The same Republicans that say Mitch McConnell is “fine” claim Joe Biden is too old to lead

Michael Arceneaux
5 min readJul 28

Gerontocracy is a two party problem, but the GOP wants to have it both ways with its Senate leader.

Photo: @LeaderMcConnell/Twitter

When people openly question whether or not you had a stroke on live television, it’s not going to be easy to quash questions about your retirement plans.

Yet that is exactly what Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is trying to do after suffering what appeared to be some sort of a medical episode on Wednesday during a press conference.

The 81-year-old was giving his opening remarks during a weekly press conference when he froze mid-sentence and was unable to restart — ultimately prompting his Republican colleagues in the Senate to escort him away from the mic.

The Kentucky Senator suffered a concussion and broken rib following a fall in March at a private dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Washington D.C.. It resulted in a nearly six week absence from Capitol Hill. Evidently, that has not been enough time for him to fully recover.

I am no doctor, so I can’t say with any certainty that he suffered from a stroke or mini-stroke this week.

But four neurologists interviewed by The Washington Post that reviewed footage of the incident did offer a range of explanations including “dehydration exacerbated by heat, a near-fainting episode, or a partial seizure or stroke.”

Another said the incident “could suggest an underlying neurological disorder that has not been publicly disclosed.”

All offered the caveat that this is speculation and only so much can be gleaned by a patient that isn’t theirs.

So did the people I asked who are more educated about strokes.

However, as Ann Murray, a neurologist at West Virginia University, explained to the Post, when it comes to McConnell, “He is somebody who is very used to speaking in front of a camera. For him to have this kind of trouble in executing a…

Michael Arceneaux

New York Times bestselling author of “I Can’t Date Jesus” and “I Don’t Want To Die Poor.”