Watch: McConnell's Presence, Barely Audible Voice Create Chaos as Simple Vote Nearly Goes Off the Rails - Chair Forced to Step In
Well, it’s official: Sen. Mitch McConnell’s condition has gotten to Dianne Feinstein levels of worrisome.
Not that it wasn’t already worrisome in its own way, mind you. The former Senate Republican caucus leader had already been in the hospital for three months under worrying circumstances, which we were assured were a fall at home followed by complications. He posted a message to X — or someone posted it for him, anyway — which attributed it to anything but being mentally asleep at the wheel.
“Today, I’ll cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June. I’m really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues,” McConnell said in an X post Monday.
“My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier. I’m still not quite back to 100%, but I’ve assured Leader [John] Thune that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me.”
Today, I’ll cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June. I’m really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues.
My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made…
— U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (@SenMcConnell) September 14, 2026
He went on to prove that he was being totally, 100 percent accurate in his appraisal of his capacities (and that he had indeed appraised them himself, too) by having to be told how to vote in committee:
JUST NOW: A confused, clearly not-there McConnell votes “AYE” after almost voting NO with Dems but getting *corrected* by handlers around him pic.twitter.com/Z797W80PpD
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) September 16, 2026
From the New York Post:
The scene played out during a farm bill markup hearing in the Senate Agriculture Committee.
When his name was called by the clerk, McConnell, 84, began to lift his finger and appeared ready to vote “aye” on moving the legislation forward.
At nearly the exact same moment, Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), who was seated next to McConnell, turned to him, leaned in and told the longtime senator to vote “no.”
Undeterred, McConnell quietly voted, “Aye” — but the clerk didn’t hear him.
Advertisement - story continues belowHoeven, again, looked over at the former Senate GOP leader and said, “No.”
Sound familiar? It will to longtime Senate watchers, who remember the slow decline of Dianne Feinstein playing out precisely like this:
WOW! Dianne Feinstein Told “Just Say Aye” When She Starts Rambling During Senate Vote pic.twitter.com/Zth4IVAyee
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) July 27, 2023
Now, let’s be perfectly fair here: McConnell basically just has to hold on until January and vote how he’s told. The vote on his replacement is taking place this November and, even with a Democratic governor in Kentucky right now, it’s considered a safe hold for the Republicans.
Furthermore, giving Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear the unbridled joy of sidelining McConnell for mental incapacity when there’s no such mechanism to do so would be handing an unnecessary victory to the Democrats. Again, all this guy needs is to press the right button and vote the right way for a few more months, and then he can go off deeper into whatever la-la-land he’s retreated into.
But also, let’s be perfectly fair to the McConnell critics here: That’s where he’s gone. McConnell was 78 when he chose to run for another six-year term in 2020, and was still the Republican Senate majority leader. This would have been the time to do a valedictory lap, concede he had no idea of knowing where he’d be in six years and what shape he’d be in, and step away to his chosen successor. Just like Dianne Feinstein was being told to do back then, too.
He rolled the dice and he took his chances. Now, after delaying numerous votes and having his governor asking for proof of life, basically, he’s returning in this shape. And by the by, this was kind of important at advancing Donald Trump’s agenda.
As the Des Moines Register reported, the bill was marked up in August but Democrats refused to move on it because Republicans had, in the “Big Beautiful Bill,” mandated that states lower their payment error rates on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, commonly referred to as “food stamps.”
Without McConnell’s vote, they couldn’t move it out of committee because of the intransigence. And they still could barely get it out of committee, because he didn’t know how to proceed during the markup process.
McConnell still counted this as a W on social media:
I want to commend Chairman Boozman for his work on the Farm Bill. As a member of the Agriculture Committee since my first day in the United States Senate, I was proud to vote yes on the Farm Bill on behalf of the hardworking farm families across Kentucky. America’s farmers are… pic.twitter.com/QFJQChXcuR
— U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (@SenMcConnell) September 16, 2026
Huh. It’s almost like he’s not writing these posts. I’m beginning to think his team may be covering for the guy.
We’ve already blown well past the point where we could have safely prevented this case of Feinsteinitis. Lecturing Mitch on this to his face wouldn’t even do any good; not only is it a waste of breath six years after a preventable unfolding disaster could have been stopped, he’d probably just smile at you and say he wasn’t ready to order yet, but if you could give him an extra menu and another few minutes, he’ll make a decision.
However, let this be a warning to every member of the gerontocracy in the District of Columbia: If this is how you go out, this is how you’ll be remembered, and you have no one to blame but yourself.
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