The US Senate Republican Minority leader DOES have health question’s to deal with…..
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) appeared to freeze again during a gagglewith reporters in Covington, Kentucky, stopping for more than 30 seconds after he was asked if he would run for re-election, NBC News reports.
When it became apparent that McConnell had frozen again on Wednesday, an aide came up to him and asked, “Did you hear the question, senator?”
A video shows McConnell continued to be unresponsive.
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“Mitch McConnell’s latest health scare guarantees Republican senators will return from recess next week just as they left — publicly and privately discussing the future of their 81-year-old leader,” Politico reports.
“The Senate GOP leader paused for roughly 30 seconds during a press availability in Kentucky, a little more than a month after a similar episode in the Capitol in late July. His office attributed both episodes to lightheadedness, adding that McConnell would consult on Wednesday with a physician as a precautionary measure.”
“That explanation may not stem questions when the Senate reconvenes next week. While worries about McConnell’s first freeze had faded somewhat during August recess, with even some critics publicly defending his abilities, the second incident is sure to trigger increased scrutiny of McConnell’s hold on the conference, as well as who might succeed him.”
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President Biden commented on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appearing to freeze again at an event in his home state of Kentucky on Wednesday, CBS Newsreports.
Said Biden: “He is a good friend, so I’m going to try to get in touch with him later this afternoon.”
image….STAT News
McConnell’s Illness Intensifies Scramble For Who’s Next
Bloomberg: “It remains uncertain when any vote would happen. But speculation has intensified after McConnell, the cold-eyed tactician who has set the record as the longest-serving Senate leader, paused for 30 seconds Wednesday when taking questions from reporters, the second time he has frozen publicly since late July. The incidents came after he was out of the Senate for several weeks this spring following a fall.”
“McConnell has said little publicly about his health and has not broached the subject of stepping down as GOP leader, a post he has held since 2007. Senators and GOP aides are reluctant to publicly discuss his future, or any race to succeed him. He isn’t up for re-election until 2026 and Senate leaders are selected the start of each two-year Congress.”
“On the surface, there’s relatively little to distinguish the trio of potential successors. All hail from red states. Thune is 62, Cornyn and Barrasso 71. They each came to the Senate during the George W. Bush administration. They all hold or have held key leadership posts. They have similar temperaments and are generally well-liked within the conference. And for a party that has changed dramatically in the era of Donald Trump, they all represent throwbacks to an earlier era of Republicanism.”
Jack Shafer: Why is nobody doing anything about Mitch McConnell?
Manu Raju
@mkraju
Mitch McConnell is expected to continue to lead Senate Republicans for the rest of this Congress.
But many Republicans are skeptical he will continue to lead his conference in the next Congress, which begins in 2025.
On the McConnell moment and the fallout:
FiveThirtyEight
@FiveThirtyEight
Congress today is older than it’s ever been.
Across all senators and representatives, the median age of the 118th Congress is 59 years old.