GOP senators weigh 'special' meeting on their leadership after McConnell's freeze

[OKIsItJustMe]

Source: Politico

It takes just five Republicans to force such a sitdown, the most direct way to specifically discuss their future amid revived questions about the leader’s health.

By BURGESS EVERETT
08/31/2023 12:15 PM EDT
Updated: 08/31/2023 03:01 PM EDT

A handful of GOP senators are weighing whether to force a fraught internal debate about their leadership’s future after Mitch McConnell’s second public freeze-up in a month.

Some rank-and-file Republicans have discussed the possibility of a broader conversation once senators return to Washington next week, according to a person directly involved in the conversations who confirmed them on condition of anonymity. Party leadership is not currently involved in those discussions, and nothing has been decided yet, this person added.

It takes just five Republican senators to force a special conference meeting, which is the most direct way to have a specific discussion about the minority leader after his public pause on Wednesday revived questions about his condition. But the Senate GOP also holds private lunches two or three times a week, giving members another forum for hashing out the direction of the party’s leadership — one that could forestall the need for a special confab.

…

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/31/gop-senators-mcconnell-freeze-up-00113610

[Oopsie Daisy]

1. If he stops talking to reporters in front of cameras then the problem is solved.

Right? No more public freeze-ups.

[OKIsItJustMe]

4. They'll just start watching C-SPAN

https://www.c-span.org/video/?529576-1/senate-republican-agenda

[Oopsie Daisy]

21. It will be hard to hide it.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. Who is surprised by this?

The GOP does not believe in compassion or loyalty.

[Rebl2]

22. Nope

Only to tfg.

[ebbie15644]

3. McConnell will spit them out

[brush]

7. Nah, he's not the same evil bastard that he was...

before the fall, concussion, two hospital stays and two freezes.

He's toast and the ambitious ones who want his leadership position keep putting him before mics where they hope he will freeze up again.

There's a method to this madness.

[BComplex]

13. You nailed it, brush. Power is all the republicans care about.

And they see weakness in McConnell, so they're going to go at him like buzzards smelling death.

[brush]

30. Blood is in the water.

[Lonestarblue]

5. The vultures are circling, just waiting for their time to attack.

I heard on the radio today that McConnell said his doctor had given him a clean bill of health. I’m sure we should all believe that!

Whatever has been happening with McConnell is not normal, nor is it him just feeling lightheaded. I have experienced lightheadedness fairly often over the years, usually due to low blood pressure, and all you want to do is sit down and get your head down between your knees so the swimmies stop. You don’t just turn into a frozen being for several seconds.

[OKIsItJustMe]

6. "Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected ..."

https://static.c-spanvideo.org/files/pressCenter/mcconnell_medical_statement.pdf

[brush]

8. Meaning it's going to keep on happening.

Also meaning the enabling continues as it's apparent Glitch McConnell is no longer fit for duty.

[OKIsItJustMe]

10. Cleveland Clinic: Post-Concussion Syndrome

Post-Concussion Syndrome

…

What is post-concussion syndrome?

Post-concussion syndrome (PCS) is when you have concussion symptoms that last months or even a year or more after your initial injury. The symptoms can affect you in many ways, including how your body and brain function, as well as how you experience emotions.

Usually, concussion symptoms go away within two to six weeks after you experience an injury. People receive a PCS diagnosis when their concussion symptoms continue (persist) for much longer. Some symptoms are extremely subtle. Because of that, it’s a good idea to pay attention to your body and trust your instincts if something doesn’t feel right after you’ve had a concussion.

…

Persistent post-concussion syndrome

There’s only one subtype of post-concussion syndrome. Persistent post-concussion syndrome is when symptoms continue for an extremely long time. The time limit on this varies and often falls to a healthcare provider’s judgment. Providers commonly use this diagnosis when symptoms last longer than three months, six months or even a year after an injury.

…

Many people don’t appreciate that a “concussion” is a traumatic brain injury. Since people generally recover fairly quickly, it is too often dismissed. (I remember having a gym teacher do the cliche, “How many fingers am I holding up?” … “You’re OK!” diagnosis…)

[brush]

12. Thanks. Still doesn't seem McConnell is well.

He keeps freezing certainly not good signs.

[OKIsItJustMe]

14. Politico: Why Is Nobody Doing Anything About Mitch McConnell?

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/08/31/why-is-nobody-doing-anything-about-mitch-mcconnell-00113646

Why Is Nobody Doing Anything About Mitch McConnell?
Washington is paralyzed as the Senate minority leader freezes up.
By JACK SHAFER
08/31/2023 01:44 PM EDT

For the second time in about a month, the heavy gears and winches that drive Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s brain seized up in front of news cameras. While taking questions from reporters on Wednesday in Covington, Ky., and asked about running for reelection in 2026, the top Republican powered down for 30 seconds as if an unseen hand had removed the lithium ion battery from his chassis. Attempts by an aide to reboot him seemed to succeed as he muttered, “OK,” and gave brief answers before retiring from the scene.

The incident paralleled a similar one on Capitol Hill at a late July presser when discussing legislation. Without warning or punctuation, the scaffolding of speech collapsed on the senator, forcing him to abandon the podium. To be clear, neither of these shutdowns were like the ones we all experience — the loss of a conversation thread, the failure to find the right word or term of art to express an idea. In both cases, McConnell simply went offline, requiring rescue by his supporters. His aides told the press Wednesday that the senator had “felt momentarily lightheaded,” mirroring Mitch’s own postmortem to his July fade-to-black when he returned to face reporters and said, “I’m fine.”

If McConnell were a bus driver or broadcaster or teacher engaged in any other occupation that, like serving as a legislative leader, demands real-time responses, he would have been benched pending a medical examination. Instead, Mitch’s verbal stoppage has been met with paralysis by the political order, which seems incapacitated by his condition. The president and others have voiced their “concerns” for McConnell’s episodes, offering verbal placeholders for the stark questions that demand answers. Instead, apart from the barest of acknowledgments that McConnell will consult a physician, and the prospect of an internal Senate GOP discussion, it’s the Washington establishment that is acting lightheaded and professing that things are fine.

…

[riversedge]

18. Mitch was not swaying or moving at all. Whatever it was-or is-is more than 'lightheadedness" IMHO

[likesmountains 52]

27. I agree. Retired RN here and when I see these clips I'm yelling to "get him a chair."

but he's not physically wobbly, not grabbing the podium for stability...he is having a mental lapse of some sort.

[brush]

33. Not mini, but micro stroke maybe? A precursor to the real thing?

Can't say I didn't lick my chops when I heard he had had another brain freeze episode as I'm as into schadenfreude against republicans as much as the next Dem, but where is his wife, for God's sake? She needs to do an intervention to get him the care he needs.

She was recently the Transportation Sec'y, presumably still a capable person. Why is she letting him continue to be set-up to fail by his likely successors like this?

[Backseat Driver]

34. Is it possible that he's had a VNS (vagus nerve stimulator) device implanted, LikesMountain52?

I read that an occasional side effect can be laryngeal paralysis. Doctors may have shared this with the recommendation to allow the symptom to pass and then go on as before. Traumatic brain injury could cause dysfunction of nerve communications of specific homeostatic functions of the parasympathetic nervous system. Could it occur when BP has a spike that the vagus nerve device needs to bring back to equilibrium? I also read these can be calibrated/adjusted for the specific requirements of an individual patient -- the devices are not one setting fits all. Much like a well-tuned pacemaker but easier to install than open heart, and settings able to be externally fine-tuned adjustments?

[CANADIANBEAVER69]

11. Reminds me of the Skeksi's from Dark Crystal

All waiting in line for the final breath that escapes his putrid body.

[Chainfire]

24. I think that they are my like Hyenas, they can sense weakness and are circling for the kill. The

Republican Hyenas can smell a power vaccuum before it fully forms. McConnell should resign while he still retains some power and dignity. It is not good for your legacy to be disemboweled in public by the "What have you done for me lately" crowd.

[MOMFUDSKI]

9. Happy to see them scrambling

for dollars! Lol. Carry on

[louis-t]

15. I still say he's not "lightheaded" or "dizzy".

If you are dizzy or feel light headed, do you not close your eyes or sway a little and maybe grab the podium to steady yourself?

[lastlib]

16. Why hasn't somebody created a "McConnell buffering" gif??

When I see the pic of him freezing up, I imagine a little hourglass in front of him, occasionally flipping over, etc......or a circle of circles going around his head......Sadly, I lack the tools/skills to do it. But it gets me to laugh thinking about it. My bad....

[Comfortably_Numb]

17. Glitch McConnell

[Mz Pip]

19. It will just get worse

His friends and family aren’t doing him any favors covering for him.

[maxsolomon]

20. They are only "weighing" whether to have a Special Conference Meeting.

McConnell has Aphasia from his Concussion; he's not dead or dying.

If DiFi can hang on in her fragile condition, then McConnell surely will as well.

[Brainfodder]

23. They have to call a meeting to discuss DOING THE SUPER OBVIOUS RIGHT THING or not?

THAT IS REALLY FAR OFF THE BEATEN PATH A WAYS?

[turbinetree]

25. Maybe they can invite all the right wing justices in and have a meeting..

yep I think he had a mini stroke at that....

[SarcasticSatyr]

26. depending on the medical issues, and medications he's on ..

he could have episodes of low blood pressure ... that would cause you to get lightheaded.

[Karma13612]

29. But, if he's light headed, he would be grabbing

On to something and trying to sit down.

That isn’t what it looked like happened. He just stood there staring into space, totally steady on his feet.

[Karma13612]

28. I'm not a doctor or nurse, but it looks like he is

Having absence seizures.

If you are lightheaded, you want to grab on to something and sit down. He is having either mini stokes or absence seizures.

His constituents have a right to know the truth. As the Senate Minority leader, the public has a right to know if an elected member of the US Congress is not fit for duty to serve our needs.

And yes, Feinstein should have resigned as well. The fact that she can’t be replaced “like for like” on the Judiciary Committee is just plain anti democratic gamesmanship. Why do we have such stupid incapacitating monkey wrenches in our critical halls of power.

[murielm99]

31. Absence seizures, or petit mal,

are more common in children and adolescents. I do not think this is what is happening to him.

[OKIsItJustMe]

35. Note above: 10. Cleveland Clinic: Post-Concussion Syndrome

He had a serious concussion a few months back.

[Warpy]

32. They smell blood in the water

but this is happening frequently enough that there is no way McConnell can keep doing the holy work of dismantling the Republic. Yes, he's only done it in front of reporters twice in about 5 weeks but given the reaction (or lack of it) of his staffers, he has been doing it frequently. He's got to be missing a lot, if nothing else.

Until and unless this is controlled by medication, he really needs to go, leave of absence if he's too stubborn to quit. Apparently he's had a lot of falls lately, some of which might predate the one they're blaming for the freeze ups. He definitely needs a full workup.