Tiedrich: why the news blackout over Mitch McConnell? what the fuck happened to him?

[geardaddy]

Last edited Thu Jul 27, 2023, 01:47 PM - Edit history (1)

https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/why-the-news-blackout-over-mitch?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1162742&post_id=135480072&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email

if you were on ‘political twitter’ yesterday afternoon, you know that there was one topic of conversation: Mitch McConnell’s freeze.

in the clip that circulated, McConnell, speaking in the halls of the Senate, freezes, mid-sentence, with a blank look on his face, and after about 30 seconds, is helped away from the podium. end of clip.

holy shit, what just happened?

I wanted to know more. I kept checking my phone for a news notification.

nothing.

Snip

imagine the media reaction if, say, Joe Biden did something like fall off his bike.

actually, you don’t have to imagine.

Joe, rather physically fit for his 81 years, did fall off his bike. and then he got right back on and rode away — and the media had a fucking field day. it should have been a two-sentence story, but it was in the news for a week afterwards. the press literally would not shut the fuck up about it.

Edited to add. Not a blackout per se, but definitely seems like a concerted efforts to squash the story.

[WarGamer]

1. maybe Jeff missed it, he came back later in the day and blamed momentary lightheadedness.

[Casady1]

3. It should still be a big story

and when he came back he still was out of it.

[ancianita]

13. Andrea Mitchell's doing a ten minute segment on it right now.

The exact footage, later footage on his report that he's "okay," with commentary from Sen Chris Coons.

[WarGamer]

15. He's certainly not well.

[geardaddy]

5. He didn't miss it

he says it in the article:

finally, about three hours later, we got some reporting from CNN.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters that he’s “fine,” after freezing during a news conference on Wednesday.

He said nothing, and was led away from the press conference and toward his office by an aide. He returned to the news conference a few minutes later.

His point is that it wasn't covered extensively like if something happened to a Democrat.

[WarGamer]

12. Oh Lord yes... can you imagine if it was Schumer??!! Or Biden??

[geardaddy]

21. Exactly!

It would be on the new 24/7 for a week.

[Mr.Bill]

97. With diagnosis from a dozen doctors

who never met them.

[geardaddy]

107. Yes!

[alimbalt]

43. His point is that it wasn't covered extensively

Who owns all the press/media outlets these days?

[geardaddy]

48. Exactly.

It treated as a virtual non-story.

[Dave says]

56. What do you mean "these days".

Major media has been owned by first 8, then 6, then last time I looked 5 mega corporations that look after oligarchic interests worldwide for a couple of decades.

[treestar]

74. not extensively at all

one excuse - he is not the POTUS

but then it is a bigger story and more important than anything Hunter Biden ever did. So it should at least be covered as extensively as that. Which means at least 24/7 for a few days.

[thesquanderer]

79. "he is not the POTUS" -- Right. A health scare for a president...

...is MUCH more newsworthy that a health scare for the senate minority leader. I bet 75% of people hearing about this on the news wouldn't have even been able to name what position McConnell holds.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

100. Republicans and corporate billionaires

Thats why it isnt getting reported the rightwing bias.

[lapfog_1]

6. I am not a doctor

but that was not "momentary lightheadedness"

It looked to me like a transient ischemic attack.

The symptoms of a TIA are similar to those of a stroke and include:

Numbness or muscle weakness, usually on one side of the body.
Trouble speaking or understanding speech.
Dizziness or loss of balance.
Double vision or trouble seeing in one or both eyes.

Symptoms of TIA usually last only a few minutes.

[nocoincidences]

37. Bingo!

[DLCWIdem]

41. I thought so too

[jaxexpat]

51. There are some things clogging up Mitch's arteries, for sure.

In addition to several aneurisms from swallowing all the shit Trump made him eat there are 2 largeish lumps clogging his aorta: the A.C-Barrett, stupid, mass and the B. Kavanaugh, at least as stupid, mass. Doctors are saying, "sorry, dude", they won't be able to deal with any of these issues this close to an election. They're concerned his interpretation of the constitution is strong enough to tolerate the probing and pointed questions for his vile political efforts.

[CaptainTruth]

61. Or an absence seizure.

Which could have also been the cause of his fall in DC.

[pazzyanne]

84. Exactly! nt

[soldierant]

92. Most everyone I've read agrees, but Robert Reich

has s different theory. He thinks it was a petit mal seizure. He himself experienced one quite a few years ago, and didn't even know that it had happened - didn't remember it happening - until a doctor who had been present discussed it with him the next day.

Of course he could be wrong, but anyone cold be wrong - it's definitely a possibility.

He's on Substack -
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-freeze

I shortened the link, so unless you already subscribe, it will give you a popup, but you'll have an option to read it - it will either say "Continue reading" or "Let me read it first."

[I_UndergroundPanther]

101. Years ago when I was a teenager I had seizures

1grand mal,temporal lobe seizures and a few petit mals. Took meds for 5 years,went off the meds and haven't had any more seizures since.

[soldierant]

109. Neither has Reich.

It was a one off.

Of course Mitch's age opens u far more possibilities.

[bdamomma]

98. McConnell

was very pale too. He didn't look well, TIA??? Could be. But I'm not a Dr.

[EYESORE 9001]

11. Imagine that Joe Biden had tried explaining something to the press

Would they have STFU like they did with McTurtle?

[DENVERPOPS]

70. People who don't know

should ALL know that 95+% of ALL media in the U.S. is either owned or controlled by wealthy Republicans.......

WTF do you think they are gonna do with something like this.......THEY ARE GOING TO BURY IT OR PRETEND IT NEVER HAPPENED.

WTF do you think they would do if it had been Biden??? FRONT PAGE HEADLINES IN 98 POINT, RED TYPE, AND endless articles about it...for weeks, months, or all the way up until the 2024 elections about his unfitness to be president.

[EYESORE 9001]

73. You really think they'd exercise that much self-restraint?

[Delphinus]

46. I thought

he responded in one word replies when he came back. I've not seen it, just what I read.

[Zorro]

89. Well we know it wasn't momentary dickheadedness

That's his normal operating state.

[WarGamer]

90. Post.Of.The.Day.

[2naSalit]

102. +1

[TNNurse]

95. That is some serious bullshit.

[dchill]

2. I've noticed. Believe me, I've noticed.

The rule for Republicans is different. Rule number one of Fight Club.

[gratuitous]

4. A few minutes later, the Minority Leader came out and said he was fine

End of story. Well, except for one or two more questions about what the hell that was. Then the Minority Leader quickly scotched that line of questioning, and the reporters got the message and quit asking. "Dude, you stood at the podium like a department store mannequin for a solid 20 seconds and you're 'fine'? In what universe?"

[geardaddy]

8. Exactly!

Crickets from Goopers and reluctance of reporters to press him on it.

Meanwhile, Biden is under constant scrutiny.

[riversedge]

9. "like a department store mannequinlike a department store mannequin.." Excellent discription. No

swaying, no movement at all. Just a blank stare! Was McConnell even conscious during those 20 seconds??

[FakeNoose]

7. Maybe he experienced a temporary "Depends" moment

You know, it happens sometimes for those older guys. Just ask Chump....

[oldsoftie]

38. Now that you mention it, I've seen that look on my cat.

[bdamomma]

99. but I

bet your cat is better looking!!!!!

[erronis]

72. Any rear-view cameras that might have caught the lump/stain?

Thinking about it a bit more, I doubt it was a sudden Depends Dump. There would have been this anticipatory look on his face followed by a big grin and sigh of relief.

TMI

[Hermit-The-Prog]

10. Moscow Mitch was receiving a software update.

[shelshaw]

18. New orders from lucifer

You could almost see him mumbling “yes, master”

[Duppers]

14. K & R

[DallasNE]

16. That Is Consistent With An Attack Of Vertigo nt

[SunSeeker]

31. Mitch blamed it on "light headedness," not vertigo.

I've had vertigo. It doesn't prevent you from speaking.

[Butterflylady]

34. I can attest to that also.

[oldsoftie]

35. And lightheadedness would make you say "whoa, little woozy here"

Not just blankly stare frozen straight ahead. I've been lightheaded.

[DallasNE]

47. I've Had Vertigo As Well And Take Ginger Root To Keep It In Check

Lightheadedness would cause you to look for the nearest chair before passing out. Vertigo would have you grasping the lectern to maintain balance and last about 20-30 seconds. Both would require concentration and cause you to suspend speaking.

[inthewind21]

60. Not

in my experience. Especially when there are others around me. It goes something like, Hey, I need to sit down before I pass out someone get me a chair or help me to one. It's never rendered me unable to speak nor required so much concentration that I wasn't able to speak.

[SunSeeker]

80. He was not "looking for the nearest chair." He froze, looking straight ahead.

He didn't say he had vertigo, he said he had "lightheadedness."
But he wasn't acting like someone with lightheadedness. He stopped, mid-sentence, standing straight up, looking straight ahead and froze for 20 seconds, until those standing next to him shuffled him away. It was like his brain just switched off. He wasn't swaying back and forth as they led him away, he seemed like he didn't know where he was. That is why his behavior was so weird. People with lightheadedness wobble, and like you said, search for a chair. He didn't do that. It sure seemed like those Republicans had gone through this with him before. They didn't seem shocked or surprised, and intervened rather quickly.

[oldsoftie]

86. No other way to describe it. He FROZE for 28 secs.

[inthewind21]

55. None

that I've experienced. I've had vertigo. Lightheadedness, yes, the inability to speak, no. Believe me, I was speaking, and rater loudly!

[JohnnyRingo]

17. Actually, I just saw it on NBC and CBS local news.

I think it's out there, but may be shuffled down where such an incident belongs.
It's not like he's Kevin Spacey or Barbie. LOL

[Mad_Machine76]

19. Probably nothing good IMHO

Wonder if he's deciding whether or not to resign?

[Kennah]

20. Stepford Husband software upgrade

[geardaddy]

22. LOL

Well-played!

[TheBlackAdder]

24. Yep. Xi and Putin were advised not to download updates and perform reboots mid-day.

.

Must have been something important, or they got their time zone conversions wrong.

.

[peppertree]

42. Or Jimmy Chao

He must've lost more kilos off the Dutch coast, and accidentally hit the wrong button while upset.

[RamblingRose]

23. I have temporal lobe epilepsy w/ partial complex seizures & it looked like he was having a seizure

Sometimes temporal lobe seizures impair your ability to respond to others. This type of temporal lobe seizure usually lasts 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/temporal-lobe-seizure/symptoms-causes/syc-20378214

Good video showing this type of seizure

[mopinko]

49. lotsa folks seeing the same thing.

he looked so pale tho.

[3825-87867]

25. Should something happen to Mitch,

what is the procedure for his replacement? Does Kentucky's governor get to provide one?

And if so, is that the reason for the secrecy? We all went through it with Feinstein. But if the idea is the case, there could be an additional Democratic Senator...soon?

Any thoughts?

[oldsoftie]

33. Far as I know the Gov gets to appoint a replacement.

But maybe different states have different laws.

[leftieNanner]

64. He does BUT

Kentucky Republicans passed a new law recently that requires the Governor to select a replacement from the same party as the exiting Senator - from a list provided to him by the Republican party.

ugh

I wonder if he can just leave the seat open for a while.

[oldsoftie]

87. Well, MITCH certainly left a seat open for awhile!

But I guess I dont really have a problem with that law. The state voted for a republican, then it shouldn't be up to the Gov to change that choice.
I bet that the "list" would have a few doozies on it; just pick the WORST one

[leftieNanner]

88. That he did! nt

[BigOleDummy]

54. Yep and Nope

[link:https://www.businessinsider.com/gop-kentucky-mitch-mcconnell-freeze-replacement-democrat-2023-7|

[Marthe48]

26. Because 90% of media outlets are owned by 6 corporations

https://pwestpathfinder.com/2022/05/09/the-big-sixs-big-media-game/

Even if any of the outlets are owned by 'liberals' I doubt most ceos want to upset the applecart. So you aren't going to really get news. You'll get 6 slants on the same story, which someone deemed more newsworthy than an old man zoning out while he was talking to the press. Unless he is a Democrat and then there will be much clutching of pearls and wringing of hands.

The news media might cover the Mitch Glitch, but the story will be minimized and buried.

I kind of hoped it was an aha moment and mitch realized all of the harm he's done to the U.S. and might not only freeze, but rewind.

[Glorfindel]

27. It looked like a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) to me.

https://www.google.com/search?q=transient+ischemic+attack&sitesearch=

[ms liberty]

105. Will that cause slurring? Because his last 2-3 words were slurred

I thought I heard it the first time I saw the clip, so I listened for it the second time I saw the clip. To me it was definitive, his last 2-3 words before his freeze were definitely slurred.

[wnylib]

111. Slurring - not necessarily part of a TIA,

but it can happen.

I looked up absence seizures in the elderly. One source said that TIAs and absence seizures in the elderly can be related. A TIA is a vascular event, a temporary blockage of a small blood vessel (capillary). People who have chronic TIAs can develop absence seizures from brain cell damage caused by TIAs.

I wanted to link the article, but it was very long and the section about the connection between TIAs and absence seizures in the elderly was far into the article. I am using my phone and could not select out the section that I wanted to.

We know that McConnell has vascular problems. Remember the photos of his hands looking red and purple some time ago? I am going to guess that he has taken blood thinners, which can cause easy bruising. The blood thinners would be prescribed for vascular problems. So maybe he has had some TIAs in the past and is now experiencing adult onset absence seizures.

Since he is determined to stay in office, he would keep secret all health information regarding his ability to perform.

[Joinfortmill]

28. Houston: We have a problem. Mainstream news media has forgotten what journalism is.

[NoMoreRepugs]

29. Damn liberal media - yeah, right.

[erronis]

75. Repeat it enough and even the liberals start to think they really control the media.

Typical (r)epuglicon/libertarian projection.

[brooklynite]

30. Its true. I haven't seen anything about McConnell's situation...except for all the stories today.

Just a guess but, 1) McConnell's people aren't talking and 2) HIPAA prevents his doctors from talking. So the only thing the media can do is speculate.

[oldsoftie]

32. Oh bullshit. I saw it on EVERY network several times yesterday. More today.

Not to mention social media sites because
This sounds like something Carlson would say

[geardaddy]

36. You're a real softie.

[oldsoftie]

39. Sometimes I just get tired of the same old nonsense.

This is the shit republicans do ALL then time.
If I saw it, ANYONE could see it. Hell, it LED the CBS evening news

[geardaddy]

44. I think the point he made was

it was covered lightly. No reporters really asked what was going on with McConnell. Whereas, if it had been Biden or any other Dem, it would have been covered in more detail maybe.

[likesmountains 52]

40. I think he's referring to the lack of follow up.

The incident was widely reported, just no further info, when clearly it is needed.

[geardaddy]

45. That's exactly Tiedrich's point

Little to no follow-up.

[likesmountains 52]

50. I get it. Just trying to help softie...

[geardaddy]

53. ...

[Iggo]

52. I dunno, but I'm looking around and there's barely a peep.

Imagine if it was Pelosi or Feinstein. It’d be wall-to-wall non-stop coverage everywhere.

[oldsoftie]

59. At this very moment, its the top line story on Drudge.

30 mins ago, USA Today
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/07/27/what-happened-to-mitch-mcconnell/70477291007/

About the same time, NBC,
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/watch-mitch-mcconnell-freeze-press-conference-rcna96486

I've got nothing better to do; just sitting in a waiting room!

If he wasnt taken to a doctor, his staff has done a REAL disservice to him.

[geardaddy]

76. Well, maybe they're picking up the story more now.

He definitely needs to see a doctor.

[MrsCoffee]

57. He isn't female.

Imagine the news pile on if it were Dianne Feinstein. We don't really have to imagine that one, being as we just witnessed it very recently.

Just sayin......

[geardaddy]

58. I know, right?

[mountain grammy]

62. Well all I can say is

I hope he’s suffering like we all will for decades with the Court he gave us. Fuck that guy.

[Demsrule86]

63. From my Mothers side...Southern... cousin married cousins. My Great Grandma and Great Grandpa

were first cousins. This caused epilepsy in the family. One of my cousins had Petit mal epilepsy...this is what it looked like to me that happened to McConnell. One of my cousin's children has epilepsy. And my great niece, my sister's grandchild has it. My own Granddaughter was tested and they don't think she has it, but we are not sure. Time will tell.

Also, the small area in Virginia Where we come from has contained pretty much the same families since the 1600s. When my uncle and aunt were tested genetically. Although they never met before they ran into each other at a party were almost first cousins verging on siblings in terms of genetics. This is because of the marriages over time in a small area.

[geardaddy]

66. Interesting family history

I suspect this is true of a lot of us here in the US whose ancestors came over early and didn't move around much.

[Wicked Blue]

65. Maybe they sent him to a taxidermist

Once the body's stuffed, they'll roll him out and keep him voting in the Senate.

[leftyladyfrommo]

68. A remote controlled puppet. Maybe he already is one and

his battery went dead and he stopped moving. His handlers took him off stage and put in new Energizers.

[Wicked Blue]

94. This makes sense

[leftyladyfrommo]

96. In this completely upside down world it kind of does. nt

[Warpy]

67. I hope somebody is trying to talk the old buzzard into going to see a neurologist.

He really needs to stop driving, also, until they find out what's going on.

I still think it's an absence seizure, but TIA needs to be ruled out.

Something is wrong and he needs to face up to that. Chances are it can be controlled by medication.

[SpankMe]

69. CNN has had longer clips of this

McConnell is backed away from the podium by others and is positioned a few feet away while someone else takes the podium and speaks. He wasn't spirited away to another location.

He soon regains awareness and looks on normally. He then returned to the podium and spoke more, although he seemed slightly slower than his normal self.

I feel it's been covered adequately and proportionally up to this point. I'd be interested in a follow up knowing if he's since been examined by a doctor and what the cause of this seizure was.

[Fresh Water Falling]

71. He's a Manly Republican

Unlike that weak woman Hillary in '16 who *tripped.* Oh dear God did you see how she *tripped?* Welll of course you did, because our Allegedly Left-Wing Media gave it ten times the coverage it merited!

[Buttoneer]

77. Because Hunter Biden. n/t

[SYFROYH]

78. Did Tiedrich turn off his TV? The story has been on heavy rotation since 6 pm last night.

Maybe Tiedrich had nothing better to be outraged about.

[flying_wahini]

81. Remember when the GOP asses called John Fetterman a 'vegetable and should resign".

[geardaddy]

83. Yes, I do.

[treestar]

91. yes! thanks for the reminder

I had forgotten that bit of hypocrisy!

[Orrex]

82. I caught about 2.5 hours of npr today

Not a peep about McConnell from this flagship of The Liberal Media.

[Recycle_Guru]

85. concerted effort to keep story out of the news definitely a blackout

[UpInArms]

93. The Eleventh Commandment (Ronald RayGun)

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eleventh_Commandment_(Ronald_Reagan)

Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.[

There is no liberal media.

[Jay25]

106. Very, very true.

[maxrandb]

103. What news blackout???

I have seen multiple reports of Diane Feinst......

Oh...NEVERMIND

[geardaddy]

108. You had me there for a second!

[dembotoz]

104. glitch in his ai voice response software....damn russian programers just screwed up

[BlackSkimmer]

110. I have no idea what media Tiedrich watches, but I've seen a story on the Turtle everywhere

today.

CNN, MSNBC, my local channels, everywhere.