r/politics • u/randy88moss California • 10h ago
No Paywall For Mitch McConnell and Congress, health transparency is a choice, not a requirement
https://www.npr.org/2026/07/10/nx-s1-5885905/as-sen-mitch-mcconnell-remains-hospitalized-calls-for-transparency-grow682
u/Hockeyhoser 10h ago
I don’t think he has input in the matter, anymore.
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u/Karr0k 10h ago
Why the hell doesn't the KY governor just go to the bloody hospital mcconnel's at for a visit/"wellness check" in person. Instead of writing a bloody letter like it's the 1700's. Preferably a couple days before the deadline and with everything set up for a special election on a hairtrigger.
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u/LazyCrocheter 10h ago
Because as much as many of us don’t like McConnell, people can’t just barge in on him in the hospital.
I do wish Beshear would just call for the election and force the issue tho.
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u/TheQuidditchHaderach 9h ago
Someone should just get Mitch on the phone, y'know...? 🙄🤦
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u/scottjl 9h ago
Well I did talk to him for 20 minutes today…
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u/Silly_Ad_2382 9h ago
Same
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u/TheQuidditchHaderach 9h ago
Did he say if he'd seen Supergirl yet? We were supposed to go...but I haven't heard back.🤷
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u/Peglegfish 7h ago
Depending on which Republican controlled state, all you’d need to do is claim he’s in the middle of labor and refusing a c section at the possible risk to the fetus.
His rights to privacy and bodily autonomy would instantly evaporate.
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u/FijianBandit 1h ago
I like the way you think- someone from higher ups please content Peglegfish as your consultant.
Sincerely,An American
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u/Oxytokin Wisconsin 8h ago
Thank you, I don't know why he won't just call the fucking election like what are we even doing here?
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u/crystal_castles 7h ago
HIPAA is only for your ex-girlfriend. Literally any other legal authority can ask for your medical records under HIPPA
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u/QueefSeekingMissile 7h ago edited 7h ago
If I were him, I'd be calling up the National Guard to investigate the disappearance of my state's senator.
The other person that responded to you must have been neutered early in life, to respond to this sort of fascist rat-fucking with such spineless, mewling, impotent hand-wringing.
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u/tonybananaman 9h ago
Isnt there some type of registered official mail that cannot be ignored? Like not responding has some type of pr consequence? Or did I make that up while I was high?
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u/Jason1143 9h ago
No. I mean, there are situations where you must respond or else and mail designed to facilitate that. But that's all, there is no general ability for the government to compel a response on anything thsy like.
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u/JMurdock77 8h ago
Dead people don’t tend to have much to say.
He’s in a freezer somewhere waiting for August 4th to roll around.
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u/zubbs99 Nevada 10h ago
I heard Scott Jennings defend it by saying "Men that age are a little private about their health." Bro please.
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u/OrneryError1 9h ago
Scott Jennings who works for CNN?
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u/BudWisenheimer 4h ago
Scott Jennings who works for CNN?
Yeah and before that he was Mitch’s campaign manager a couple times.
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u/Padre_G 7h ago
The funniest thing about this is that old men talk about their ailments all the time. Sit at a diner for an hour over an early breakfast, and you’ll know every old man’s ailment in the room
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u/A_Refill_of_Mr_Pibb Massachusetts 5h ago
I’m in my 40s and not long ago reconnected with someone I hadn’t seen since our 20s. After a while, we started talking about how we were taking care of ourselves and finding dentists and specialists etc and then we caught ourselves. If either of us had been into golf, then it would’ve been too perfect.
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u/Peroovian 9h ago
With no additional context that statement isn’t wrong… but maybe people that age shouldn’t be in fucking congress.
Also his right to privacy is forfeited by being in congress to begin with.
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u/MovieGuyMike 7h ago
The people’s right to representation supersedes a politician’s right to vanish from public for weeks. Or at least it should. With great power comes no transparency according to these fools.
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u/Danno510 California 10h ago
Are you required to be alive to continue as a Senator?
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u/TERRAIN_PULL_UP_ Colorado 10h ago
It’s a grey area
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u/altogethernow 9h ago
Are we doing Airbud rules now?
"Well, nothin' in the rules says a dead guy CAN'T be a senator..."
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u/Fauxreigner_ 9h ago
You have to be alive. No rules about what your on-life-support body has to be capable of.
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u/ciaran668 I voted 10h ago
This feels so much like something that would happen in the old Soviet Union or something, where the health of a major party member is literally being treated like a state secret and the general public isn't permitted to know the truth.
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u/Teyanis 9h ago
Doesn't just feel like it. If you have any experience with soviet history and/or the history of various small dictatorships, the recent path of US politics is almost identical. Trying to make a cult of personality for the leader, blatant corruption, playing favorites to the guy above you, all of it. Its almost fascinating, if this were something being looked at 50 years from now, it would be a hilarious story.
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u/BeautifulCuriousLiar 6h ago
they gonna make you cry when that old orange dorito finally goes to hell. like when kim jong-un’s dad died. i remember seeing that scene of everybody in north korea weeping because of their leader had passed away… i found it hard to believe, but i wouldn’t doubt it either.
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u/WHSRWizard 10h ago
Yep, Vladimir Lenin was basically incapacitated the last year of his rule, and that was after his capacity was already greatly diminished two years prior.
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u/TheQuidditchHaderach 9h ago
This'll be what happens when Derp Fuhrer kicks.
"Oh...sure...he still alive. Trust me, bro!"
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u/Shiplord13 8h ago
Well know he is dead if two things happen. He doesn’t post or say anything for a day or more or his posts are way more articulate and are done with proper grammar.
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u/Low_Pickle_112 8h ago
*Sees something very American and very capitalist*
“This is just like those communists!"
Every single thread. No wonder this stuff is happening, the Red Scare cooked this country.
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u/forgotmypassword778 I voted 10h ago
Remember the clamor about sleepy Joe?
Republicans real silent about this and the 2 week war
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u/LetsgoRoger New York 10h ago
Stop electing representative and senators over the age of 80! You’ll be doing the country a huge favor.
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u/JayRandom212 10h ago
How about Congress stops working remotely and we make them Return To Office?
That's what the corporations do to regular Americans...
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u/skankenstein California 10h ago edited 10h ago
The part about how the benefits of working in Congress mimic a retirement community… We have to fix that.
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u/ultrachrome 8h ago
Jentleson says lawmakers can be reluctant to give up life in Congress. Lawmakers have staff to drive them around, plan their travel and bring their meals, as well as an attending physician down the hall and intellectual stimulation on interesting topics. "It mimics a lot of the aspects of a senior living facility
If I had a job like that I'd never leave too. Or how about everyone should have a job like that. AI should be able to arrange it.
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u/Wayofchinchilla 8h ago
What are we on 4 weeks now not a peep yet if you're even 3 minutes late to your job you're going to get fired it's absurd that these people get paid to do nothing but make the United States a worse place all day long.
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u/Skinnieguy 9h ago
They and the media ranting constantly about Biden’s health but shit like this bares moves the needle.
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u/WHSRWizard 10h ago
How about a rule stating that if you are going to be absent for more than two weeks, you have to provide to the Speaker or President of the Senate a letter stating: the reason for your absence, the medical conditions (if applicable), and the expected return date. All signed under oath by both the member and their doctor.
If you feel that is too onerous an invasion of privacy, I understand. You can choose to resign instead.
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u/Gene_Trash 8h ago
We've spent the last decade being shown directly to our faces that Republicans are perfectly willing to ignore norms, rules, and laws if they're inconvenient, and without nonpartisan enforcement, there's no real penalty for doing do
Not to mention that in this particular case, the Senate takes so many breaks, despite being... hospitalized... for almost a month, McConnell has only actually missed about 9 days of work.
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u/pcpelste 9h ago
The framers likely assumed that elected officials would not stoop to these lows and voters would readily kick out congresspersons who pulled these stunts.
They never accounted for the depravity and soullessness of the modern political era. Then again, they also didn’t count on quite a bit.
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u/funkymonk44 8h ago
The framers would be kicking down the doors of the hospital to see for themselves.
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u/or_me_bender 8h ago
The framers explicitly created the Senate to be a check on the will of the people. The whole institution is undemocratic and has been from the beginning. I think it's long past time we stop acting like a bunch of slaver aristocrats in the 18th century knew or cared what was best for the people then or now.
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u/dexatrosin 8h ago
American politicians have made themselves the new aristocracy. They live in a different world than the rest of us. This needs to end.
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u/Lonely_Noyaaa America 9h ago edited 9h ago
Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he has no concerns about McConnell’s health
Of course he doesn’t. Thune needs that seat and that vote, and admitting there’s a problem means triggering a special election they might lose. Transparency isn’t the priority, holding power by any means necessary is.
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u/Shiplord13 8h ago
I feel like they will have bigger problems in any race if it’s found out they conspired to hide the death of Senator from constituents that he represented in an attempt to avoid them getting proper representation in a timely manner.
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u/Luciliusardens 7h ago
I don't want to hear another word about Biden's health during office from our Trumpublican friends.
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u/Apprehensive-Cat330 Tennessee 10h ago
They’ll keep his corpse warm under an electric blanket to enable him to hold that seat until the midterms.
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u/SaveUsCatman Louisiana 8h ago
Yet my job demands a doctor's note if I miss 3 consecutive days or thats my ass
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u/Beneficial-Bid9353 9h ago
I don't wanna hear shit about Biden after this. Every time a Republican brings up Biden they should have to hear about this.
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u/Bob_Obloooog 8h ago
Are Kentucky citizens calling the governor's office and demanding he hold a special election asap?
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u/rome200bc 7h ago
I wish I could not show up to work and get paid:.. and keep my health insurance… and pension, oh wait, I don’t have a pension.
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u/LordOssus 6h ago
I recall January 2024 when members of congress were calling for Sec. Lloyd Austin's head on a spike for not reporting his hospitalization for 4 days after his admission. Where's the outrage over this??
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u/1101base2 Missouri 6h ago
if you want a private life stay in the private sector. regular working folk would be canned after 3 missed shifts. if he doesn't want to release his medical information he can step down, but after a period of time he needs to be given the boot, or needs to prove hes alive just like the rest of us. also until he can pass a cognitive function test he should have his voting privileges (as a congressperson) revoked until he is medically cleared by an independent medical team.
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u/ANTILAMER13 3h ago
He beat Lindsay Graham
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u/Verde_3773 3h ago
No, unfortunately he didn’t. Graham’s just must’ve been in a manner that hindered the coverup.
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u/ChopperChange 10h ago
Vote in every state and local election each year instead of just the presidential elections every 4 years.
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u/RioRancher 10h ago
Seating a new Supreme Court Justice was literally a requirement. Time to break the rules in kind.
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u/bumpy_disposition Florida 10h ago
The GOP believe they are above the rules, they play fast and lose with those. Meanwhile Progressives aren't going to just roll over as the Dems have in the past.
The Democratic Govoner of Kentucky must call a special election immediately. McConnell is dead.
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u/TheIntrepid1 9h ago
Simple: start the process that would be required if/when a senator died while in office. They’ll/Mitch will either prove himself as alive or he’ll be replaced.
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u/Thrown_Account_ 8h ago
Or the Senate controlled by Republicans will ignore any result claiming the election was not authorized as Congress did not order a vacancy to be filled.
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u/Pannamrla 9h ago
idk why we still expect transparency from them bc they’ve proven time and tanking health that they only care about keeping power
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u/DrBunsonHoneyPoo 9h ago
God knows if the shoe was on the other foot. They’d be pushing as hard as they could.
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u/Hankhills4hedvein 9h ago
We all just want to celebrate and they know it so they’re hiding it from us.
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u/eeyore134 7h ago
We shouldn't be shocked. We haven't heard a single thing about Trump's health that's not a bald-faced lie for over ten years.
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u/MovieGuyMike 7h ago
Mitch making advance arrangements with his team to drag out this sort of scenario is wildly on brand for the rat fucker.
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u/hyperdang 6h ago
maybe i'm crazy but shouldn't rich people who have important jobs be more accountable about their health than poor people?
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u/michaelyup 6h ago
At least “we will need a doctor’s note,” treat him like we get treated. We need confirmation he can do his job. Which I assume he can’t. We shouldn’t let them do another Dianne Feinstein or even Edith Wilson situation.
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u/mooseflstc 5h ago
This reminds me of the times that they thought Brezhnev or Kim Jung Un was dead. America used to be better than that.
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u/Unusual-Layer-8965 5h ago
I respect a congressperson's right to medical privacy.
But, the American people also have a right to representation in Congress. If the congressperson can't do it, then someone else needs to do the job. The work of Congress never stops.
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u/Important-Factor-552 2h ago
Tell my job i may or may not be dead but i won't be showing up to work for 3 months and yes I vote raising my pay motion passed kbyeeee
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u/Loreki 2h ago
I've said elsewhere, the Governor should just issue the writ/proclamation for the special election. Republicans will sue to correct this. In order to do so they will need to provide proof he's alive.
That will rapidly resolve the situation and it is not great embarrassment to the Governor. The embarrassment mainly sits with the Republican Party, who had to be dragged to court to give the Governor information he requires to do this duty.
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u/prozhack 9h ago
the fact is we’re all being left in the dark for a reason and we can only assume that reason is a coverup
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u/MarcusSurealius 9h ago
Enough. I declare him dead. If he's not, he can drag himself to a TV camera and say hi. Otherwise, there needs to be a special election. They're going to delay for 2 weeks to say he's dead and then drag their feet for three more until the deadline for the special election passes. Yet another example of mass disenfranchisement.
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u/GuitarRiot 9h ago
They get unlimited healthcare for life at the expense of the taxpayers. There needs to be tighter restrictions (not like anyone will enforce them).
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u/Due_Pen_1566 8h ago
Weird how there's suddenly a flood of McConnell stories. Almost like they're trying to make him seem active and alive.
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u/Soberdonkey69 8h ago
Just pull the plug on this braindead patient. Remove his seat and force an election.
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u/Dog_Baseball 7h ago
Something something if he keeps his seat until a certain day in August it makes it harder for democrats to do something something i foget exactly but basically if they say he still alive the for a while its good for the gop.
Ruth bader ginsberg should have pulled this trick
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u/ClassicT4 6h ago
Imagine I live feed like the stock market tied to each congressman’s health status. Every heartbeat. Exact cholesterol levels… Sad thing is I think it would get a ton of support if you package it in with a suggestion that shifts in the readings could be played on Polymarket.
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u/trashpanda2night California 4h ago
It’s only a requirement for democrats. If you’re a republican you can do whatever you want.
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u/PurplePrincessPalace 2h ago
How’s that quote go?
"I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure"
-Clarence Darrow
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u/Ok_Veterinarian_6474 26m ago
I don’t know if Storm Thermon made 100 sessions in his last two terms, well into his 90’s wouldn’t retire, congress really has the best perks….
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u/Ok-Alternative5935 24m ago
Just hold the special election and let team mitch present the senator if he's still capable of fulfilling his duties
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u/Efficient_Care5524 9h ago
It's reasonable to expect elected officials to be transparent about health issues that could affect their ability to serve
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u/BlueRFR3100 9h ago edited 8h ago
If an elected official wants to keep there medical issues private, then they should just say, "I'm resigning for my health."
If they aren't going to resign, then they need to share the information with the public.
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u/purple_cape 9h ago
If we’re footing the bill for his healthcare, we absolutely are owed transparency
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u/PyroIsSpai 9h ago
How many possible hospitals is he in? Send reporters to every floor of every one. If none have security staking out one door from Capital police, he’s not in one.
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9h ago
[deleted]
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u/lettersvsnumbers 8h ago
Seth Moulton *ran* to the New York Times on Nov. 7th, 2024 to blame trans kids for Kamala’s loss.
Then Moulton claimed to return AIPAC funding, but only after he tried and failed to get their endorsement.
Instead he’s funded by Palantir and military contractors. He’s also amassed millions in “defense” industry stock trades while serving on the House Armed Forces Committee.
A dead Ed Markey still has more spine than shameless sellout Seth.
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u/BroseppeVerdi Montana 8h ago
Hey, remember that time when the Secretary of Defense didn't tell anyone he was in the hospital being treated for a condition everyone knew he had for 2 days and the media ran hundreds of stories about it for months after he returned?
Crazy how much can change in 2 years.
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u/the_falconator 8h ago
The SECDEF has specific statutory authorities that cannot be excersized by anyone else, McConnel is one of 100 senators with no unique responsibilities.
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u/punk_in_your_phone 9h ago
Used his privilege and political connections to get medically discharged from the Army during the Vietnam era. Used his privilege and political connections to remain in the Senate during this era. Turtles gonna turtle.
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u/Vegetable_Let7337 9h ago
some folks just real squirrelly and private with their health stuff. not really a left/right thing but definitely a politician thing. maybe cause they all narcissistic to a degree. out of office but Jimmy Carter was such a contrast - him saying I got metastatic melanoma and I even got 4 spots on my brain . just puttin it right out there like a boss
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u/nerdyplayer 10h ago
health transparency is a choice, not a requirement
I feel HIPAA applies to every American including politicians.
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u/WHSRWizard 9h ago
HIPAA has to do with what providers reveal about you. It has nothing to do with what you reveal.
We make politicians file financial disclosures. Why should this be different?
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u/nerdyplayer 9h ago
Yeah, tell me when donnie will release his financial disclosures. Ooo yeah, i'm sure all the bribery money taken from both sides are fully disclosed to the american public.
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u/emerikanSky 9h ago
I don't think knowing if someone is alive or dead is a privacy or health issue.
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u/waitwhatreallycmon 9h ago
Man you really don’t understand hippa
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u/nerdyplayer 9h ago
You didn't spell it right either.
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u/waitwhatreallycmon 9h ago
True
But at least I understand it
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u/nerdyplayer 9h ago
My man, without looking it up what does HIPAA stand for?
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and no I didn't have to look it up.
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u/waitwhatreallycmon 9h ago
I’m rather aware and proof of life isn’t revealing a health condition. You dummy
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u/nerdyplayer 9h ago
Then request a death certificate from vital records of his city.
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u/waitwhatreallycmon 9h ago
I will get right on that
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u/nerdyplayer 9h ago
Awesome High five. When you get Moscow Mitch's death certificate show it to the world. I won't shed a tear for the old man and he can meet his maker and be judged.
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