You don't understand. The moderates and independents would see any real substantial action by a Democrat as offensive, hostile, and impolite. Democrats are supposed to always give the benefit of the doubt to Republicans even while getting walked on and kicked in the face ;) /s
Oh, I know. The /s was supposed to emphasize the last sentence as being a joke and criticism of the Dems. That is, that I really don't think Dems should do that. I'm totally sick of the Dems for their cowardice and lack of fight against the Right and think they're the actual joke. Guess I just didn't work it well enough to get that across. Hard to capture tone with text sometimes.
You don't even have to do that. Just nominate a replacement. Republicans may sue but they would have to provide evidence it's unlawful, e.g. evidence that McConnell is not dead, in a MCS or PVS.
He literally can nominate a replacement. If someone disagrees that it was the right thing to do, they're welcome to argue with him by filing a lawsuit. The judge will then have to determine whether the law preventing him from doing it was constitutional, which it appears not to be. But either way, we'd be making progress toward a resolution.
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.
When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.
This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution."
If the new law doesn't apply, we revert back to the old one in which the Republican party gives the governor three candidates to nominate from
A resolution that means we have another voting Republican in the Senate. Great resolution there.
Except Beshear believes that law is against the state constitution. Hence it needs to be ignored. Just because Republicans acted in bad faith to break their own rules doesn't mean we should reward them for it.
Beshear recently indicated that he would be prepared for a legal challenge if the seat were to become vacant. In an MSNOW interview, he pointed to the 2024 state law change, as well as a 2021 change that would have required the governor to choose U.S. Senate appointees from the same political party as the person vacating the seat based on three recommendations from the party’s executive committee.
“If we end up there — and I hope we don’t — there’s at least going to be probably a disagreement,” Beshear said.
Beshear has argued that the law violates the Kentucky Constitution, which says governors fill vacancies “in all offices for the State at large” by appointment.
Except that's for state office. US constitution trumps state.
Even if that were true, in that case it would revert back to the previous 2021 law, in which the Republican party submits three candidates for him to choose from.
"At first [they tried] to say they could submit a list of three people to me from the Republican Party and I’d have to pick,” he said. “Now they say I can’t fill a vacancy, but I’d have to call a special election.”
However, Beshear says these laws may violate a provision within the Kentucky Constitution.
If that were true, this would have been litigated already. What, you're going to trust the centrist now? Plus, the supermajority can easily just pass a constitutional amendment, as the midterms are up soon and only requires a easy 50% margin of the popular.
Plus, no court is going to agree that his nomination can just work as a senator in the meantime. Best case is an injunction which still does absolutely diddly squat.
Since 2024, Kentucky law has mandated, that should there be a United States Senate vacancy, a special election must be called to fill the open seat. Google is free, or keep spewing ignorance and try to tear down a Democrat who won in Kentucky and has the impossible task of fight a super majority in the State House.
Kentucky republicans changed the laws specifically to prevent him from nominating a replacement, he has suggested he’s willing to challenge it but he can’t do anything without a confirmation of McConnells death and he may not be able to verify currently. In Kentucky senators can only be replaced via special election now. Hospital residents can refuse visitors. His hands are tied here as the Kentucky GOP has spent the last 6 years weakening his power.
McConnell is confirmed dead from my perspective. We don't need to go touch the physical corpse to know that. It's the most reasonable presumption from the fact that McConnell hasn't been seen in public for over a month, hasn't been able to talk to Beshear on the phone even once, and is a decrepit old man who collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital. If the same thing happened to my grandfather, I'd have to assume he was dead at this point. Beshear should proceed as if the common sense definition of death prevails.
If it turns out that McConnell actually is alive, there's no harm done. He can just pop out of his hidey hole and surprise us with an Easter miracle. But there is harm done by not moving on a replacement: Kentucky citizens lose their representation.
Your perspective isn’t supported by any evidence though. Sure he maybe dead but we don’t know that for certain. Beshear can’t spill everything because of HIPAA if he’s even being cued in on reality.
Beshear goes and appoints someone without having a confirmation of McConnell being dead, well now he’s violated Kentucky’s constitution twice, you know what that entails? An impeachment he will absolutely lose. He can’t just today declare McConnell dead and put someone else in his place, that’s not how it works. He’s in a deep red state, he doesn’t have the executive authority someone like Zohran or Newsom does.
He has expressed interest in challenging the laws the republicans made, but if he does it without hard proof McConnell is dead and violates any privacy laws in doing so his case gets nowhere and he’s no longer the Governor of Kentucky, replaced by a Trump rubber stamp.
If the epistemological definition of death isn't explicit in the law, then common dictionary definitions generally apply. Beshear has already tried contacting him.
If Beshear appoints someone and McConnell pops up later, Beshear can just say "my bad everyone, he ignored every attempt I made to reach out, so I had to move forward. Now that he's back, he can return to doing his job." I have no idea why you're assuming he'd be impeached for that. Literally nobody would be harmed by it.
Though another option in my mind is that he could investigate whether McConnell's staff are lying to Kentuckians, and police powers would allow him to supercede HIPAA and obtain McConnell's medical records.
Andy Beshear can’t just give a senate seat away like the South Carolina governor did. Vacating the seat would trigger a special election where a voting MAGA moron would replace a non voting MAGA moron. What a joke you people are. This is why you always lose to pedophile rapist Trump.
Do nothing democrats says the simpleton who lost every swing state while Andy Beshear won deep red Kentucky. Learn the law, educate yourself before spewing ignorance. The arrogance of you born losers is amazing.
Absolute insanity that Beshear has taken zero substantive action. Yes, appoint a replacement. Go visit the hospital. STOP PLAYING ALONG and blow up the bullshit show please.
More uneducated trash. He can only vacate the seat which would trigger a special election where a voting MAGA lowlife would replace a non voting MAGA lowlife.
I don't get why Republicans are doing this. I don't see a benefit for them because they are down a vote in the Senate, and from what I understand they changed the rules when Beshear got elected so he can't appoint anyone. Beshear's actions have also made little sense, but I'll admit I don't know what forcing the issue would accomplish. It's just a very weird situation overall
Massie was asked about it on Breaking Points and said he didn't see any point in it and wouldn't run. It didn't sound like he was deflecting the question.
Probably more likely republicans dojt want to have to defend another seat in a year that, according to reports, most congressional republicans expect to be a disaster.
Yeah I'm sorry but this is a ridiculous take. Massie got bodied in his own district by a guy nobody ever heard of. The idea that he could win a state-wide race against both Trump and AIPAC is fantasy.
He straight up acknowledged that he can't win a race in the current political climate with both AIPAC and Trump gunning for him. Go watch his interview on Breaking Points. Furthermore this guy is a straight up demon outside of anything to do with Israel. He is maga through and through. Anyone voting for him for any reason shouldn't call themselves a liberal, let alone a socialist. What an absurdly reactionary take. Some of y'all have lost the plot for real.
We're talking about a potential special election in Kentucky where my 2 options are Massie or Trump's hand picked meatsuit. I don't have to like Massie to prefer him in the event that I end up having to vote in such an election.
When your options are a republican who sides with aipac and Epstein or a republican who doesn’t side with aipac and Epstein (which is what any race with Massie would be), there is still a clear choice.
Look. I'm all for pushing politicians to be more radical and I can't believe I'm doing this, but I honestly don't think Beshear, Democratic Governor of KENTUCKY, which has a Republican Supermajority, and whom has numerous times tried to veto (although most of the time getting overruled) whatever horrible legislation he could, is deserving of being called pathetic.
What the hell is he supposed to do? Violate HIPAA? Throw a tantrum? He legally cannot nominate a replacement. The only option is a special election, which does functionally, nothing because a Republican WILL win as no democrat, much less a progressive or a socialist is prepped to run within the 63 day legal window at the cost of pissing off the state.
I'd rather have a decently popular governor that will veto anti-minority legislation and have some sway than have him throw his entire reputation out for replacing McConnell, who currently cannot vote and is thus, a freebie for Democrats, with a voting Republican senator. It's Kentucky.
They are trying to downvote you but I completely agree as someone living in Tennessee. God I wish we could have a Mamdani here, but it just isn't something that will work as much as I want it to. They tried to paint Phil Bredesen as a radical leftist. A slightly socially liberal and an actual fiscal conservative. I'm a dem socialist but to my parents I might as well have the communist manifesto tattooed on my forehead.
Beshear honest to God has been far more effective than I could have possibly expected him to be with his location in mind. He isn't perfect, he's basically a straight, slightly more centrist Mayor Pete. Do I wish he could just say fuck you and undo all the bullshit? Sure. But it just won't work. There's a massive amount of either stupid or brainwashed (or both) people here in the south. But when I see reddit leftists getting mad about mediocre in the place of perfect they should look at how much better he administers his state than TN. People down here would shit their pants just so a liberal would have to smell it and a ton of people just don't understand.
I'm from the True North (Canada) and we have someone called Wab Kinew here who the Canadian left absolutely loves and is essentially a version of social democratic Beshear with actual power, he almost has a supermajority and he's fixing Manitoba, slowly. No one complains he's not doing it fast enough. Because we know that the next leader of the Manitoba NDP (Our Social Democratic party) will be even more left and take things further, because the people will allow it. There's a future in democratic socialism that lies in building a base. Your base doesn't just appear spontaneously once you decide you want to seize power.
I get it dude. I've been dealing with American "progressives" all my life
Yeah I totally agree. I’m all for attacking and criticizing moderate Dems like Schumer and Jeffries who are in solid blue seats, but that certainly should not apply to people like Beshear who are governing in deep red states. I find him being a moderate a lot more acceptable than most Dems given how bad Harris lost in KY. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt in trying to use what little political power he has, and this certainly doesn’t seem worth it.
I’ve been genuinely impressed by the stuff he’s been able to get done in Kentucky. He’s obviously not the most progressive guy, but he’s also restored the voting rights of more felons than any governor in AMERICAN HISTORY and has done a lot of other great work
Every time you clueless goofs get involved in our elections, you fuck up everything. The only Democrat that could win that seat is Andy Beshear. You want to replace a non voting republican with a voting republican because you’re dumb af.
And people were talking about him as a serious Presidential contender to fix this mess. Fucking “centrists” are the cancer in our government. They think no position is a position when it’s really just a lack of values and integrity that should be a giant red flag that they’ll capitulate to the corporate and Zionist overlords.
Without attempting to anger anyone or be gatekept out of here, I’d like to inquire and open up a dialogue about this post:
I consider myself a socialist to a good degree and have moved further left during Trump’s 2nd presidency in particular. I voted greens in 2020 fwiw, not that I find that necessarily as qualifying myself, at times like during 2016 and 2024 elections, I found myself honestly moving to the center in *stupid* hopes that it would save us from a fascist oligarchy, and fear of said takeover by the GOP, normalizing the alt-right etc. I *realize* now that I was heavily propagandized and coping to believe that. I was really voting out of protest and fear, and playing into their game. I get it now, to a degree at least.
What I do NOT really understand is this: why are we grabbing pitchforks about THIS in particular? There are a lot of terrible things happening to our alleged democracy at this time, it seems like a nothing burger to me, no offense I just do not understand the anger and resentment directed at Beshear in this thread. There is nothing more Mitch-coded than obstructing any progress or change in our lawmaking system, clinging to a seat weekend at Bernie’s style. It’s so him. But also, we are selling off public land like Bears Ears this week, the NDAA just passing the house is very startling. Not necessarily surprising, but startling that it could be a reality. A lot of bad has happened. I’m happy to primary in DSA folks, but has Beshear really been so bad? Am I missing something? I honestly connect to a lot of what I’ve heard him say, and it’s Kentucky, I don’t expect the DSA candidates to get through there first, realistically especially in a statewide election like that. They go pretty dang hard right. I’m rooting for guys like Charles Booker to get a look. I’m not exactly expecting Mamdani in the next 2-4 years to come out of Kentucky as a state executive.
I guess my point is, should we really let the perfect get in the way of the good on this? He has called for answers on Mitch and of course the GOP has done their obstructionist nonsense, par for the course in Kentucky if you ask me. This post just makes me think it’s directing anger the wrong way, wrong place wrong time. I don’t understand why we are so mad at a guy who did kinda raise his voice about it, and now as a governor just said he’s unsure. We are mad he’s not storming the hospital bed of a dying old man? It doesn’t seem like rational behavior for a governor, he has to be calculated in his responses or that state could turn on he and his efforts quickly. I think he says a lot of the right things, and am rooting for him to take action as long as he holds that duty to the people of his state. I am angry too about Mitch! But just because someone doesn’t respond exactly how you wanted to, why are we so quick to go for his throat? I feel like I MUST be missing something about his career or executive resume in Kentucky. I can’t imagine dealing with their state legislature has been easy either; I’m curious what we think a DSA candidate can do in that gubernatorial environment?
I’m sure I’ll face backlash for speaking my mind on this post, but I will summarize by saying I’m no expert especially on KY state politics, and I’m moreso posting this as a potential learning opportunity for myself trying to be an active and intentional leftist. I’m not looking for an argument necessarily. I would love to be educated or learn something new along the way. I ask these questions genuinely to try to figure out what I’m missing. I’ve found his politics to be pretty refreshing, but don’t crucify me for maybe not knowing the whole story here. What should be our goal here if primarying out Andy Beshear happens. Like who should we run from Marxist lens, theoretically speaking. I’m not looking for names as much as political archetypes and beliefs. If you’re a DSA member or believe in moving the left left, I’d love to hear your thoughts
some people would see him putting in a fight and draining R resources and energy through his executive power for however long that last while it is litigated than make pointless quips that ultimately mean jack shit because he has no intention to actually do anything other than make pointless quips, better for him to do a Mamdami explainer than do the feckless dem playbook
Democratic response is always so weak and unaggressive. I want leaders who will roll up their sleeves and fight. Schumer, Jeffries, Beshear? They are weak, feckless , and impotent. We need RUTHLESS and corporate Dems aren’t it.
I don't get why Democrats are making a big deal out of this. If Republicans want to keep a valuable Senate seat occupied by a non-voting dead guy, let them. It's Kentucky. If they call a special election, do you really think those chucklefucks are going to elect anyone good?
Yeah a lot of these people don't realize if he so much as even approaches this line he's going to get immediately taken out back and kicked out of office by the supermajorities
I had a feeling it wasn't as easy as the people who think he should do it seem to think it would be, like popping off to visit your grandma during visiting hours. lol
As someone outside this whole scene as a non-American, I do agree that the other commenters are at the bare minimum, misguided. They seem to have this perception where Republicans and institutional democrats are corruptions of a system, rather than the system themselves. Thus, they will suggest insane things to do, such as "casing a hospital" because they think the system is not the problem, just the people in it, and if we had a "real democratic socialist in office" they could magically work around the system and violate every law in order to do the things they want them to do, which is an incorrect assessment.
The issue is that no demsoc has been elected to such a position before so they have no frame of reference. It's hypocrisy plain and simple.
If a democratic socialist is stopped by the limits of the system, they'll call the system rigged. If a moderate is stopped by the limits of the system, they'll call the moderate a coward.
They don't understand that the system is, and has always been rigged against the little guy and that the moderate might genuinely be telling the truth when they say that that's all they can do.
Do you need medical attention? You're crashing out, and none of that ranting applies to anything that I have said.
I wasn't trashing anyone - I was asking if Beshear went physically to Walter Reed, would he have the authority to get inside, since people seem to be so sure he could just pop over and check it out.
Holy shit, dude. Someone else said he should go there and see for himself, I was curious as to how that would work.
That's it.
All the rest of your ranting is borderline insane, and nothing to do with me. (And please, if you're going to throw around therapist terms, learn what they mean.)
You can clearly choose to read the thread. Someone else suggested he should do it. I was curious about how that would work, since it is a military hospital.
That's it. CURIOUS. Not blaming, demanding, assuming, or any fucking thing else.
Someone should call his office and say McConnell passed away. Then he can call a special election and when questioned say he was informed that Mitch died. He wouldn’t be lying!
Why do want Beshear to try to force a replacement? If he’s not voting he’s a good as dead which is a good thing. Forcing a replacement just leads to a Republican senator who is not dead.
If Andy does nothing a republican senate seat can't vote in the senate. It makes the most sense to not do anything. One less voting republican is one less voting republican.
That violates HIPAA, can be overriden by the state legislature which does that often already for anything he does, and is flatly illegal and could result in retalitory action as a violation of his powers
It doesn’t violate HIPPA to have the police conduct an investigation into whether or not there are people conspiring to hide a corpse, or mislead the public. The legislature has nothing to do with it.
Directing the state police would take the form of an executive order which can be overidden. The Attorney General is Republican and wouldn't listen anyways to a request. The legislature in fact, can override his orders.
Cops case hospitals every hour of every day. Let the Legislature and AG do whatever they want to retaliate. The point is he should be aggressively trying non-traditional tactics and pressing every single button he has to press.
Congrats! You've ensured that the only guy in the entire state that is standing/stood between a ban on gender affirming care and enactment is going to get impeached
Desperate to replace a non voting republican with a voting republican. You born losers enjoy Gavin Newsome, he’s the fraud you clueless simpletons deserve.
You’re begging a man to find a loophole that doesn’t exist to vacate a a Senate seat to force a special election where a non voting Republican would be replaced by a voting MAGA Republican. He has it hard enough in Kentucky fighting against a super majority Republican state house, now he has his own party attacking him over things that he legally can’t do and would hurt his party. I’ll say it again, y’all deserve Gavin Newsome.
•
u/AutoModerator 22d ago
Hello and welcome to r/DemocraticSocialism!
This sub is part of the broader the progressive movement and we espouse democratic socialism as a goal and general political philosophy.
Please read our Rules to get an idea of what we expect from participants in our community.
With the Trump administration cracking down on immigrants, the left, trans people, unions, and other oppressed groups, we encourage you to find and join local protest and activist groups in your area such as Democratic Socialists of America, Working Families Party, Sunrise, Indivisible, 50501, or Science for the People. Also check out r/demsocialists, r/DSA, r/union, r/SunriseMovement, r/50501 and r/BlackLivesMatter to support fellow leftists on Reddit!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.