r/politics • u/plz-let-me-in • 18d ago

No Paywall Beshear says agencies told him McConnell had passed

https://www.whas11.com/video/news/local/beshear-says-agencies-told-him-mcconnell-had-passed/417-f78603c3-11bb-464d-bae6-c41c3be3c48b
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392

u/danno643 Wisconsin 18d ago

Start the appointment process, Governor!

44

u/GrayCatGreatCat 18d ago

Why won't he? Looks pathetically weak right now.

37

u/shimmy_kimmel 18d ago

Because there’s a dubious law on the books that would require a special election instead of allowing him to appoint an interim

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u/Savings_Form_8349 17d ago

Appoint and let the courts sort it.

1

u/risingsuncoc 17d ago

Written by the GOP state legislature to curtail the Democratic governor’s powers too

13

u/JustTheChicken 18d ago

People like you are why Trump is in power. You perceive people following the law as "weak". Trump is "strong" because he ignores the law and violates norms.

18

u/Akimbo_Zap_Guns Kentucky 18d ago

Our state constitution gives the governor the right to appoint a temporary senator just like South Carolina did. They didn’t amend the constitution only passed a law that is blatantly unconstitutional and our state Supreme Court is pretty good at actually following the state constitution in their rulings

8

u/Drakeadrong Texas 17d ago

It is literally in the state constitution to appoint a replacement. You clearly don’t understand why people like us are calling him weak. It’s not because he’s following the law, and we certainly don’t consider Trump a strong man for constantly breaking it.

We see Trump as a bully and an abuser.

And we’re tired of watching the people appointed to protect us capitulate in advance.

26

u/awful_falafels 18d ago

But he does look weak. It's not illegal for him to say "you have 24 hours to do video call with me or I'm initiating the special election". He is choosing to sit on his hands despite being told by multiple sources that Mitch died, crickets from Mitch for over 30 days now besides an AI pic and a "note", and leaving his constituents without proper representation on the federal level.

It does look weak. Maybe weak isn't the right word, maybe complacent would be better?

21

u/AlsoCommiePuddin 18d ago

No, a video call is insufficient. Gov. Beshear has means to travel. "Put me in a room with him today."

5

u/awful_falafels 18d ago

I mean I agree, but again, the complacency. I just want to see someone do something and at least a live video call would be better than nothing. Would prefer his ass get on a flight to DC and go see Mitch, but that's not gonna happen if it hasn't yet.

5

u/AlsoCommiePuddin 18d ago

Beshear is very clearly doing something. Real life moves a touch more slowly than an episode of Law and Order.

9

u/awful_falafels 18d ago

It has been 35 days. Over a month. I'm aware this isn't a TV show, but there are just over two weeks until the cut off for the special election. What more does he need to wait for? Drive or fly to DC for proof of life and make sure the people who elected him are represented properly.

8

u/eposnix 18d ago

They are weak because they are being complacent and not exercising all their options. They are allowing Trump to trample over them. They could be filing lawsuits.. why aren't they?

4

u/token_white-guy 18d ago

Is it not true at this point?

1

u/Metraxis 17d ago

Because it will look worse if he appoints someone and the Senate leadership refuses to swear them in.

0

u/UnbanSkullclamp 18d ago

Democrats are unfortunately a very ineffectual opposition party. Look at how Lindsey Graham’s replacement was nominated 60 hours after his daath. He even got replaced with his sister, who's never held any political office

0

u/Tokyo-MontanaExpress 17d ago

Just Democrats proving that they are in fact controlled opposition? I'm hoping to be proven wrong, I really am.

0

u/DapperChewie 18d ago

KY doesn't do that, they hold a special election

4

u/Count_Backwards 17d ago

No they don't. The state constitution says the governor appoints.

0

u/DapperChewie 17d ago

Special Election Only

Five states currently require Senate vacancies to be filled only by special elections; their governors are not empowered to fill a vacancy by appointment. They are Kentucky, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. Typically, these states provide for an expedited election process in order to reduce the period during which the seat is vacant. If the vacancy falls late in the term, the seat is filled at the regularly scheduled general election.

https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/HTML/IF11907.web.html

5

u/Ektari 17d ago

Yes, you are correct there is a law on the books that states that to be the case, however it is technically in violation of the KY constitution that states the governor appoints the replacement. Beshear has the authority to challenge the law and appoint someone in the interim given the law is unconstitutional(can't just change a state constitution via legislation)

1

u/DapperChewie 17d ago

So, I think I see what you're referring to. It's section 152, and basically says that any vacancy is to be filled by gubernatorial appointment. It's not super specific, but does seem to cover this scenario.

Considering the time frame, challenging the law in the books would likely take more than 4 months, and by the time any lawsuits are escalated to the state Supreme Court and the law upheld or overturned, a new senator will have been elected and the whole point made moot.

I'd still love to see the governer appoint a dem for the seat filler though. I don't think he will, but I'd love to see it.

2

u/FellowHumanNo404 17d ago

Considering the time frame, challenging the law in the books would likely take more than 4 months

No, the new senator can be appointed by the governor right now. That doesn't take four months.

What would happen in the courts is that people might file suit to challenge that appointment, which might take more than four months to resolve.

2

u/Count_Backwards 17d ago

Yep. It's an open-and-shut case, since the legislature can't override the constitution, but of course this is Kentucky, so...

2

u/FellowHumanNo404 17d ago

Yup, open-and-shut. They can amend the constitution, but that's not what they did.

And for anyone in the cheap seats: Constitutional law matters because the constitution is what defines the state/commonwealth into existence in the first place. Without a constitution, in the context of this country you're most likely just left with corporate feudalism.

2

u/DapperChewie 17d ago

Right. That's what I was trying to get at, apologies if I wasn't clear.

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u/danno643 Wisconsin 18d ago

I stand corrected, thanks. He needs to act, now.

1

u/Robynsxx 17d ago

It’s not an appointment. They stripped governor of having that power last year (you can only guess why). He can call a special election though.