Mitch McConnel.exe has stopped working

Overheal · 26-07-2023 9:51pm #1

https://www.reddit.com/r/PublicFreakout/comments/15adpry/mitch_mcconnell_begins_presser_then_suddenly/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

At a presser, Senator Mitch McConnell (of known infamy) appeared to come to the dais in a normal routine of Congress (he's the Senate Minority Leader) to talk about the state of upcoming legislation (the NDAA, military annual spending and earmarking) ... a few seconds in, he completely trailed off, and for a full 20 seconds or so, just seemed to be completely still, GOP next to him started to intervene and ask him 'do you have anything else you want to say to the press or should we go back to your office' etc.

"Well, good afternoon everyone, we're on a path to finishing the NDAA uh this week, there's been good bipartisan [I hear slurring] cooperation, and a string of uhhhhh...."

I don't know what happened, Mitch is typically sharpwitted, even if he fumbled on a thought or something he planned to say, second-guessed what he wanted to tell the press, etc., I've never seen him freeze up like this ever. He started to seem really perturbed though, I saw his eyebrows furrow. He looked genuinely scared and worried.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/watch-mitch-mcconnell-freeze-press-conference-rcna96486

I'd be very concerned that he just had a health episode like a stroke, it appears very frightening. Despite his political beliefs or his machinations, I hope he's alright.

Agent Coulson · 26-07-2023 10:08pm

It doesn’t matter what side of the divide you stand on in America one thing seems very clear they have to many old white geriatric men in power with too much influence in running a country in 2023.

Akrasia · 26-07-2023 10:23pm

The man has had a massive role to play in the delays and obfuscation on action to prevent climate change. He won't live long enough to see the harm he has caused. But he will go down in history as one of the bad ones

One eyed Jack · 26-07-2023 10:25pm

A few minutes later, McConnell walked back to the news conference by himself. When asked about his health, he said he was fine. Asked whether he is fully able to do his job, McConnell said, "Yeah."

Asked about the episode, a McConnell aide pointed to the GOP leader saying, “I’m fine,” but the aide added that McConnell “felt lightheaded and stepped away for a moment.”

"He came back to handle Q&A, which as everyone observed was sharp," the aide said.

Seems he just needed a reboot 😁

One Who Waits... · 26-07-2023 10:31pm

Looks like a shart to me.

Gatling · 26-07-2023 10:33pm

Maybe the Taylor Green one paid him a visit and scrambled his noodles for a minute or two

StupidLikeAFox · 26-07-2023 10:33pm

Probably stuck in a k-hole

Donald Trump · 26-07-2023 10:40pm

He was never even the President.

banie01 · 26-07-2023 10:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120901378#Comment_120901378

He walked back in, in a different pair of trousers. He placed a bit too much faith in a fart I reckon.

10-10-20 · 26-07-2023 10:52pm

Reminds me of this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqUlctncFns

One Who Waits... · 26-07-2023 10:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120901465#Comment_120901465

Uh huh. Never trust a fart if you're over 40.

Faugheen · 26-07-2023 11:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120901496#Comment_120901496

40?

I’m barely in my 30s and I’ve had too many close calls.

Overheal · 27-07-2023 1:56am

"The president called to check on me. I told him I got sandbagged." - Mitch

Sanjay Gupta, a CNN chief medical correspondent, a practicing, teaching and licensed neurosurgeon, suggests Mitch had some kind of neurological episode at the podium.

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/mitch-mcconnell-clearly-had-some-kind-of-neurological-event-at-podium-concludes-cnns-sanjay-gupta-he-needs-to-get-checked-out/

(the Goldwater Rule is held by psychiatrists/the APA)

27-07-2023 2:34am

That’s likely a TIA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transient_ischemic_attack

Strumms · 27-07-2023 3:05am

81 years of age…. Looks in recent press photos and the video of him becoming unwell, to have lost weight compared with a couple of years ago. Not a well looking man. Gaunt looking…

seriously, at 81, why would you want to be working in such a stressful frontline position…he was elected to the Senate in ‘85… 38 years ago… give it up and go enjoy your retirement with friends and family….you are a multimillionaire….. whatever satisfaction you get from your work, draw a line under it, go sit on your porch with your dog and a cold beer, drive a nice car collection…, spend time with the family, enjoy life.

Overheal · 27-07-2023 6:17am

Kept a recent 'faceplant' under wraps until now

https://www.mediaite.com/news/just-in-nbc-news-reports-mitch-mcconnell-face-planted-getting-off-plane-12-days-ago/

Shoog · 27-07-2023 7:15am

Hes a fanatic and genuinely thinks he's saving the world from those reds on the other side of the isle. That belief prevents him from retiring.

Headshot · 27-07-2023 7:22am

I really find it hard to have sympathy for him

HalloweenJack · 27-07-2023 11:34am

My 92-year-old grandfather recently had a stroke and that video matches the description my mother gave me of seeing it in the flesh.

It makes you wonder why these people keep pushing themselves to do such a job when their bodies are clearly winding down.

ancapailldorcha · 27-07-2023 11:49am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120902783#Comment_120902783

Few people willingly relinquish power and the status it brings. It's a recurring theme throughout history and there are several rebellions, coups and revolutions that could have been prevented were it not for this.

I consider McConnell to be a horrible person. He's advanced corporate interests against those of the American people, acted solely to fortify his party's hold on power and done his part in undermining freedom.

Penn · 27-07-2023 11:58am

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit under"

Unfortunately McConnell and others of his ilk want to profit from selling the seeds, hire cheap labour to plant the trees, and make sure people are charged for access to the shade. Because FREEDOM! CAPITALISM! MONEY!

So while what happened to him yesterday is horrible, he's also able to afford the health care that he helps to stop the majority of his country from being able to afford. So f*ck him.

odyssey06 · 27-07-2023 12:15pm

The obvious Republican posters who were oh so concerned about Biden's age and word mix-ups gone v quiet...

TomTomTim · 27-07-2023 1:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120902974#Comment_120902974

The first thread about this on Twitter that I saw was from "Republicans". You're simply showing your ignorance, as very few on the American right like the man. He's more often loathed than loved.

This is a greater showing of your own hypocrisy, and the OP of course, as there's about 40 or 50 Biden incidents at this stage, which weren't considered thread worthy by yourselves.

odyssey06 · 27-07-2023 2:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120903454#Comment_120903454

Is this Twitter? Nope.

Do a cross check on the count of how many obvious pro-Republican posters expressing 'concern' here about Biden stuff that didn't even make headlines express the same concern about this incident which is all over the news.

There's an actual thread for discussing Biden's "moments". The reason why they wouldn't be considered threadworthy is (a) because there's already a thread for it, and (b) they were just gaffes nothing to compare to this.

banie01 · 27-07-2023 2:43pm

The face a turtle makes when it's poking out of both ends of the shell🤔

Penn · 27-07-2023 2:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120903454#Comment_120903454

Biden is unquestionably, without a doubt, old as balls. He mumbles up his words, goes off on tangents, shuffles slowly, has fallen off his bike and stuff. Some of those things can be explained by how he was born with a stutter, how much he used to jog (which has obviously had huge impact on his knees). We all get muddled up (in a conversation recently, I said FBI instead of VHI). But really, he's just old as sh*t. And all those things are regularly discussed in both the Biden thread and usually the Trump thread too when they happen.

We haven't seen Biden have a real medical emergency like McConnell had yesterday though. And given reports of recent falls he's had it signals that he may be suffering from genuine medical conditions which haven't been disclosed or revealed. And since there was no existing thread about Mitch McConnell, one was made to discuss it.

ancapailldorcha · 27-07-2023 3:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120903454#Comment_120903454

And there's the inevitable whataboutery. Biden's a functioning president who's made various gaffes while acting boldly on key issues like supply chains, subsidies, climate change and student debt.

Overheal · 27-07-2023 3:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120903454#Comment_120903454

You mean on X, a right wing antisemitic echo chamber full of Nick Adamses and Alpha males?

Everything on that site is Kevin Sorbo and friends first, everything else second, so that hardly tells us a damn thing. Thanks anyway.

There was a similar Joe thread, now there's a Mitch thread, seems fair, don't let it upset you greatly. Feel free to contribute your 50 examples to the other.

growleaves · 27-07-2023 6:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120902974#Comment_120902974

Year of birth:

McConnell 1942

Biden 1942

Sanders 1941

Pelosi 1940

Clyburn 1940

Hoyer 1939

Waters 1938

Grassley 1933

Feinstein 1933

Donald Trump was born on Steny Hoyer’s seventh birthday.

growleaves · 27-07-2023 6:19pm

Does anyone remember when the advanced age of Comrade Brezhnev, Comrade Chernenko, Comrade Andropov and various other Soviet senior figures was a running joke in the 80s? It was even a gag on Spitting Image iirc.

Rjd2 · 27-07-2023 8:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120904663#Comment_120904663

All to old, I think Feinstein is the worst near 90 in the bluest of the states and could have easily stepped down earlier but the people around her are making so much money they will wheel her out until she passes. To be fair Grassley is little better near 90 and ran for re-election in a relatively red state.

Term limits desperately needed.

Overheal · 09-08-2023 1:05am

Calls for him to resign have grown loud to put it mildly. While giving a speech to a crowd over a PA system, he and the PA system were both utterly drowned out by chants of “re-ti-re” even as he yelled into the microphone.

https://www.reddit.com/r/PublicFreakout/comments/15k5znr/mitch_mcconnell_age_81_gets_drowned_out_by_chants/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1

amandstu · 09-08-2023 1:28am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120955078#Comment_120955078

And yet he got re elected.People who voted for him knew his age.

I don't suppose they would do so again but they might if they disliked the alternative enough.

(I would probably vote for him if Trump was the only alternative)

Overheal · 30-08-2023 8:30pm

Another shocking and unfortunate development in Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's apparent condition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLcYAy3xOJk

Can't make any definitive conclusions but it is indeed concerning. As though he doesn't know how to answer the question, which might involve indicating plans to retire or a worsening medical outlook, or inviting a challenger to his seat or throwing the incredibly fragile balance of powers in Washington into uncertainty, but he tells his handlers he understands the question and he seems facially responsive, just a deer in the headlights of camera and press though. Even in perfect health, anyone in the Minority Leader's position in this time and place, with so much going on, would have enormous difficulty finding the words to balance everything on the edges it is resting on currently.

ceadaoin. · 30-08-2023 9:01pm

It's only been just over a month since the last incident and he looks like he's lost a lot of weight in that time. Clearly something serious going on.

Gatling · 30-08-2023 11:42pm

Prime example of a a senior citizen filling his adult diaper in a very public place, you would think in this day and age he could be retired from public office, looking on when's he's clearly no longer in control of his facilities rather than pushing him in front of cameras in public while he looks to be suffering from the effects of a stroke , There's nothing to gain doing this to him

It's inhumane

Overheal · 30-08-2023 11:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121049518#Comment_121049518

The alternative though.

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/marjorie-taylor-greene-pounces-after-mcconnell-goes-catatonic-not-fit-for-office/

As much as I loathe him, politically speaking, and as much as he is a slimey weasel, what comes next and what he’s been baying off since the Tea Party takeover of the lower party is uh, worse. Worse on just about every level.

Tony EH · 30-08-2023 11:53pm

I've been around long enough to remember all the jokes that were fired at the age of Soviet Union leaders back in the day. But this kind of stuff really reminds me of that.

What in the name of christ are these people thinking? 81 years of age and still rolling out to do this nonsense. It's mind boggling. There's fuck all that's admirable about this. It's just sad.

If ever there was a need for a retirement age restriction in a given realm, it's American political circles.

amandstu · 31-08-2023 12:04am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121048864#Comment_121048864

Sanjay Gupta (CNN) says it could be a number of things(not a stroke or a seizure-he recovers so quickly) and it may be occuring when the medication wears off.He thinks it could be ongoing as it appears as no surprise to those who are with him.

31-08-2023 12:07am

The average age of a US senator is 64.

Is there anyone in Dáil Éireann even over 64?

Dianne Feinstein is 90, riddled with dementia, and still keeps her seat because the Democrats are afraid she'd be replaced, not by a Republican, but by someone more left-leaning and progressive.

Frank Bullitt · 31-08-2023 12:09am

This is a very ill man, he shouldn't be put in front of the camera at this stage.

The real worry with this, who is waiting in the wings to take his place.

nachouser · 31-08-2023 12:13am

Ah, f*ck off lads. Sharing stuff like this for yucks is really sh*tty.

amandstu · 31-08-2023 12:31am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121049575#Comment_121049575

This is a man with a high office. What is happening is if public interest and concern.

Maybe you are projecting your interest on others?

amandstu · 31-08-2023 12:39am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121049568#Comment_121049568

Hard to imagine who could be worse.The situation itself has got worse since be became leader of the Republicans in the Senate but that is a different matter ( the role he performs is even more consequential now)

I.R.Y.E.D · 31-08-2023 12:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121049563#Comment_121049563

Not counting Michael D, from memory there are a total seven serving TDs and senators that are in their 70s.

Busy day so off to bed and don't have time to check this but a search might confirm for you if I'm correct or not.

31-08-2023 12:59am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121049608#Comment_121049608

Mitch is brutal but it can always be worse.

Trump has made Republicans even worse than they were, and at least Mitch accepted the result of the 2020 election.

Mitch became Majority Leader in 2015 which overlaps lovely with Trump's rise.

I can't believe I'm defending Mitch McF*ckingConnell.

31-08-2023 1:16am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121049627#Comment_121049627

Ah fair enough!

Are they all in the senate? haha

Who's over 70 in the Dáil? I had a quick look and found one person over 70 in the Dáil. Bernard Durkan is 78...The closest I could find was a couple of people that were 69.

The average age of the 33rd Dáil was 48.5.

(I'm waiting for a call from a client so had time to have a quick gander)

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/the-shape-of-the-33rd-dail-gender-and-age-1.4172965