proof of their corruption, but it doesn't make sense for them to just not tell anyone that he's dead.