There’s like 20 things he could do all the way from a public appearance down to simply releasing medical records. He’s doing none of them.
When evaluating such things, I look at motivation. I put myself in the other person’s shoes, and ask what set of circumstances or motivations would cause me to act as I am?
Take for example the lot of people who make outlandish claims about hover propulsion, free energy from drinking water, etc.
I put myself in those shoes, and I say ‘okay, I just built a device that turns water into power. What do I do?’
Most likely I patent the thing, build 50 of them, and send them off to research labs for evaluation. When everyone concludes my thing works, I start licensing the patents for $billions and I retire.
On the other hand, let’s say I invent a water-to-power machine but it doesn’t work. What do I do? I act sketchy, try to appeal to people without much sense, try to get their money.
Which one more matches the behavior of the person advertising the free energy machine? The second one? Then I guess it’s probably bullshit.
Same deal here. If I was McConnell or his staff and I was alive and was going to return to the Senate, I’d post a video, I’d release medical records, I’d do something to reassure my constituents that I will continue to represent them.
On the other hand if I was a political director for a dead or brain-dead or almost-dead Senator, and I didn’t want the opposing Governor to appoint a successor, I’d do whatever it took to delay the world realizing that the Senator won’t be returning ever. Delay, Deny, Defend. Then once the deadline passes, we announce the Senator has ‘made an unfortunate turn for the worse’ and no longer is able to return. And our defense against fraud is someone we pay off to swear that when our brain-dead comatose Senator was asked if he’d return, his eyelids twitched twice for yes.
Yeah, pretty hard to argue against that. Not sure of the details but I imagine there must be some near-term date they’re stalling to reach - no way they could keep this ruse up through the end of his term.
If he’s found dead or unable to conduct his duties before then, there’s a special election. If that happens after Monday, the seat simply remains vacant until it’s filled January with whomever wins the regular election.
Oh I have no hopes at all. I’d hope that Dems might press it but they seem consistently determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by ignoring their voters’ calls for reform and nominating boring, status-quo candidates like Kamala Harris while actively sidelining more energetic reform-minded candidates. Not to mention half the shit GW Bush did was actively unconstitutional if not actively classifiable as a war crime, IE torture memos, warrantless wiretapping, etc, and the Dems did fuck all about it when they took power.
Yeah, at this point Dems are nothing but controlled opposition. They’re heavily influenced by their “donors” as well, despite them lying their asses off saying the opposite. Don’t get me wrong, there are a handful of Dems doing their best to fight against the status quo, but they’re fighting an uphill battle.
There’s like 20 things he could do all the way from a public appearance down to simply releasing medical records. He’s doing none of them.
When evaluating such things, I look at motivation. I put myself in the other person’s shoes, and ask what set of circumstances or motivations would cause me to act as I am?
Take for example the lot of people who make outlandish claims about hover propulsion, free energy from drinking water, etc.
I put myself in those shoes, and I say ‘okay, I just built a device that turns water into power. What do I do?’
Most likely I patent the thing, build 50 of them, and send them off to research labs for evaluation. When everyone concludes my thing works, I start licensing the patents for $billions and I retire.
On the other hand, let’s say I invent a water-to-power machine but it doesn’t work. What do I do? I act sketchy, try to appeal to people without much sense, try to get their money.
Which one more matches the behavior of the person advertising the free energy machine? The second one? Then I guess it’s probably bullshit.
Same deal here. If I was McConnell or his staff and I was alive and was going to return to the Senate, I’d post a video, I’d release medical records, I’d do something to reassure my constituents that I will continue to represent them.
On the other hand if I was a political director for a dead or brain-dead or almost-dead Senator, and I didn’t want the opposing Governor to appoint a successor, I’d do whatever it took to delay the world realizing that the Senator won’t be returning ever. Delay, Deny, Defend. Then once the deadline passes, we announce the Senator has ‘made an unfortunate turn for the worse’ and no longer is able to return. And our defense against fraud is someone we pay off to swear that when our brain-dead comatose Senator was asked if he’d return, his eyelids twitched twice for yes.
Yeah, pretty hard to argue against that. Not sure of the details but I imagine there must be some near-term date they’re stalling to reach - no way they could keep this ruse up through the end of his term.
Next Monday.
If he’s found dead or unable to conduct his duties before then, there’s a special election. If that happens after Monday, the seat simply remains vacant until it’s filled January with whomever wins the regular election.
Assuming what’s happening is what we all think/know is happening I would really love to see someone go to jail over this.
Justice in the US no longer comes from the increasingly corrupt legal system. So don’t get your hopes up.
Oh I have no hopes at all. I’d hope that Dems might press it but they seem consistently determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by ignoring their voters’ calls for reform and nominating boring, status-quo candidates like Kamala Harris while actively sidelining more energetic reform-minded candidates. Not to mention half the shit GW Bush did was actively unconstitutional if not actively classifiable as a war crime, IE torture memos, warrantless wiretapping, etc, and the Dems did fuck all about it when they took power.
Yeah, at this point Dems are nothing but controlled opposition. They’re heavily influenced by their “donors” as well, despite them lying their asses off saying the opposite. Don’t get me wrong, there are a handful of Dems doing their best to fight against the status quo, but they’re fighting an uphill battle.
Fighting an uphill battle with the biggest opponents being their own party. :\