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Honestly at this point I think the governor should just declare Mitch to be either deceased or unable to serve and start the process of appointing a successor. Then if Mitch's team challenges him, say look I want to be wrong please produce the Senator for an in person visit or appearance of any kind, or shut up.
Because if you strip away the politics, McConnell is there to represent the interests of his constituents. If he is unwilling or unable to do so then he should be replaced.
Yeah, there's no excuse to not do a video conference in this day and age. Mitch could even stay in his bed, or whatever turtles sleep in.
There's like 20 things he could do all the way from a public appearance down to simply releasing medical records. He's doing none of them.
When evaluating such things, I look at motivation. I put myself in the other person's shoes, and ask what set of circumstances or motivations would cause me to act as I am?
Take for example the lot of people who make outlandish claims about hover propulsion, free energy from drinking water, etc.
I put myself in those shoes, and I say 'okay, I just built a device that turns water into power. What do I do?'
Most likely I patent the thing, build 50 of them, and send them off to research labs for evaluation. When everyone concludes my thing works, I start licensing the patents for $billions and I retire.
On the other hand, let's say I invent a water-to-power machine but it doesn't work. What do I do? I act sketchy, try to appeal to people without much sense, try to get their money.
Which one more matches the behavior of the person advertising the free energy machine? The second one? Then I guess it's probably bullshit.
Same deal here. If I was McConnell or his staff and I was alive and was going to return to the Senate, I'd post a video, I'd release medical records, I'd do something to reassure my constituents that I will continue to represent them.
On the other hand if I was a political director for a dead or brain-dead or almost-dead Senator, and I didn't want the opposing Governor to appoint a successor, I'd do whatever it took to delay the world realizing that the Senator won't be returning ever. Delay, Deny, Defend. Then once the deadline passes, we announce the Senator has 'made an unfortunate turn for the worse' and no longer is able to return. And our defense against fraud is someone we pay off to swear that when our brain-dead comatose Senator was asked if he'd return, his eyelids twitched twice for yes.
Guys. Guys. I've got it. This is poetry.
Hello everyone it's me Mitch. Im doing well. Thanks for all th
thanks for the update we were worried about you be safe see you soon
He's passed on! This senator is no more! He has ceased to be! He's expired and gone to meet his maker! He's a stiff! Bereft of life, he rests in peace! If they hadn't nailed him to the hospital bed he'd be pushing up the daisies! His metabolic processes are now history! He's off the twig! He's kicked the bucket, he's shuffled off his mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible!! HE IS AN EX-SENATOR!!
Nope! Chuck Testa.
His soul has left, but his shite remains
Call for the special election anyway.
If he’s alive he’s gotta say something to stop it.
That's what I've been saying: Call their bluff, by appointing a replacement, and make them sue the state to stop it. The only way to stop it is to demonstrate to the judge that the Turtle is still swimming, and if he is, then great, MAGA wins.
But if they can't, MAGA's got some 'splainin' to do.
August 3rd 🪦…
Imagine not showing up to your job for 43 days and even the governor is demanding that you do something, but you’re just like “nah” and nothing happens to you and you keep your job.
#nokings?
Well all you have to do is work hard enough to buy your own lawless reality. They’re living the American dream, I think?
The actual one, yeah.
They'll update on August 3rd to avoid the special election
So we’re calling mildly worded letters an order now? He’s doing the same bullshit everyone else does. Every week that gets added to this he writes another letter. MF the deadline for the election is next week.
For context Senator Ben Lujan from New Mexico got BRAIN SURGERY after a STROKE. He returned to work after a little over a month. He took less time off than McConnell has had for what is allegedly only a minor case of Pneumonia.
Why does Trump get carté blanché but when it’s anyone else they just throw their hands in the air. Beshear needs to just hold the special election. Watch how fast they provide information.
Props to Senator Lujan. One month after any surgery is intense, let alone brain surgery.
Maybe he should try to contact him for comment via a séance.
yeah he has a good reason for not resigning, being dead and all.
Yet, the Democratic governor of Kentucky continues to be a chicken-shit coward. He has the power to end this now, but he's too much of a coward to do anything. He can simply declare the seat vacant by death or incapacitation and call for a special election. If McConnell still walks among the living, then he can show up in court to prove his health quite easily. It would be the quickest court case ever.
This is squarely on the hands of that sniveling coward Governor Beshear.
He can simply declare the seat vacant by death or incapacitation and call for a special election.
Can he actually?
Waaaah, but what if we caaaan't? What if it doesn't work? What if the courts just overrule it?
Who fucking cares if it doesn't work? Try it anyway and quit being a god-damn child.
Let's stop this limp-wristed, self-defeating, surrender-in-advance attitude. Here's an idea. Try having a god damned backbone. Try it anyway and see if it sticks. As long as you have a half-decent legal theory, give it a go.
Liberals are shiftless cowards. Republicans will happily try a dozen things out, expecting only one or two of them to hold up in court. Democrats second-guess themselves into paralysis.
I love how criticize Republicans for doing certain things and then also Democrats for not doing those things.
Really makes a lot sense.
It seems lost a noun.
Jump down into the shit with the pigs then. "Republicans will happily try a dozen things out, expecting only one or two of them to hold up in court." Yeah that's one of their worst traits, they're fundamentally acting in bad faith all the time. That's WHY they're willing to do this McConnell bullshit. That's why McConnell was willing to block Merrick Garland's supreme court confirmation the way he did, and then do a 180 to push Trump's nominee through. They DO. NOT. CARE. about acting in good faith.
To the extent that Democrats refrain from that kind of behavior I applaud them. You're right a Republican Governor in this position would happily have pulled the trigger on this awhile ago because when they ask themselves "do I actually have the authority to do this thing? Can I do this thing without negative consequences?" they're absolutely fine if only the second question can be answered with a yes.
Historically it took killing millions to defeat fascism.
You're not even willing to be a little rude.
Sure. Whether or not its constitutional, etc. is really beside the point. Any official challenge to the governor's declaration would necessarily involve demonstrating that McConnell is alive and well (or not). In either outcome, the question of the governor's authority would be moot.
Yep, completely gutless/meaningless: "If the Senator is unable to respond for either of those or other conditions, consider this letter a demand for his Senate staff to be honest and transparent with the people of Kentucky."
It should be a specific date and time when he'll start the replacement process with a specific date and time when he expects the new person to be sworn in.
Mitch is feeling much better lately.
Went for a hike today:
Then they visited Paris:
And stopped by Euro Disney:
McConnell doing what he's best at: stalling
And if McConnell DOESNT give an Update before August 3rd then Beshear will send ANOTHER Angry Letter!
I see you've dealt with democrats before.
Andy Beshear is a little bitch. Bust in there with your goons and end this fucking play already.
Shove an air hose up his butt and make his head spin.
Even the article says this is likely to not do anything. Its time for the people of Kentucky to burst into every hospital with their cameras ready. Demand they see their senator is cognizant.
This is just the bare minimum that should have been demanded weeks ago and honestly he should have just started the appointment process by now, assumed he's in a Weekend at Bernie's situation, played the Republican lowball game and let the political chips fall where they may.
Weird to ask an unresponsive corpse to resign. Just pick a new senator!
While the language in Beshear’s letter is strong, it likely won’t do anything. McConnell, like every member of Congress, can essentially go on paid medical leave for as long as he wants. The fact that our elected officials don’t really have to prove that they can walk, talk, and think coherently—while we still pay them—is disgraceful. Maybe Beshear should just pay McConnell a visit himself, and bring a camera crew with him.