Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell moved behind the scenes to reassure his allies and donors he can do his job after he froze for the second time in as many months in public – even as questions persist over how long the 81-year-old Kentuckian will stay as Republican leader.

McConnell, who has served for 16 years as the GOP leader, the longest of any Senate leader in history, has repeatedly made clear he’s staying in his job until the end of next year when the 118th Congress ends – something his confidantes say hasn’t changed even after his recent health scares.

But McConnell has consistently sidestepped questions about whether he would run for leader in the next Congress, which begins in 2025.

Following a recent concussion after falling and hitting his head in March, coupled with his two public frozen moments, Republican senators and aides told CNN they are doubtful he will try to run for the job again – potentially opening up the GOP leadership role for the first time since McConnell took the reins in 2007.

  • aidan@lemmy.worldM
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    10 months ago

    As much as people make fun of when people say this, this really is a “both sides” problem. Celebrating Biden tripping is wrong, celebrating Trump tripping is wrong- same with mental health issues. But, Trump was attacked for mental health in 2020 with the whole cognitive test incident, so I don’t think it’s fair to act like it’s entirely one sided. Ultimately it should be up to voters to decide whether their representative is fit, not an impeachment committee. Also, personally I prefer someone with memory issues but is representing what I vote for than someone who is perfectly neurotypical but contradicts my beliefs.

    • MrJameGumb@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Trump was made fun of because he went on national television to brag about how he aced a test that proved he could identify shapes and colors and pictures of cartoon animals.

      • aidan@lemmy.worldM
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        10 months ago

        It was a memory test, IIRC he was talking about the results because of accusations of dementia before he took the test.

        • MrJameGumb@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Yes, I believe the issue was that he seemed to be saying “look, I don’t have full on dementia and that proves definitively that I’m fit to lead an entire country”

          He was really setting the bar pretty high there

          • aidan@lemmy.worldM
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            10 months ago

            I mean yeah ideally the bar would be pretty high to depose an elected office undemocratically.

    • Kalcifer@lemm.ee
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      10 months ago

      You claim that you believe that there is a problem with elected officials being incompetent, and yet you then contradict yourself by stating that you are part of the problem:

      personally I prefer someone with memory issues but is representing what I vote for than someone who is perfectly neurotypical but contradicts my beliefs.

      You are correct that the voters have the power to change their representatives if they are found to be incompetent, so use it. Don’t fall victim to the ostrich effect.

      • aidan@lemmy.worldM
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        10 months ago

        You claim that you believe that there is a problem with elected officials being incompetent,

        I don’t know where I said that to be honest. but I don’t know that I would agree that its always clear based on someones behavior in publicly speaking that they are incompetent as a president.

        • syrooks
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          10 months ago

          What do you mean you don’t know where you said that? It was the comment the other person directly replied to… the last sentence…

        • Kalcifer@lemm.ee
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          10 months ago

          Every time a liberal gets a head cold the republicans start screaming that they’re not physically capable to hold office anymore, but Mitch McConnell can have a stroke on live tv in the middle of a debate and they’re ready to give him another year […]

          As much as people make fun of when people say this, this really is a “both sides” problem. […]

          You quite evidently agreed that there is a problem with incompetence, as the previous user pointed out.

            • Kalcifer@lemm.ee
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              10 months ago

              Hm, I would be very hesitant to say that the voters are enjoying the fact that their representatives are in poor health. Unless you are inferring that jests directed at one side for voting in an individual who is in poor health is “reveling in politicial opponents bad health”.

              • aidan@lemmy.worldM
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                10 months ago

                Hm, I would be very hesitant to say that the voters are enjoying the fact that their representatives are in poor health.

                What do you mean? I’m saying saying most voters enjoy their own representatives poor health.

                Unless you are inferring that jests directed at one side for voting in an individual who is in poor health is “reveling in politicial opponents bad health”.

                That’s not how I would interpret it- but that may be how you do.

                • Kalcifer@lemm.ee
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                  10 months ago

                  What do you mean? I’m saying saying most voters enjoy their own representatives poor health.

                  Yeah, that’s what I just said that you said.