5 questions for Mitch McConnell
There's a lot we don't know.
On Thursday afternoon, the attending physician of Congress — yes, there is one — released a statement on Mitch McConnell’s health.
Here it is:
The letter, um, leaves a whole lot more questions than it answers. Especially given that the Senate Minority Leader had his second episode of freezing — literally standing there unable to talk — in as many months on Wednesday.
I have a few.
How many times has this happened and over what time frame? We know McConnell has had two public episodes of freezing. But have there been other instances observed by his staff, family or others? When were those? And for how long was he unable to talk?
What does it mean that McConnell is “medically clear”? Like, I get when an NFL team doc announces that a running back is medically cleared to play in a game or practice or whatever. But, what does it mean when it comes to a Senator? Just seems to me to be a very weird way of describing MmcConnell’s condition.
How long has McConnell had a neurology team? In his letter, Dr. Monahan references the fact that he checked in with McConnell’s “neurology team.” How long has McConnell had a team like that? Presumably at least since his fall (and concussion) in the spring? But maybe sooner? Again, I would like to know.
Why does he freeze? Nowhere in that letter above is there any reference to what we’ve all plainly seen — McConnell has, on two occasions, simply frozen — unable to speak for extended periods of time. All that is mentioned is that lightheadeness is occasionally a result of being concussed, which we know McConnell was. But, like, is it really lightheadedness that he is experiencing? From my admittedly untrained eye, it seems like something more than that.
What’s his prognosis? Let’s assume the freezing is directly related to McConnell’s concussion earlier this year. Should we expect it to keep happening? For how long? And, most importantly, why?
Look. This is a sensitive subject. No one likes to talk about their health publicly — myself included.
And I thought President Joe Biden handled himself with incredible class on Thursday when asked about McConnell.
“It's not at all unusual to have a response that sometimes happens to Mitch when you've had a severe concussion,” Biden said. “It's part of the recovery, and so I'm confident he's going to be back to his old self.”
Like I said: Gracious. Kind. And, just to note, the opposite of what Donald Trump would have said if the shoe had been on the other foot. (Trump’s likely response: “I saw that. I hope he’s ok but whoa boy it looks like there is something wrong. Something serious. Hope he’s ok.” (And that is probably being kind to Trump; his response could be far worse.)
But, just to be clear, McConnell isn’t some private citizen. He’s not even some senator. He is the single most powerful Republican in the Senate. With innumerable responsibilities. And all sorts of balls in the air.
Given what we’ve seen from McConnell over the past two months, it seems like more than a three-sentence statement on his medical condition is necessary.
I feel the same as I did with Feinstein. The public does need to know. The most interesting aspect is the neurology team. If true (I’m assuming), it would seem most likely McConnell’s problems are concussion-related and that he is recovering. It tells me that this is likely not related to TIA/stroke or similar. But a neurology team could mean other things as well, such as dementia/Alzheimer's.
And yeah, we know Trump would be brutal, calling him McCripple or something like that.
“The letter, um, leaves a whole lot more questions than it answers. Especially given that the Senate Minority Leader had his second episode of freezing — literally standing there unable to talk — in as many months on Wednesday.”
I wonder if the same doctor who wrote that Trump is healthier than most 20 year olds, and is so fit and healthy, he should easily live to 150, wrote McDonnell’s note as well. It’s a legitimate question, isn’t it?
My father fell and suffered from a concussion at 73, and never fully recovered. He died a few years later, but cognitive abilities dissipated quickly after the fall.
I wish McConnell a speedy recovery, even though I don’t agree with his politics at all.