Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to freeze for about 30 seconds on Wednesday while speaking with reporters after a speech in Covington, Kentucky.
The incident is similar to an episode McConnell experienced at the US Capitol late last month and is likely to raise additional questions about the fitness of the 81-year-old to lead the Senate Republican caucus.
Wednesday’s episode occurred when a reporter asked the Republican leader if he was planning to run for reelection in 2026. McConnell had to ask him to repeat the question several times, chuckled for a moment, and then paused.
Someone at his side then asked him, “Did you hear the question, senator, running for reelection in 2026?” McConnell did not respond.
Article includes video of the incident.
Sounds kind of like when my maternal grandma had a series of micro strokes for a few months before having the Big One.
Time to retire, Mitch. For both our sakes.
Maybe Mitch and Dianne can agree to retire at the same time
A little ditty about Mitch and Diane…
Oh yeah, their terms go on…
Long after their cognitive functions are gone.Jesus, that’s some dark humor there. Hilarious, but dark.
Dark humor or sad truth?
Yes.
A+
I’m surprised Dianne Feinstein isn’t running again. I thought she would have been stubborn enough to try to stay in office well into her 90s until she achieves lichdom just to troll us.
She is currently 90, and her term isn’t up until 2024. Apparently she isn’t running again, but she might think she is…
I feel at this point it’s gotta be ego.
Like…you have so much power that you don’t even sweat elections.
Maybe it’d be a better course to work with your party, find a worthy successor that you agree on and start preparing the way for them.
Public functions, etc. get them in the spotlight. Then when the time comes, go out on the campaign trail with them, endorse them, tell your loyal base that the new person will now carry the torch.
If you pick the right person, in a state that’s so consistently supported you, it shouldn’t be too too difficult.
Not doing it this way is the elected position equivalent of RGB refusing to retire in the Obama administration and fucking the very SCOTUS (and American people) she claimed to be wanting to serve. Now she’s going to forever have the tainted legacy of having great views, but being too proud to do the sensible thing, and choosing her own ego over her ideals.
“Okay, fine. On three… One… Two… … … … …”
four hours later, we are still not sure if they’re waiting for the other to blink, have bluescreened, or both
All these old fossils need to GTFO. Him, Feinstein, all of em.
But McConnell in particular has royally fucked this country. No member of Congress should have that much power. But he used it quite effectively for his own ends. So fuck him
Its either happening frequently and just happens to have been caught on camera twice, or it could instead be related to hearing well enough to understand.
My grandparents were like this. Even if they could hear you, a lot of times it seemed out of context to them because they missed some other important piece.
The people handling him knew exactly what was going on there. This happens all the time, I’m guessing.
Source: youngest grandchild of a huge family.
You’d think if it were a hearing issue he would just say “Could you repeat the question?” and not stand there like a deer in headlights.
🦌💡💡
He did ask them to repeat the question, several times, before just standing there blankly.
Schrödinger’s McConnell: competent enough to lead the Republicans in Senate, not competent enough to answer questions about Trump under oath.
Yeah, that’s not a hearing issue. I’ve seen people with hearing issues who zone out because they can’t hear / follow the conversation. But, they’re not at a podium at the time. When that happens they know they can just back out of the conversation and hang out until the conversation is over, or the meal is over, or whatever.
When you’re at the podium you know you’re the focus of attention and need to respond. You can’t just stand there with a blank look. That looked more like a stroke or a seizure than a lack of hearing.
Yeah idk if auditory processing goes with age but you can also have delays from that.
That said if this were that you’d think he’d get hearing aids after the last one
Senators are among the most powerful politicians in the US, as well as on the planet, and they know it. They don’t stand there befuddled because they’re socially awkward. If they’re befuddled, it’s because they’re befuddled.
We are seeing the human version of the Mac’s spinning beach ball. I have a cat with the same problem. I would not nominate her for a seat in the Senate.
Mitch has had a series of bad falls over the past year, this isn’t just poor hearing. Something else is going on and this is elderly abuse keeping him in office
My sister’s absence seizures turned out to be stage four brain cancer. I know he’s an arsehole, but doesn’t he have anyone looking out for him? At all? He needs help.
Nah.
Have him die as he lived, peddling lies and attacking democracy.
I kind of hope he doesn’t retire and goes out in an explosion of bodily fluid on live TV. What a show that would be.
Silly, he’s still young for a senator
he’s set for a presidential run soon 😂😭
I’m pretty sure that time was in 1984.
I’m good with him staying on in a state where he can’t fuck us over more. My worry is who then pulls the puppet strings.
Those firmware updates from Moscow have been coming at very inconvenient times of late.
Timezone difference, they pushed updates to their clients over night, just standard practice.
But it’s still funny that they force-reboot like Microsoft.
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Glitch McConnell is at it again!
That made me laugh, thanks
He should step down and fuck off into the sunset, warmly recalling with what little neurological function he may have how he fucked so many Americans. It’s probably best that I not write the rest of what I’m thinking about this piece of shit traitor.
I’m fully rooting for Mitchs dementia. Much the same as I am a big fan of Limbaughs cancer.
Sometimes nature rolls a nat 20.
I figure a nat 20 in this context would be a little more dramatic than simple sundowning… We could shoot for shitting himself on camera, moments of brutally honest verbal diarrhea, endless painful kidney stones…
Whatever the case, I wish McConnell all the health outcomes he so richly deserves.
I would also wish him the level of healthcare he’s supported for Americans in general, but we know that he’s rich enough for a proper level of care.
I think he’s past stepping down, he can’t knowingly do it. He needs family and medical intervention.
Stepping down? He’s better at falling down these days.
It all seems kind of pointless doesn’t it? You screw over your compatriots only to become a lukewarm wet towel yourself.
May he receive thoughts and prayers. And no other form of healthcare or support.
The world will become a slightly better place when he finally dies.
That is hard to watch. I hate his guts and everything he’s done and stood for in politics, but it’s still rough to watch a man just fade away like that.
He needs to retire and stop clinging desperately to power. The stress of it alone is probably literally killing him.
Edit: Just so we’re clear, here, I’m not offering him sympathy. I have none to give for a monster like Mitch McConnell. The man has done enormous damage to the country, and people like him are why I worry about the future for my kids (both LGBTQ+).
I was only trying to express that on a gut level, it’s still unpleasant to see someone basically drain away like that.
He lost all potential sympathy from me when he denied Garland and rammed in Barett during an election year before RBG was fucking cold in the ground. That decision and denial of representation has made shockwaves of regression in terms of civil rights, voting rights, women’s bodily autonomy and LGBTQ rights …and that’s what we have gone backward in…so far (birth control and gay marriage being illegal again is coming) and we will feel these effects for several decades way after he’s gone.
tots and fucking pears, goddamn ghoul.
Yup. SCOTUS is eternally corrupted thanks almost exclusively to one man, and the sooner he’s worm food the better. Hell, even the fucking worms will gag on his bones.
Umm what stress? No really I am asking. There is no realistic scenario where he will have to choose between medicine or food, face homelessness, have his career destroyed, or really any major setbacks. Also he is probably a psychopath so even if some relative of his gets killed it isn’t going to impact him.
I am a regular middle class family man. It would take nearly nothing to destroy everything I have. One dark spot on an x-ray, one bad car accident, me and my wife both losing our jobs at once, a kitchen fire. The Turtle’s wealth, pension, power, and lack of emotional attachments means he is shielded from everything. How can someone who can’t lose anything be worried about anything?
The very worst thing that could happen to him is his party doesn’t have as much power. Which isn’t even really a thing on him, it is on the vile ideas that he has.
Um do you say the same thing about artists and celebrities who experience depression or commit suicide from the stress? I don’t disagree with Moscow Mitch being a motherfucker or being undeserving of sympathy, but your comment is equally as brain dead. Constant moving around, traveling, talking to people who (rightfully) are trying to attack you, etc. produces stress on the body.
Not all stress is created equally. Consider Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
I feel the same. Terrible human being. But taking joy in the suffering of others is not something I will do.
Don’t worry, I will take enough joy for us both. There is no hell, he is going to the same dirt we all are. If I want to feel a bit glad that one less terrible human is around causing problems I won’t feel bad about about feeling bad. Humanity as a whole will be better off the faster he dies. My feelings won’t change when that event happens and express an honest evaluation of the situation.
Every single teenager girl in America trying to abort her incest fetus with a metal hanger is because of that fucker.
“Your account has been suspended for posting violent content. The suspension —-“
Just kidding, this isn’t Reddit
Don’t worry I’ll have your share, get fucked Mitch.
I know McConnell is just a lightning rod for hate for the GOP and as soon as he’s gone some other amoral, sociopathic mercenary will take his place, but damn if he’s not just the worst.
Convince me that’s a human being.
That’s ok, wussy, I’ll hate enough for the both of you losers.
Whether he clings to power and dies from stress is kind of his decision.
I don’t enjoy seeing a person, even him, suffering illness. Even as much as I despise that horrible piece of shit.
Exactly this ^
The insane vitriol of some people on here, wishing death to this man, rejoicing in very obvious cognitive decline, it’s harrowing.
The policy this man has supported and even pioneered is horrific, and frankly he should never have been allowed to push that shit nor would I ever support it, but you can bet your fucking ass I’m not going to be sat here laughing about an old man in clear mental distress or wishing death on him, because I’m not a piece of shit and I actually have some form of morality.
Don’t worry, though, if the tables were turned Mitch himself would gladly cackle to himself knowing that some policy he enacted resulted in your suffering, so long as it earned him a buck in the process.
Fuck him. Right in the ear. With a pineapple. On a drill.
Honestly fuck the dude above acting like it’s some superior morals to coddle a scumbag. That’s how you reinforce their behavior and teach generations that being a corrupt piece of shit has no downsides, as everyone has to be nice to them anyway. It’s a lie that keeps masses from revolting against corrupt politicians/rulers/governments etc. Fuck that shit let’s remind those at the top its us at the bottom who support their little lavish lifestyles and can take it away in a damn instance.
I want him to stop hurting people. If that means voluntary retirement that’s cool. If it means dropping dead or becoming too disabled to continue that’s still preferable to him continuing to hurt people. I wish him a long retirement, specifically I hope it’s the rest of his life long.
Na I hope he has a very painful and suffering filled decline full of mockery so shitstains like him understand they will reap what they sow. Treat them like anything other than that and you create a system that is ripe for abuse as we see today. Enough following the bullshit rules of power that allow corrupt greedy narcissists to remain in power because we should treat them kindly even though they are not treating others the same. That just rewards corruption and abuses of power, and I do not fuck with fascists.
Utilitarian moral theory is an entire field of ethical philosophy, even if you don’t agree with it. Someone who believes strongly in this could argue that we should have actually killed Mitch decades ago to prevent all of the pain, suffering, and death that he has wrought on this world.
I think what you meant to say is that you have some form of feeling morally superior.
There is nothing utilitarian about taking ghoulish delight in the suffering of an evil old man.
He’s falling apart and you’re enjoying it because you hate him. At least be honest with yourself.
I don’t believe in utilitarian morality. They have no means to calculate, never solved the utility monster problem, it is a single value virtue system, and it ignores how humans work. Especially the last point, if morality doesn’t help humans live a better life it serves no purpose.
Must be nice on that high horse.
For fucks sake, it’s not some superior morals to allow a corrupt abuser to die or suffer for the agony they caused. It’s a lie to keep a power systems masses docile and in check. It’s even worse morals to know what this guy does and hope for the best for him instead of him dropping dead. Fuck that, and fuck all this shit that allows corruption to remain unfettered because oh we need to be kind to the fascist narcissistic egotists or what we have to deal with them like we always have. You should be aware of how they act and be ready to address that shit from day one when it’s called out. We know we need chemo to kill a tumor why the fuck are we acting like we should be feeding it and nurturing these shit stains who are actively cannibalizing the human races ability to survive over greed. Cut the tumor out or fucking irradiate it to death. Any fucking fascist peice of shit should be getting the same treatment. You don’t want to be mocked and laughed at as you die in old age? Well than start by giving a fuck about others first and maybe we will return the favor. I treat others based on how they treat others, fuck around like a shit stain get laughed at and paraded around like the shit stain you are.
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Pretty sure he died years ago.
He was replaced by three snakes in a suit and they are old enough now to have mini strokes
Tots and pears
Technically we are all dying
That’s the look you get on your face when you’re standing at the podium and look out to see a skeleton wearing a robe and holding a scythe pointing at you from the back row.
Someone made basically exactly that comic last time this happened: https://files.catbox.moe/dow37c.webp
Awesome!
This one sparks joy.
No fair he’s looked like that for 20 years
Can’t help but enjoy this, given what a despicable human being he is.
illustrates the love his party members have, keeping him working even after he’s had a stroke on tv twice.
Not only that, but to ask him about his reelection plans.
Get this man into a nursing home.
No matter what, he’ll be sure to recover enough to start posting on Twitter, like Herman.
The mummy’s curse will never release him
Satan keeps sending him back. He doesn’t want him either. Also he feels he has done his part by taking Pat Robertson a few months ago.
Tough noogies. If Satan doesn’t like the gig then he knows what he’s got to do about that touchy asshole boss of his. Tell him to take the necrotizing turkey neck or else.
But, but he is the mummy.
That’s why it is his curse!
Could anything be more symbolic of America’s political situation right now?
America has been one long seizure since 1492
It says something that he’s still the minority leader. Feinstein has similar issues and is still around, but she’s just a random senator. This is the Republican senate leader.
I imagine many knives are being sharpened behind the scenes. I wonder if he’s actively keeping himself in power, or if other people with power are “managing” (puppeting) him until they can grab power for themselves.
In Feinsteins case, she’s on the narrowly held judiciary committee. If she were to retire (and she should for her own sake, though she may not be capable of deciding at this point), no more judges get confirmed till after the next election (to my understanding).
So not just any senator.
If she resigned the California governor would appoint somebody to fill her spot, still giving democrats control of the senate they would be able to appoint somebody else to that committee, or am I way off base?
For Diane Feinstein to resign from the Judiciary Committee and for appointing someone else to the committee right now requires unanimous consent, and the Democrats are not going to get that from the Republicans right now. Regardless, the act of replacing someone on a committee is subject to debate and can be filibustered. If Diane Feinstein were to retire or die, that’s it, a 10-10 split in the Judiciary Committee until the next Congress, so long as the Republicans refuse to play ball.
Pardon my ignorance, which rule would apply requiring unanimous consent? And which one allows for debate when filling a vacancy? I can’t seem to find it.
I misspoke, unanimous consent isn’t required, but it makes the process much smoother, and is considered the “normal” means of ratifying committee assignments.
Isn’t there also some drama about how the governor and the democratic establishment want different people in her seat? The establishment wants to wait for the election to get the more moderate Schiff, who’s a safer bet against lesser known progressives. But if the governor can appoint his progressive pick, as an incumbent they’ll have a better shot at sticking.
His voice has lost any strength and authority it had, he sounds like my strong, loud grandpa after he got bad dementia, he sounded weak and scared. I think he’s beyond controlling anything, he’s being used now. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
I don’t care for Mitch’s politics, but I doubt I’ll like who comes after any better.
But, odds are they won’t be as effective at it. As awful as he has been, he’s also been very effective. It’s rare for a senate leader from either party to obstruct things as well as he’s obstructed them, or to shovel through things as effectively as he has.
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I guess the GOP is running out of children’s souls to feed him.
he didnt pay the troll toll
I think he still got into the boy s ol.
