stolen from *eddit
i dont understand why there are deadlines for things like this that you can plan around and easily game in the government. like, what's keeping them from having an election at any time anyway?
this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2026
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Logistical concerns based on horse and buggy era thinking.
Mitch surviving, or faking being alive, until 12:01 a.m. to run out the clock as one last FU to democracy would be extremely on brand.
Obstructionist to the end.
McConnell probably is still alive.
Yes, they’re clearly lying about the severity of his condition, but even if he’s brain dead he could be kept on life support and that would be enough to prevent the senate seat from being vacant.
If they did just wait until August 4 to turn off life support thinking it keeps the seat vacant, that would most likely backfire though.
In that scenario the governor could name a replacement immediately because the special election law was ruled unconstitutional.
And they're going to get away with it.
Andy Beshesr is a failure. He could have pressed the issue but he wrote a letter and refused to be persistent.
Yup, and his performative nonsense is going to make sure he gets to stay in the presidential race. Fucking sickening.
I wonder what they have on these governors. This comes on the heels of Colorado's governor just letting a literal traitor get off scot-free.
This is just a fact.
If the Democrats weren't cowards they would do something about it.
If Americans werent lazy cowards this wouldnt be a problem to begin with.
If the whole world would stop trading with the lazy coward's dollar it wouldn't be such a big problem, now would it? You should be able to make it on your own without lazy coward money and finance!
This is the truth. If the dollar weren’t propping up everything and the world economy diversified, the US would quickly become part of the third world.
Didn’t Lindsey grahams sister just assume his position? So why doesn’t Mitch’s wife just assume his?
I believe the rules vary from state to state. I had heard the special election thing was pushed for Kentucky by McConnell himself.
Yup, the "rules". Sacred, unbreakable, sacrosanct rules and norms.
Donald has been good for one thing, demonstrating that all the excuses Dems made about norms and rules were just cover for not giving a shit.
Really wish we could elect a progressive that cares enough about stopping fascism to put a bullet in this absurd notion that we have to observe norms in the face of decidedly harmful and abnormal things, like people are living out of their cars and dying for lack fo health care, but that's just a daydream.
Lol rules. This guy is most likely dead and avoiding all the rules as it is. Why would it even matter what they did after? Clearly rules don't apply here anyway.
The point of rules is to put up obstacles for the opposition, not yourself!
This post is misinformation (no offense to OP; I'm sure it wasn't intentional).
The Republicans forced through a law requiring a special election and setting that deadline as described in the image, but the state constitution allows the governor to simply appoint a replacement. The law is unconstitutional and therefore null and void.
I agree this whole controversy is attracting weird misinformation.
The state constitution gives the governor power to appoint replacements in the event of a vacancy.
The legislature passed a law in 2021 requiring the governor to choose an appointment from the list provided by the state party of the outgoing Senator's party.
Then, the legislature passed a law in 2024 prohibiting the governor from choosing a replacement at all, and requiring a special election as soon as possible, at least 56 days before the general election.
The governor has publicly stated his position that both laws are unconstitutional under the state constitution, and basically everyone believes that if McConnell's seat becomes vacant that he'll appoint a replacement as a Democrat.
McConnell's term expires at the end of this year, and the general election in November is already going to choose McConnell's full term replacement.
If both laws are unconstitutional: the fake deadline doesn't matter, because the governor can select a replacement without restrictions.
If only the 2024 law is unconstitutional (but the 2021 law is constitutional): hiding McConnell's death and delaying the vacancy is counterproductive for Republicans, because it just prevents the Republicans from filling McConnell's seat (where he's currently unable to vote) with a Republican who can vote.
If the 2024 law is constitutional: hiding McConnell's death and delaying the announcement doesn't do anything, because replacing a non-voting Senator with a vacancy doesn't change anything anyway, because the general election in November will determine who becomes Senator for the next term that starts on January 1.
Basically, the only way this date makes a difference is if it causes a special election to get the seat filled for the 3 months between September and December, and it's unclear which party would win that seat to basically tip the margin in the Senate up or down half a vote (and not enough to actually tip control of the Senate).
The timing of the Senate vacancy is a very low stakes issue, and doesn't clearly favor one party over the other.
Pretty sure the law would have to be challenged in court, which would undoubtedly be appealed, and then go to the state supreme Court.
Who has already ruled against this same law in another case.
And yet the spineless fucking governor won’t appoint a replacement right now. It isn’t 4D chess, it’s just cowardice.
What I'm not altogether clear on is how keeping his seat empty benefits Republicans. Doesn't this mean that they are short one vote in the Senate?
It's not even an election, it's an appointment. Beshear would get to appoint a Senate seat.
The 2024 law taking that power away from him has already been ruled to violate Kentucky's constitution in another case.
It avoids an election they are afraid of losing, which would leave them short one vote and the Democrats up one vote.
It also tests the waters for further ignoring the law and Democrats are so far failing to provide any deterance.
Ah, so the election would be bipartisan? That makes sense for the Republicans but doesn't then explain why the Democrats aren't demanding the election go ahead in his absence. The fucker is obviously dead.
I mean, I know the Dems often act as controlled opposition, but this is just embarrassing.
Well...it is Kentucky we're talking about here. Not the biggest champions of democracy in this state.
They know the score with an empty seat and it's still good enough.
They don't want to risk an unknown they didn't need to face.
There's not one. This is all conspiracy nonsense.
All the answers are "because they're afraid to lose the seat to a democrat." In rural Kentucky? Get out of here with that nonsense.
The Occam's Razor answer is that he's just not dead. I'd bet the farm on it.
Given all the evidence by this point, Occam's Razor would suggest he is dead. Or comatose, at the very least.
He's not physically dead because they're keeping him on life support and refuse to pull the plug until after August 3rd. He's likely been brain dead since they carried him out of his house on the stretcher.
I guarantee that there will be a "sad" announcement within 48 hours of August 3rd that McConnell has passed away peacefully.
Stop spreading fake news please, we all know he has been brain dead a lot longer than that
Better one neutral than one opposed, I guess.