McConnell freezes up again at news conference
-
Much has been made of Fetterman's disability. I'm still not convinced that he has cognitive dysfunction, rather than the inability to speak clearly.
But, look at how Diane Feinstein was treated. She's clearly not all there.
Time for her, and McConnell to step down.
@George-K I am not "close to the action" but I really haven't seen much difference between the way Sen. Feinstein and Sen McConnell have been treated. Seems like their problems have been talked about.
Now, Sen Fienstein was hidden away from the public for a couple of months, but there are plenty of videos/articles out there when she had to be prompted by her aides, didn't understand the question, looked lost, etc.
One difference is that her aides do not let her speak by herself. She is never in a position to do a news conference, answer any questions from reporters, etc.
Sen Fienstein - a couple of Democrats have said she should resign. Majority stand by her
Sen McConnell - a couple of Republics have said she should resign (actually I dont think this has happened). Majority (or all) stand by him. -
Well, OK, then:
McConnell ‘medically clear’ to do job, says attending physician to Congress
“I have consulted with Leader McConnell and conferred with his neurology team,” Brian P. Monahan, the attending physician to Congress, said in a statement Thursday. “After evaluating yesterday’s incident, I have informed Leader McConnell that he is medically clear to continue with his schedule as planned.”
Monahan added: “Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration.” He referred to an incident in early March in which McConnell fell and suffered a concussion and a broken rib at a private dinner at a Washington hotel. The Kentucky Republican was absent from the Senate for nearly six weeks as he recovered from his injuries. He returned to the Senate in April.On Wednesday, McConnell appeared to freeze for more than 20 seconds while taking questions from reporters after an event in Covington, Ky. A spokesman for McConnell said afterward that the Republican leader “felt momentarily lightheaded and paused during his press conference.” The episode was similar to one in July, in which McConnell froze mid-sentence at a news conference at the Capitol, and had to be escorted away.
@George-K said in McConnell freezes up again at news conference:
Well, OK, then:
Monahan added: “Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration.”
Neurologists weigh in:
“If I gave that tape to a medical student and that was his explanation, I’d fail him,”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/01/health/mitch-mcconnell-health-seizures.html
-
@George-K said in McConnell freezes up again at news conference:
Well, OK, then:
Monahan added: “Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration.”
Neurologists weigh in:
“If I gave that tape to a medical student and that was his explanation, I’d fail him,”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/01/health/mitch-mcconnell-health-seizures.html
@jon-nyc my "Well, OK, then" comment was not intended to convey that I agree.
THere's something seriously wrong there.
Was it a petit-mal seizure?
Of course, without a full and detailed examination and some imaging, it's difficult to say from a 30 second video.
-
@jon-nyc said in McConnell freezes up again at news conference:
I don’t think fetterman has ever claimed “light headedness” to be his issue.
Yet, I think we are talking about the same thing, cognitive abilities. Whether it be McConnel, Feinstein or Fetterman. Or even Biden.
-
-
@jon-nyc my "Well, OK, then" comment was not intended to convey that I agree.
THere's something seriously wrong there.
Was it a petit-mal seizure?
Of course, without a full and detailed examination and some imaging, it's difficult to say from a 30 second video.
-
Rand Paul's not buying the "dehydration" explanation.
“I’ve practiced medicine for 25 years, and it doesn’t look like dehydration to me,” Paul told a group of reporters. “It looks like a focal neurologic event. That doesn’t mean it’s incapacitating, doesn’t mean he can’t serve. But it means that somebody ought to wake up and say, ‘Wow, this looks like a seizure.’”
McConnell has experienced two freezing incidents this summer. The most recent occurred in Covington, Kentucky, when the senator trailed off and stared into the distance for nearly 30 seconds. He was led away after the incident, but he was cleared to return to normal activities later in the day. Monahan determined at the time that the incident was partly because of a concussion McConnell experienced in March and partly because of dehydration.
-
@jon-nyc said in McConnell freezes up again at news conference:
Maybe he seized with dehydration instead of of dehydration.
By the way, a neurology teacher I had would rip your head off if you said a patient "seized." For him the correct term was "convulsed." You can have a seizure, have a convulsion, but if you "seize" you're grabbing something.
Sorta like the distinction between "hemorrhage" and "bleed."
But...

-
@jon-nyc said in McConnell freezes up again at news conference:
Maybe he seized with dehydration instead of of dehydration.
By the way, a neurology teacher I had would rip your head off if you said a patient "seized." For him the correct term was "convulsed." You can have a seizure, have a convulsion, but if you "seize" you're grabbing something.
Sorta like the distinction between "hemorrhage" and "bleed."
But...

@George-K said in McConnell freezes up again at news conference:
@jon-nyc said in McConnell freezes up again at news conference:
Maybe he seized with dehydration instead of of dehydration.
By the way, a neurology teacher I had would rip your head off if you said a patient "seized." For him the correct term was "convulsed." You can have a seizure, have a convulsion, but if you "seize" you're grabbing something.
Sorta like the distinction between "hemorrhage" and "bleed."
He and I could hang.
-
@George-K said in McConnell freezes up again at news conference:
@jon-nyc said in McConnell freezes up again at news conference:
Maybe he seized with dehydration instead of of dehydration.
By the way, a neurology teacher I had would rip your head off if you said a patient "seized." For him the correct term was "convulsed." You can have a seizure, have a convulsion, but if you "seize" you're grabbing something.
Sorta like the distinction between "hemorrhage" and "bleed."
He and I could hang.
@Aqua-Letifer said in McConnell freezes up again at news conference:
He and I could hang.
When I posted this, I thought of you, LOL.
Hemorrhage - noun.
Bleed - verb. -
Words morph. They mean what the speaker and the listener mutually understand. Doc in the ED last weekend said the patient was seizing. I knew what he meant.
@Jolly said in McConnell freezes up again at news conference:
Words morph. They mean what the speaker and the listener mutually understand. Doc in the ED last weekend said the patient was seizing. I knew what he meant.
They do, and different situations call for different levels of pedantry. I wouldn't get on his case for that.
But let's face it, "language changes, man" is mostly code for "I'm not careful with how I express myself and don't even know how."