Dem
47
GOP
53
People close to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), including his campaign staffers, have confirmed he was admitted to the hospital on June 14, and that he is still there. In addition, they have not denied that he suffered a cardiac arrest while at home, and had to be revived. As we noted, if that is true, and if there was no immediate CPR, the odds of survival without serious brain damage are very low.
There has also been some behavior from people in McConnell's orbit that is at least mildly suspicious. Most obviously, McConnell's wife, former Cabinet secretary Elaine Chao, was spotted in China just a few days after her husband was admitted to the hospital. This it not the usual behavior of someone whose spouse is, or may be, on death's door. On the other hand, the typical spouse of a heart attack victim is not worth $30 million with extensive business interests in China.
It also does not help that we now live in a post-truth world, particularly when it comes to politicians' health. Dianne Feinstein's staff clearly covered up for her serious decline. Joe Biden's staff covered for him. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ), Frederica Wilson (D-FL), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), etc. And, of course, Donald Trump has made lying about his health into an art form, starting with that ridiculous "healthiest president in history" letter that was signed (but not written) by Dr. Harold Bornstein in 2015. We don't know what the truth is when it comes to the current president's health, but we are confident it's not what the American public has been told.
It comes as no surprise, then, that things reached something of an obvious climax yesterday when the conspiratorially minded Laura Loomer got on eX-Twitter to share this:
Mitch McConnell is being kept "alive" by life support machines, but my White House source told me McConnell is in organ failure, and as I reported, source told me he has allegedly been declared a vegetable (brain dead) by doctors and the White House has been told "McConnell isn't ever coming back."
Officially brain dead, organ failure is accelerating, life support machine is keeping him "alive" but his brain is officially dead and his wife @ElaineChao has fled the country to China.
I wonder if she brought any of his documents or briefings with her to China.
Loomer is as nutty as a fruitcake, but she's also dialed into this White House (which, it should be noted, has a generous supply of nutty-as-a-fruitcake staffers). So, she could be telling the truth.
In response to Loomer (presumably), Senate leadership sprang into action. Spokespeople for both Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and John Barrasso (R-WY) told reporters that the two senators had both spoken to McConnell at length over the phone. The Thune call was described as a "lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security." The Barrasso call was described as being about 20 minutes in length, during which the two colleagues "caught up about the latest news impacting Senate races, the Graham Platner scandal, and the recent Supreme Court ruling on coordinated spending limits."
Someone here is clearly lying. Either Loomer's White House "source" lied to her, or Loomer lied about what she heard, or Thune/Barrasso's spokespeople lied about their phone calls. It is true that you can, for example, go to a cemetery and have a "conversation" with anyone there. However, the tone and tenor and content of the spokepeople's statements overwhelmingly suggest a two-way exchange of information between Thune-McConnell and between Barrasso-McConnell.
The problem with the conspiratorial case is that it's not clear exactly why the Senator's alleged demise would be covered up (or why the physicians and other professionals at the hospital would play along). True, Loomer does have an answer for that (warning, uncensored content ahead): "The cover up of Senator Mitch McConnell being brain dead is because the Senators want to Fuck Trump and not pass the Save America Act." This makes absolutely no sense, however. First, the SAVE Act isn't going to pass, McConnell or no. Second, McConnell is probably a "no" on the bill, and he's definitely a "no" on killing the filibuster. So, if Thune, et al., really want to stop the SAVE Act from passing, they want McConnell alive and kicking and casting votes.
On the other hand, the problem with the "McConnell is alive" story is similar to the problem with the "Tom McKean is just fine" story. If you are speaking the truth, why not prove it, and nip the story in the bud? McConnell is allegedly functional and able to talk on the phone. Why doesn't he make a quick call to Fox, or CNN? Indeed, after Scott Jennings claimed he had personally had a phone conversation with the Senator, he was asked to get McConnell on the phone, and refused to do so.
In short, who knows what is happening? And if McConnell does vacate his seat, whether of his own volition or that of the Grim Reaper, things will likely remain... messy. That is because Kentucky has made quite a mess of the process of choosing replacement senators, basically to try to keep Democrats (like current governor Andy Beshear) from having influence over the process. To wit:
The legislation from 2021 and 2024 has not been tested in court, and may not be compatible with the state Constitution or the U.S. Constitution. Meanwhile, the 2024 legislation, which is theoretically controlling right now, doesn't specify how quickly an election needs to be held. Beshear could well decree that there's no point in spending the money to elect a senator for a few months, and that the seat can just remain vacant until the regular election scheduled for November.
Now here is where it gets interesting. It is hardly a secret that Beshear will run for president in 2028. He probably has pictures of Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter all over his office. He is also a smart politician and is undoubtedly aware that the primary will be tough and Democrats want a fighter. Suppose he appoints some Democratic state senator to fill McConnell's seat based on the state Constitution, which the legislature cannot override. Will Thune swear him in? Would that cause a huge fight between Beshear and Thune? Boy oh boy, would appointing a Democrat put Beshear in the news and raise his standing among Democrats. Being that aggressive is not Beshear's native style, but he knows he will be up against fighters like Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA). Just calling a special election in September would be seen by Democrats as bowing to the Republicans. Definitely not what Candidate Beshear needs. God may give Beshear an opening this week, but will he use it?
What it amounts to is that any attempt to pick a new senator would likely end up tied up in court, either to settle the question of whether the 2024, and possibly 2021, laws are legal, or to establish whether or not Beshear is allowed to forego a special election this close to Election Day. Way to go, Kentucky! (Z)