Republicans should prepare for the post-McConnell era
Washington Examiner
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has had a long and illustrious career, one that includes reshaping the judiciary and the Supreme Court. But his time leading the Republican conference is in its final phase. He deserves great respect, but after this week’s most recent health scare during a press conference, McConnell’s fellow senators should be prepared for someone else to take the helm.
The 81-year-old leader appeared to freeze silently in place for about 30 seconds after taking a question from reporters at the Chamber of Commerce in Covington, Kentucky. He eventually recovered and answered two other questions, but widely seen video recordings of the event video make it clear something was amiss that rendered McConnell unable to function normally.
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The next day the Capitol attending physician released a statement clearing McConnell for work, saying, “Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration.”
McConnell’s first reported fall was in 2019, when he fractured his shoulder at his home in Louisville. He also reportedly fell in Helsinki in February this year but was uninjured. Then in March, he fell at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington and suffered a concussion and broken ribs. After that, McConnell took a six-week break from the Senate.
Then this July, McConnell again fell at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport but was uninjured and answered reporter questions later that day. It wasn’t until the end of July that McConnell first froze during a press conference at the Capitol. This week’s freeze was the second such incident.
McConnell is not the only denizen of Capitol Hill who has continued working into old age. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is nine years older and is clearly having difficulty fulfilling the functions of her office, but these are considerably lighter than McConnell’s.
More demanding yet are the rigors of the Oval Office, and there, President Joe Biden has exhibited failing powers perhaps less startling because less sudden than McConnell’s but are even more concerning. Biden has fallen while on vacation in Delaware and in the line of duty at the Air Force Academy. He has forgotten the names of foreign leaders and Cabinet secretaries. He has even forgotten who is dead and who is alive.
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Most importantly, he has made significant policy pronouncements off the cuff that his staff has had to correct and clean up afterward. More than three-quarters of adults, including 69% of Democrats, say Biden is “too old to effectively serve another 4-year term.” They are right.
McConnell is the longest-serving party leader in Senate history. The conservative majority that will lead the Supreme Court for a generation would not be there without his leadership. He deserves to end his historic career on his own terms, but that end is near. He doubtless knows it. McConnell’s Republican colleagues would be well advised to have a plan ready for his retirement, which is surely coming soon.