Members of Congress with major health issues.

[Minnesota Mike]

Some people will think this thread is in bad taste but IMO the ability of elected representatives to show up and do the job is a legitimate public concern. If you want to do a job well past normal retirement age your age should be an issue. Sadly the odds of all 535 members of the House and Senate making it to the end of their terms is not great especially with many in their 70's or 80's.

Members with health issues I have heard about.

- Sen Mitch McConnell. He had another fall today (he appears ok). He also had well publicized "Freezing" incidents. Retiring at the end of his term.

- Sen Chuck Grassley. He looks amazing for 91 but that does not change the fact he is freaking 91.

- Rep David Scott (GA). Has not been back to work since the election because of "back pain" according to his staff but all indications are that that is just and excuse. Its pretty well known he is suffering from pretty severe mental decline and likely has some sort of dementia despite being a relatively young 79.

- Rep Raul Grijalva (AZ). Is back to work after  a "vigorous course of treatment" for undisclosed cancer (lung I believe). The photos I have seen of him have him using a wheelchair. He has announced his retirement at the end of his term.


Any others?

[These birds not meant to fly alone]

John Fetterman - had a stroke

[Minnesota Mike]

John Fetterman - had a stroke

I'm thinking more along the line of things that effect their current ability to do the job.

[He's turned to dust now, one of the chosen few]

The day we lose Chuck Grassley's Twitter will be a grim one indeed.

[Roll Roons]

None of them are known to be in bad health, but Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn are all in their mid-80s.

[Unbeatable Titan Susan Collins]

Congressman Gary Connolly (D-VA) announced last month that he had been diagnosed with Cancer.

[Schumer can go f*** himself!]

Not gonna lie, this is a pretty ghoulish thread

[Minnesota Mike]

Not gonna lie, this is a pretty ghoulish thread

Yeah but honestly so what? Joe Biden, RBG, Ted Kennedy, Diane Feinstein, etc. how many examples do we need of people who stuck around longer than they should have? Of course I don't want anything bad to happen to anyone on this thread but ignoring obvious health difficulties does not help anyone. I may be a cold hearted SOB but I'm also a realist.

[New World Man]

Would Beshear be able to pick a replacement or how does that work in Kentucky(if something happens)?

[100% pro-choice no matter what]

Would Beshear be able to pick a replacement or how does that work in Kentucky(if something happens)?

IIRC correctly McConnell made them implement some kind of Wyoming-like system where the state legislature/republican party gives the governor a list of a few names to make an appointment from.

[Schumer can go f*** himself!]

Not gonna lie, this is a pretty ghoulish thread

Yeah but honestly so what? Joe Biden, RBG, Ted Kennedy, Diane Feinstein, etc. how many examples do we need of people who stuck around longer than they should have? Of course I don't want anything bad to happen to anyone on this thread but ignoring obvious health difficulties does not help anyone. I may be a cold hearted SOB but I'm also a realist.

It’s unnecessary and kinda gross

[Minnesota Mike]

Not gonna lie, this is a pretty ghoulish thread

Yeah but honestly so what? Joe Biden, RBG, Ted Kennedy, Diane Feinstein, etc. how many examples do we need of people who stuck around longer than they should have? Of course I don't want anything bad to happen to anyone on this thread but ignoring obvious health difficulties does not help anyone. I may be a cold hearted SOB but I'm also a realist.

It’s unnecessary and kinda gross

Nah, it's just being realistic about life. It's not like any of the people that have been mentioned are reading this board. We spend hours discussing future political races and scenarios but we can't mention the elephants in the room? People get sick, people die or are unable to do their jobs and that's just life. Nothing wrong with discussing the realities. BTW this comes from somebody with a whole lot more of their life behind them than ahead of them.

[CentristRepublican]

Not gonna lie, this is a pretty ghoulish thread

Yeah but honestly so what? Joe Biden, RBG, Ted Kennedy, Diane Feinstein, etc. how many examples do we need of people who stuck around longer than they should have? Of course I don't want anything bad to happen to anyone on this thread but ignoring obvious health difficulties does not help anyone. I may be a cold hearted SOB but I'm also a realist.

It’s unnecessary and kinda gross

Is it, though? Nobody's glorifying anything, and in the famous words of OC, "death is inevitable." It's a fact of Congress just as it is a fact of life.

That said, I do figure this thread can be merged with the general retirements thread since they this basically overlaps with that.

[Fascism Must Be Defeated]

Not gonna lie, this is a pretty ghoulish thread

This kind of taboo is what allowed Joe Biden to run for reelection despite his extremely obvious decline. We need to be talking about this constantly.

[Nyvin]

Not gonna lie, this is a pretty ghoulish thread

Might as well make the title "Current Ghouls in Congress"

[Talleyrand]

There are several Representatives not mentioned earlier who will be in their mid-to-late 80s by the end of the 119th Congress: Hal Rogers, Maxine Waters, Danny Davis, John Carter, Rose DeLauro, and Virginia Foxx.

Bernie Sanders was also just re-elected at 83. He would be 89 by the end of his next term. Vermont also has a Republican Governor who would appoint a potential replacement.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Not gonna lie, this is a pretty ghoulish thread

This kind of taboo is what allowed Joe Biden to run for reelection despite his extremely obvious decline. We need to be talking about this constantly.

Not to beat a dead horse, but Alan Lichtman's "No Scandal" key was "True" for Biden, but had he interpreted his keys correctly, he should have turned it "False" because Biden and his staff covering up his decline was a major scandal.

[RBH]

this kinda feels like it's close to a Death Pool contest

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

Mazie Hirono pulled through stage 4 cancer and has (so far) been re-elected twice afterwards.

[Oppo]

Steny Hoyer is 85 and had a stroke earlier this year. He has been a member of the House Democratic leadership for longer than Oversight Committee ranking member AOC has been alive.

[Schumer can go f*** himself!]

Not gonna lie, this is a pretty ghoulish thread

This kind of taboo is what allowed Joe Biden to run for reelection despite his extremely obvious decline. We need to be talking about this constantly.

No, what allowed Joe Biden to run again was that he, his family, and few key staffers made an incredibly selfish decision to conceal the extent to which age had taken its toll on him.

[Horus]

https://twitter.com/scarlett4kids/status/1867190884435161397?t=fxwo4O1H-COmLzm64...

[Roll Roons]

https://twitter.com/scarlett4kids/status/1867190884435161397?t=fxwo4O1H-COmLzm64...

That video is very obviously edited, but the point is accurate.

[Duke of York]

this is a morbid thread but i do foresee several special elections this term.

[Unbeatable Titan Susan Collins]

Pelosi has been hospitalized in Luxembourg.

https://www.axios.com/2024/12/13/nancy-pelosi-injured-hospitalized-congressional-trip


Her office's statement is rather vague but I wouldn't assume this is serious.